17:05 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday February the 22nd…
"… Save for Dingo – kun, who's still ill, all "Cross Fusion" users gathered…"
"And excluding the "unofficial" users, Yuriko, Miyabi and Tesla…"
"We gathered to discuss an operation to raid one of their hideouts…"
"It's this abandoned hospital in Himeji…"
"Odd trucks have been witnessed coming and leaving…"
A briefing was held in the Net Police HQ meeting room.
Kifune and Manabe explained the outline of an operation.
Satellite imagery of a hospital complex was shown onscreen.
Netto and the other "CF" users sat behind the tables and looked on.
"Of course, it's very likely that it's a dummy…"
"But, sometimes, it's necessary to step into a trap to expose it…"
"We will ready three teams. A strike team and two support teams…"
"Strike team will be the veteran three. The others will be support…"
"Roger that…"
"We foresee interference from Rufus and his pawns, of course…"
"Such as those "silver" foes. Don't take them lightly…"
"We suggest that you start checking from the outside…"
"The inside will be checked by robots and drones…"
"Good idea, sir. It's likely to be riddled with traps…"
"And, unfortunately, the "Nakayami" of yesterday was a dummy Navi…"
"Somewhere in my heart, I felt that it was too good to be true…"
Jasmine sighed and shook her head.
"Cheer up, Missy! You showed them that you don't scare them!"
Rokushakudama tried to cheer her up.
"You fear my flames more than those thugs!" Napalm Man laughed.
"What was that about, Nenjirou?" He sighed.
"I prefer those to Tesla, even…" Airstar sighed.
"There we go again…" Gyro Man muttered.
"We'll ready a new "cocktail"…" Meddy giggled.
"As long as it's not a "Bloody Mary"…" Misaki ironized.
"Is that that dangerous, sir?" Prism Man asked.
"It's irony. Don't take it seriously…"
"Anyway. We should focus on the operation…" Pride rallied.
"Princess. Is it a good idea to partake, though?" Knight Man argued.
"They're going to raid us sooner or later. Let's forestall them…"
"Understood…"
"My blade is ready, sir…" Blues reported.
"Good. We'll need it to cut through the weaklings…" Enzan replied.
"I am ready to trace any signatures, sir…" Search Man confirmed.
"Wonderful…"
"Also… There is another reason why we set our eyes here…"
Manabe pressed a button in a remote and changed the slide.
An overhead photograph showed the letters "GOD-ODIN" on the roof.
"I see. They are inviting us…" Netto muttered.
"Classical!" Rock Man sighed.
The phone rang and Manabe walked over to it.
"Yes. This is Manabe…"
She frowned at what she heard.
"What? "K. S."? Who's that? What? A maiden? Excuse me?"
"KS… Kanou Shade?" Rock Man wondered.
"But they said a "maiden", so it's someone else…" Netto argued.
"A maiden… KS…" Rock Man muttered.
"Now that you bring it up…"
"What? That she's waiting to announce her divine revelation?"
She sighed and shook her head.
"Go sell that to some occult-loving magazine! We don't have time for…!"
She gasped.
"Rufus Shinra!?"
"WHAT!?"
Everyone looked over there, surprised.
She pressed the speaker button.
"The divine maiden, KS, will announce her divine revelation!"
"What have you done now!?" Kifune growled.
"Don't worry, expelled disciple of Santa Claus…" He sneered.
"Very funny. Patent it!"
"I will be waiting for you at the birthplace of the Vortex World…"
"More memes?" Misaki sighed.
"Asked your beloved Almighty Sage of All Ages…"
"Mr. Meijin is not sage… How many times have we argued that?"
"Don't bother, Netto – kun. They're but bullies…"
"Well, Yukihiro? Did you propose to Megumi?"
"Y-Yukihiro? Me?" Netto sighed.
"M-Megumi? Me?" Meiru sighed.
"Well, Angels Man? Did you propose to Coil Magneto?"
Airstar groaned and dropped his forehead into the table.
"I'm over…" He groaned.
"What is?" Gyro Man asked.
"Ask Propeller Man, your Bermudas cousin…"
"I fail to see the point…"
"Sorry for the wait. Was finishing solving a little issue…"
Meijin entered the room and was surprised.
"Jinmei has come. Did you defeat Jay-Ming?"
"Rufus Shinra!" He growled.
"And who's Jay-Ming, anyway?" Misaki grumbled.
"A stupid pun! It's Jin-Mei! Anagram of Meijin!" Jasmine sighed.
