Chapter 61
In front of the warehouse where the Eighths are hiding, numerous police units take up position, taking cover behind their vehicles and letting the assault team pass in front.
"Um, wouldn't it be wiser to leave the heroes and shinobi at the front rather than the cops?" Usui asks.
"I agree with you, but Superintendent Ayanokouji Kaito sees things differently..." Aki clenches her fists as she says this.
"Is this really the time to respect procedures? It's really something I don't understand..." Chacha sighs.
"Senji-sama..." Inaho worried, but remained focused.
"Well, I have confirmation that Senji isn't far away, Lilu-chan, Aililu-chan, it's up to you." Ayaka orders.
The twin sisters nod, then concentrate, synchronizing their energy to create a huge bubble around the port, preventing anyone from entering or leaving.
"It's starting youngsters, stay attentive." Kakashi said.
"..." Sasuke remained silent, throwing his attention to the assault team slowly approaching the warehouse.
"Ayaka-sensei just said Senji-kun is here? I hope he doesn't try anything stupid." Sakura worries.
"Are you Senji Emiya? I'm Superintendent Ayanokoji, I'd like to ask you a few questions."
"The police? What do you want from us?" Ryuji asks.
"Ryuji Maesaka, isn't it? No offense, but it's Emiya we're interested in." Explains the superintendent.
"What?!" He still gets a little annoyed.
"Shuka, we have a visitor. Drop the observation and get on with the plan. I'm entrusting command to Rain." I warn her.
"Pff, okay got it!"
"Be careful Shuka, the police may have posted snipers nearby!" Rain takes over.
"Get ready to start and radio me if they give me any bullshit." I whisper to Ryuji.
"All right, big chief!"
I give him an unpleasant look, then get out of the car and walk towards the two policemen.
"This is our first meeting, Superintendent. Your colleague, I've already seen him twice, first at my home, and then during the Shibuya event." I take the lead in the conversation.
"By the way, thank you, it's thanks to you that I survived!" He greets me.
"Yes, I see my advice has served you well, so much the better. On the other hand, I never thought I'd see two policemen outright taking part in Darwin's Game." I frown, before putting on a serene face again. "Are you here to handcuff me?"
"Very funny!" Exclaims the superintendent. We've just come to ask you a few questions, if you'll cooperate! Unless you have any illegal activities to confess to?"
"No, not that I know of, I make a point of remaining a model shinobi apprentice."
(I can easily imagine the list of offenses committed in Darwin's Game, and even before... Assault and battery, homicide, breaking and entering, illegal use of powers in a public area... And let's not even talk about all the things that happened when I was following Kiritsugu... that would make for a nice criminal record.)
"I suppose it was you, who called in all those agents, heroes and shinobi to lay siege to the warehouse. However, I didn't expect you to bring along students and teachers from the Kuoh school..." I look in their direction, worried.
"Not exactly, these men are not under my command... The heroes and shinobis were called in by the 3rd Hokage himself. As for your comrades and teacher, they insisted on coming, worried about you and your friend in the clutches of the Eighth and precisely, the report of the hostage-taking did come from me." Explains the superintendent.
(...I should have known...)
"So far he's telling the truth!" Ryuji warns me from the earpiece.
"Hmmm, I still don't see what you want from me." I grow impatient.
"This morning, a young man by the name of Youta Shinozuka was kidnapped on the grounds of his high school, Kuoh. According to eyewitness accounts, arrests made on the spot and surveillance camera footage, the kidnappers are members of the Eighth, a criminal organization. They are holed up in this warehouse with the hostage! So you and your allies are about to rescue this boy, who happens to be your friend..." The superintendent gives me the rundown.
"If you haven't come to arrest me, we'll cut it short, okay?" I cut him off. "I don't have time to chat."
"This situation...!" He raises his voice, "It's clearly police business! A challenge to the forces of law and order of the state of Konoha! It's not up to a mere high school student, what's more a shinobi apprentice to improvise a rescue operation!"
"...Are you serious right now...?" I widen my eyes, finding it hard to believe what I've just heard. "You seriously think this is a game right now?! Youta is surrounded by criminals and you've taken some of my comrades with you!"
"Your comrades are right there if the situation takes a turn for the worse. And it's the same for the heroes and Shinobi present, they'll only intervene if necessary." Explains the superintendent.
"Because you really think a few agents are going to be enough to get my buddy out of this mess?! You know the Eighth, don't you? These guys are super dangerous! They'll make mincemeat out of cops!" I snap.