"Forneus is waiting to eat you up…"
"Forneus…? A hospital…? SMTIII again!?" He growled.
"War broke out in Heaven! And Mot Theater started it!"
"I'm fed up with that meme! Go eat grass!"
"Better. I'll send you a bag of alfalfa! Because it's not spicy!"
"What's the correlation?"
"Someone called food that wasn't spicy enough "alfalfa"!"
"They must be lovers of spicy food!" He sighed.
"Anyway. Come anytime, hounds of Densanville…"
The call ended and everyone sighed or fumed.
Jasmine's PET rang and she rolled her eyes.
"Dingo again?"
"Yes…"
"Connect it!"
"Alright…"
"Shanka! I'll build a strong fence to fend off the wolves!"
"SLEEP!" Jasmine yelled.
"Y-yes, Shanka!"
The call abruptly ended and Meiru sighed.
"He can't even read the names onscreen?" She sighed.
"Guess that he bypassed Tomahawk Man…" Roll guessed.
"I guess that that fever is driving him mad, indeed…"
"Anyway. Let's get ready to deploy and crush their stupid stunt…"
"I still think that I've heard that "KS" name before…" Meiru muttered.
"I'll try to look into the list of acquaintances…" Roll offered.
"Go ahead…"
"Next time, refute the call…" Jasmine told Meddy.
"I'll go tell that snob CEO about my anger!" Airstar growled.
"Boy…" Gyro Man sighed.
"And Tesla isn't my fiancée or girlfriend, either!"
"Nobody asked…"
"I don't care! I'm going to settle that, once and for all!"
18:18 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Alright. We'll proceed as laid out in the briefing…"
"Roger that, Raika…"
"Let's end this farce…"
Netto, Enzan and Raika glanced at the building from behind a wall.
A banner reading "Hikita Clinic: We Heal It All" hung above the entrance.
"Hikita Clinic? Come on!" Meijin groaned.
"Nothing good comes out of it, I take it…"
"Don't mind my ramblings…"
"B Team and C Team are in position, too…"
"What about the trucks?"
"Auto-driven trucks… They only had empty cardboard boxes…"
"A reference to something?"
"Yes… Since they had "FOXHOUND" written on them…"
"Alright. No need to go into details…"
"They're expecting us. No need for stealth, right?" Enzan argued.
"Good point. Let's go in and destroy their stupid stunts…"
"Alright. But we'll keep the other two teams on standby…"
"Better do. Maybe they'll try to ambush us…" Netto suggested.
"Dimensional Area: Deploy!"
The dome formed over the hospital and the trio readied their PETs.
They drew their "Synchro Chips".
"Synchro Chip, Slot In!"
Their PETs glowed.
"CROSS FUSION!"
They transformed and ran towards the complex.
Viruses materialized and flew for them.
"CF" Raika sniped them and "Cf" Blues sliced them up.
"CF" Netto shot quick shots at them, too.
They made it into the inner perimeter and a fanfare rang out.
Confetti also rained down.
"Come to room 444 on the 4th floor…" Rufus laughed.
"Hospitals don't have a 4th floor or rooms using the 4 numerals…"
"Now it does. Because it'll be your graveyard!"
"Who decided that?"
"Mishima Kazuya…"
"Not him…" Meijin sighed.
"Be glad that he's not here to flung you down a cliff into the magma…"
"Don't remind me of that. The Mishima family is pure madness!"
The trio cut through the trompe l'oeil blocking the front entrance.
They found a hologram of a manta flying around the space.
"Very subtle!" Mejin grumbled.
"I'm an artist!"
"Weren't you a businessman?"
"One of my many faces!"
"I give up…"
"Beware. The carnage is drawing closer…"
"I'm not trying to date two girls at the same time!"
"Thought that you admired the true chad, Narukami Yuu…"
"Those are net memes! I am not a game character!"
The group climbed up the stairs, fighting off the Viruses.
They reached the 4th floor door, blocked by a drawing of a skull.
They ignored it and cut through the trompe l'oeil.
The corridor was lit with dim, red emergency lighting.
Trails of bloods were drawn over all surfaces.
"Why don't you go produce a horror movie?" Meijin sighed.
"Why not. I'll borrow everyone's worst nightmare…"
"And that is…?"
"The clumsy fool that accidentally pressed the self-destruct button!"
"Very funny!"
The trio ran down the corridor and reached room 444.
There were talismans glued over the armored door.
"Silver Fist!"
"CF" Netto punched the door and brought it down to the ground.
The inside of the room had a red "magic circle" drawn on the ground.
8 candles were set around the outer edge of the circle.
A figure wearing a black cloak and hood sat cross-legged on the center.
Their hands were closed and aiming upwards, as if meditating.
"Om Muni Muni Mahamuni Shakyamuniye Svaha Om…"
"It's a mantra. Shields from negative emotions…" Meijin explained.
"Are you the "maiden"?" "CF" Netto tried asking.
"Signature is that of a human. It's no dummy…"
"CF" Raika calmly analyzed the figure and reported.
The "maiden" calmly stood up as wind blew into the room from a duct.
The candles were extinguished and the "maiden" gasped.
A scream of fear rang out, almost piercing through their ears.
The "maiden" glowed as a red "aura" emerged from behind her.
An echoing laughter boomed across the space next.
"Go, Samael. Use this vessel to create a new world!"
The "maiden" formed two scimitars from inside the sleeves.
She roared and jumped for "CF" Blues.
"Samurai Sword! Long Blade!"
He formed two blades to stop her rampage.
"Blood of the hypocrites! For the creation of a new world!"
"Save me the SMTIII distortions!"
"Do you prefer Time-Space distortions, then?"
"NO!"
"Ladies and gentlemen! Where's civilization!?"
"Ask that to the smug CEO!"
Cait Sith appeared there and gasped at the sight of the spectacle.
"Blues – han! Try using water!" He suggested.
"Water…? Why not… Geyser!"
A geyser formed and pushed her upwards.
She hit the ceiling and dropped the blades from the blow.
She fell, but "CF" Netto caught her on his arms.
The hood fell and they gasped.
"Kiryuuin Sakurako!?"
"The clumsy maid of Ayanoukouji's manor!?"
"Heck! That was what "KS" meant!"
The "maiden" turned out to be Kiryuuin, who was unconscious.
"Well. It was a matter of time, anyway…"
Rufus shrugged, as if it was no big deal.
"The real deal is yet to begin…"
"Finally!" "CF" Blues fumed.
"I'll escort her outside the building…"
"Jasmine, Charlie and Pride! You'd come?"
"We thought that you might need help…"
The team of "CF" Jasmine, "CF" Airstar and "CF" Pride joined them.
"Alright. Take care of her!"
"She might rampage again. Be careful…" "CF" Raika warned.
"Don't worry, we'll handle it…"
"Charlie. Don't try anything funny…" "CF" Jasmine warned.
"Who, me? I have enough battling Tesla's complexes!" He sighed.
"Fine. But a warning is a warning…"
"Alright…"
"Team C is fighting Viruses and securing the area!"
"Roger that!"
"Team B! Evacuate through the route that you secured!"
"Let's hurry, before they seal it!"
"There's always other routes!"
The team rushed away as Rufus clapped over the speakers.
"Come forth! GOD-ODIN!"
The ground exploded, opening a hole.
A robot flew in from the floor below.
It was about the height of a human adult.
The face was covered with a metallic mask and had a slit for the eyes.
Two tall, ovulated "eyes" were visible behind black shades.
A round speaker, protected by a metallic cover, was set on the mouth.
The torso had purple armor covering it.
The red forearms ended in sturdy hands.
It had a white jetpack attached on the back.
The legs were covered in dark blue armor.
The feet were also protected by armor and had small holes on the front.
"I knew it. It's but one of your stupid robots!" "CF" Blues sighed.
"Never expected anything relevant to begin with…" "CF" Raika scoffed.
"Go, GOD – ODIN! Smash that hateful "spam"!"
The robot materialized a huge axe and wielded it with both hands.
It flew for the trio and swung the axe in a wide arch.
"We're not spam emails!" "CF" Netto grumbled.
"I meant the "Spam" brand canned meat…"
"We're not canned meat, either!" "CF" Blues grumbled.
The shoulder plates rose, and green gas poured out.
"Tear gas!? How annoying!" "CF" Raika growled.
"At least it's not the gas of madness…" Rufus sneered.
The robot resumed its fierce attacks, driving them outside the room.
"Go! Destroy the spam! Annihilate the spam! Weed it out from Earth!"
"Something's bothering me…" Meijin muttered.
"The cold stares of the women that you deceived…" Rufus sneered.
"Very funny. Go take a stroll with the dog…"
"Destroy! Annihilate! Murder! Raze! Sweep! Smash!"