"They will have done their duty nonetheless! He said, looking me straight in the eyes.
"Wha...!" I I'm stunned. "You want to sacrifice them?!"
"Emiya, I'd like you to collaborate with us, to put an end to this absurd game!" The superintendent asks me.
(Because he expects me to trust him after what he just told me...)
"There's something new!" Rain's voice is heard through the earpiece.
"What's going on?" I ask.
"The Eighth have just thrown smoke bombs, they're taking action!"
"This is unit A! The Eighths have set off smoke bombs, be vigilant and stay under cover! They may attack at any moment!" A cop warns over his car's loudspeaker.
"Why do we have to wait and let the cops do the job?" Yan Min asks with a yawn.
"I agree, if we were sent out with the heroes and shinobi, this whole thing would have been settled by now." Minerva agreed.
"If we have to let the police go first, it's precisely so that they die..." Ayaka says.
"I beg your pardon? But why are they doing this?" Yan Min doesn't understand.
"To make the superiors react, to make them understand the danger of Darwin's Game, these are the people who were created by this game, and it's about time things changed, especially when some of our students are affected." Ayaka clenches his fists.
"There's another way, isn't there?" Shiria asks, not at all convinced.
"Roger unit A! Snipers are not yet in position, buy time without approaching the suspect!" Announces someone from the radio, heard by all.
"Eighth Gang! Please come out of the building with your hands up, the building is surrounded!" An officer takes a loudspeaker and threatens the Eighth.
The response is immediate, with bullets bursting out of the wall of smoke, knocking down those not taking cover and forcing the others to retreat even further. When the salvo stops, a score of men emerge and charge towards what's left of the policemen, slaughtering them with a multitude of powers. Seeing this, the heroes and shinobi have no choice but to join the fight, charging towards the enemy, turning the harbor into a battlefield.
I can see things getting busy in the hummer, so I put my finger on the earpiece, asking for news.
"Rain, how's it going over there?"
"The Eighth slaughtered most of the policemen, so the heroes and shinobi took over, and it became a real battlefield..."
"...Your colleagues..." I turn to the policemen in front of me. "Almost all of them have been extrerminated! They died like dogs doing their precious duty! Not to mention the fact that you've come to upset our entire strategy! Are you satisfied, Mr. Superintendent?!"
"I haven't heard your answer yet! Are you going to help us put an end to this cursed game?" He asks me indifferently.
"You want an answer?! Well, I don't! I can't trust you!" After glaring at them, I quickly enter the hummer. "Drive on! Let's get on with it while the Eighth are occupied by law enforcement!"
"Ok chief! Hang in there!" Ryuji sped off, leaving the two policemen in the dust.
In front of the warehouse, one of the members of the Eighth moves very quickly between each policeman, shaking his body in all directions, in an unnatural way. His body thins, or stretches like elastic, killing every policeman in his path.
Nearby, some die without knowing why, a knife in the chest, but see nothing.
"That's enough!" the Death Arms hero leaps at the elastic man, who dodges. When he fell, he left a huge crater.
"Wow, I was right to dodge, that's a pretty lethal technique Mr. Hero!" Taunts the elastic man.
Police officers panic, seeing their colleagues fall one after the other, but not knowing why.
"Minerva, we'll leave you with the twin sisters." Said Ayaka.
"Right, take care, everyone." Minerva nodded, stepping in front of the sisters.
"Fufufu, your hiding stops here." Tomika-sensei throws fine wires toward the void, but catches something all the same.
"What the?!" An invisible man caught in the wires is startled.
"If you thought you'd escape the observation of a seasoned Kunoichi, you'd be wrong. Now I'd advise you to avoid moving around too much, those cables can be very sharp if you're not careful." Warns Tomika sadistically.
"Graah! Stop moving!" Mt. Lady, enraged, unable to trample the elastic man.
"I proceed to the evacuation! Police officers, don't just stand there, we'll take care of the rest!" Backdraft gestures to the still-living policeman.
"Hang in there! Oh you're bleeding badly, squeeze on it!" Sakura supports a badly wounded officer by the shoulder.
A guy with cybernetic arms swoops in and pulls out blades, coming face to face with Death Arms, as if excited to have him in front of him.
"Hi Death Arms! I didn't think I'd be fighting a hero today, but I have to admit, I'm really enjoying it!" He said, licking his lips.
"Hey! This is my fight, mind your own business Johnny!" Complains the elastic man.
"Yeah yeah that's right, take care of the giant with the big ass and we'll talk!" Johnny exclaims.
Suddenly, someone arrived just in front of him at high speed, emitting lightning bolts, then kicked him. Johnny barely had time to put his arms out to defend himself, retreating several meters.
"Hey sweetie, it's not very polite to hit someone without introducing yourself..." Johnny retracts his arms, feeling an unsteady current inside.
"I don't care who you are. All I need to know is that your career ends here. Get ready, it's me you're going up against." Yan Min moves into position, assuming a Muay Thai fighting stance.
"Oh really? I'd love to see that!" The two bump into each other.
"Well I can see that Johnny might be busy, so it's up to me to take care of two heroes? well I'm flattered!" The elastic man prepares to attack Death arms.
But a small shadow passed behind him and hit him on the back, sending him tumbling into a container.
"...You talk too much..." Koneko said, alert.
But the elastic man is far too quick, leaping towards her using his body as a spring. But someone massive falls on him, it's All Might, knocking him out.
"Is everything all right, young Koneko?" He asks, picking up the guy.
"Yes, thank you All Might-sama." She bows her head in thanks.
"This is me thanking you, you've created an opening for me and..." All Might doesn't have time to finish.
Suddenly, they all find themselves in a dust storm, struggling to breathe and with visibility more than reduced, All Might pulls Koneko closer to him.
"Koneko-chan, are you all right?" Kiba asked.
"Yes Kiba-san, I'm with All Might."
"Young Yuuto, stay close to me, it's probably a power that's in action." All Might scans his surroundings, searching as best he can in this dusty haze.
"Asia, stay close to us, we don't know what's going on and we've been separated from Koneko and Kiba. Tss, and to think we haven't heard from Senji either..." Rias looked around worriedly.
"Sorry, but like it or not, Senji is going to die today, after all, no one has the right to mock the boss like he did. He and his pig buddy will end their miserable lives, and so will you." A voice is heard in front of her.
"As if we're going to let you!" Rias concentrates her power of destruction, a cluster of black and red energy, and swings it at the voice.
"And no, it doesn't work like that." But nothing happens, her power fades before she can even fire it.
"What the?! Why can't I...! Ah right, able to nullify other people's abilities, am I wrong?"
"Rather malignant... But that's not all I've got."
Understanding immediately what he means, she pushes Asia behind a wall and hides in turn, narrowly dodging a bullet whizzing by her.
"This is a complicated situation... I hope the others are doing well..." Rias tries to see but immediately crouches down, narrowly dodging a bullet.
At the rear of the warehouse, the battle rages just as fiercely, with one of the Eighth members sucking up the concrete on the floor, gathering it into a ball of material in his hand, then firing it like a shotgun at the policemen who are covering themselves as best they can.
"Ah ah ah ah! Did you really expect to win against us? We're the Eighth, we're the strongest!" He brags.
"Because you already think you're done?" A female voice is heard.
He turns towards this voice to see Kodama, pointing her finger at him, then a shot of electricity passes by her and straight at him.
He barely dodges, but a fireball explodes at his feet, throwing him a little further.
"It's all right, I'll take care of you. Hey, don't leave them there, take them further away, the fight's right next door I recall!"
Aki Nijou takes care of the injured, treating them quickly, before moving on to another, mainly treating the most serious.
"Oh is that where you're hiding?" Suddenly, gravity becomes noticeably heavier, forcing everyone to drop down, close to the ground.
"What?! Did someone come by?!" Aki panicked. "Aren't you ashamed of picking on the injured?!"
"There's only one rule in our house, sweetheart, and that's don't leave anyone alive behind." Said the gravity manipulator with a big smile. "Now I'm going to smash you like pancakes." He increases the gravity again.
But he's interrupted by a sonic scream. He is quickly picked up by someone and taken further away.
"Is everything all right? He didn't hurt you too bad?!" Present Mic asks, stepping in front of the injured camp.
"It probably aggravated some cases, can you hold them alone?" Aki asks rising quickly to her feet.
"No problem, I know what to do when faced with such troublemakers." Present mic gives a thumbs-up.
"You're so full of yourself, hero." Says a guy covered in spikes.
"Thanks for pulling me out of his scream, I thought my eardrums were going to explode..." The gravity manipulator rises to his feet, somewhat stunned.
"Get a grip man, he's not fooling around." The guy covered in spikes gets into position.
"Woohh!" Present mic lets out a scream, creating a shockwave heading towards the two Eighths.
Both dodge, the guy with the spades swings several towards Present mic.
"Yeah!" He pushes back a scream, smaller this time, just enough to return the attack.
"Damn it!" The gravity manipulator exerts its power over present mic, forcing him to the ground.
"That's not good enough guys!" But that doesn't stop Present mic screaming, the shockwave so fast that they don't have time to react and take it head-on, becoming dazed.
Farther away, closer to the sea, one of the Eighth's members doesn't move, but exercises his power, sending columns of water at shinobis trying to approach him, and protecting himself with a wall of water when necessary.
When suddenly, a blade of energy managed to get through his defenses, forcing him to move.
"Who's strong enough to...?" He looks up to see a young girl approaching him, a sword in its scabbard in her hand, exuding a powerful aura.
Haruko simply walked towards him, a stern expression on her face. She grips the hilt of the sword tightly, as if comforting herself.
"I see, that's quite a weapon you've got there young lady. That explains why you got through my defense so easily."
"Eighth's activity stops today, surrender calmly." She said.
"Hmpf... Please don't take me for a fool. We know very well why we're confronting each other. You're trying to save two students from the wrath of One. And we, the Eighth, want to enjoy our complete freedom, even if it means trampling on the lives of others. So if you're a hero in the making, you know what to do, don't you?"
"If you leave me no choice... Then I'll have no mercy." She takes the scabbard, ready to free the blade.
(I've never felt it shake so much, there are so many powerful people gathered in one place...) She thinks, feeling the hilt tremble and the aura of her blade grow stronger.
"He's busy!"
"Let's get rid of him!"
Several shinobi charged towards the water manipulator, but without looking at them, he simply sent them flying with a giant hand of water.
"I don't give a damn about the others around us. I wish a duel with you young lady. We both have things to defend, so I too will show no mercy."
But both are interrupted by a high-pitched noise coming from behind Haruko. She turns to see several policemen forcing open the door with a grinder.
"Rather clever, they take advantage of the ambient chaos to force an opening, sometimes they can try clever things after all." scoffs the water manipulator.
"I won't let you interfere!" Haruko exclaims.
"I don't need to go there. See for yourself."
"…"
"There's no need to be suspicious, I promised you a fair duel and that's what I intend to do, so see for yourself."
Haruko hesitated, but her curiosity got the better of her, and she turned to see one of the policemen cut in half, then all the others, followed by the rear entrance to the warehouse cut cleanly into several pieces, with One's arms raised high behind, as if presenting a play.
"Greetings, forces of order! Thank you for coming to my show!" He exclaims.
Then a dozen Eighths gather beside him, armed with assault rifles, and shoot at anything that moves.
"Nooo!" Haruko shouts, trying to reach her comrades, but a wall of water prevents her from getting through. She then turns to the water manipulator, a dark look on her face.
"There's no need to look at me like that, I've warned you that I don't give a damn about the others, all I care about is you, so if you want to see your comrades again, alive or dead, face me and win." He said, forming a water giant.
Without answering, She takes the scabbard, and releases the blade, in a torrent of energy pouring around them, a blade made of pure energy, so concentrated that the heat rises drastically, evaporating the water on the ground.
"Maken, Murakumo! Let me show you, why it's the most powerful Maken in Japan!" She said, preparing to pounce on him.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Shuka discreetly climbs onto the roof of the warehouse, cutting a hole in a window and dropping a phone next to Youta, who is just below.
"That's it, I've delivered the phone! Now we just have to see if he'll be able to use it..."
"Well done, take the next step." I tell her.
"It's as good as done!" She replies, cutting off communication.
I pick up my phone and call, hoping with all my being that he'll answer.
(Come on, Youta. Now it's up to you.)
"A... Hello? Is that you Senji?" The call started. "You came to my rescue?!" I can hear his voice broken with emotion.
"...I'm going to get right to the point, so listen up!" I make myself understood as much as possible. "I've sent an invitation message for Darwin's Game on this mobile, open it and click the link! I promise you'll be fine!"
"Are you kidding me? This is no time to be playing a video game!"
"Don't argue, just do as I say! I beg you!"
"O...Okay, but I'm going to have a hard time, with my fingers cut off..."
"Use your feet or your tongue, if you have to! Do it if you want to live! Keep fighting, Youta!"
"U...Understood! I don't want to die..." *Beep* The call stops.
"Damn it! We've been cut off!"
"I didn't really believe in this idea of teleporting him to us thanks to a call for help - there were bound to be unforeseen circumstances!" Rain explains.
"All that's left is to rush in and get him! We'll smash One in the process!" Ryuji exclaims, more motivated than ever.