The robot ignited the jetpack to chase the trio down the corridor.
"Spammers! Spamming! Spams!"
"God-Odin… G-Odin… Spam…"
"CF" Raika muttered, as if trying to find a connection.
"Using "spam" to incite rage, as if it was what they hated the most…"
"But it's a stupid farce. These robots don't have intelligence…"
"Sure. They only can obey direct orders and adapt to battle…"
"An axe… Reminds me of someone that we know pretty well…"
"Heck. They're using the nanomachines to cloud our perceptions again?"
"It's possible. There are still parts of the OS that we can't override…"
"You've been chosen to play the detective. Consider it an honor, dourak!"
"I'm not a fool or an idiot! You are! Kloun!"
"Clown? Tell that to that Clown Man Net Navi, will you?"
"Wait. Don't they lose using anagrams to laugh at us?"
"Good point, Dr. Hikari, sir!"
"SPAM… PAMS… AMPS… SAMP… MAPS!"
"Maps!? Wait!" "CF" Netto gasped.
"GODIN… ODING… DOING… DINOG… DINGO!"
"By all the…!"
"B-but the signature is clearly that of a machine!"
"Maybe it's using a brain mapping system…" Yuuichirou suggested.
"Brain mapping?"
"Scanned Dingo – kun's brain and recorded the negative reactions…"
"And inputted them into the machine for dramatism?"
"Likely. Maybe meant to stuff Dingo – kun himself inside, even…"
"Wouldn't surprise me!"
"But since he has fever and a cold, he can't properly move…"
"And didn't want to be bothered to make a system to compensate that!"
"Matters little. That little Sioux is enjoying an endless nightmare…"
"How can you call that "enjoying", anyway?" Meijin grumbled.
"Beware, Jing-Ming… The backstabbing knives are drawing closer…"
"You're not funny!"
"Found the young man. Was in room 666…"
"The Ninja has come back from the Nirvana…"
"I fail to see the correlation between both things…"
Miyabi's voice joined the radio exchange.
"I'll save you the details, but was being subject to humiliating torture…"
"Devil!" They all hissed.
"More like intensive training to become a product for sale…"
"A product for sale!? You're mad!"
"Blame capitalism!"
"As if we would! Depraved souls are depraved souls!"
"Whatever. I carved the pleasure on their body and mind!" He laughed.
"Guess that he'll need therapy to recover…!" Meijin sighed.
"That means that we lost a "CF" fighter for a while!" "CF" Raika hissed.
"Was going to fall into an endless loop, anyway!"
"You don't decide that! Vampire!" Meijin growled.
"Tell that to Shady Shaded Man!"
"Very original. Patent it!"
"Call for Tsukuyomi to bless you on the next full moon!"
"The Japanese moon deity is unrelated!"
"Better be ready to negotiate with Hades…"
"Evacuate!" Meijin ordered.
They ran down the corridor and destroyed a window.
They jumped out of the building through it.
Sequential explosions rang out along the corridor.
A purple gas poured down from behind the ceiling panels.
It ignited and detonated, setting the corridor in fire.
The robot also made it out and chased them.
"Royal Wrecking Ball!"
However, "CF" Pride flung her ball at it and smashed the head.
"Double Gyro Cutter!"
"CF" Airstar flung his spinning blades and cut off the arms and legs.
"Fire Punch!"
"CF" Rokushakudama punched and pierced the chest armor.
He crushed the energy reactor inside, destroying it.
"Have the junk, by all means… I have plenty of more in store…"
"Or so you think, Mr. President!"
Caith Sith appeared, standing on a window ledge of another floor.
"What was that?"
"Dear! What a disgrace! The clumsy newbie pressed the red button!"
"What!?"
Gasps of surprise rang out on the other end of the line.
"Sites 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 are swept!? The "total trace erasure" system!?"
"You're just like those Umbrella folks! Always blowing things up!"
"Damn you! "T"! The Troublemaker!"
"Truly! The Nomad Emissary, Troublemaker!"
"Show yourself already!"
"It's not worth the hassle, really…"
"I decide that!"
"You're not the center of the Universe, young man…"
He sighed and shook his head in an exaggerated way.
"Beg of Clark to make you a sword to cut armor and then we'll talk…"
Rufus roared before his broadcast was abruptly cut.
"If you want to know whose side I am on… That's civilization!"
He vanished before anyone could question him further.
"At least we figured out that he has powerful armor!" "CF" Pride muttered.
"Be careful. They might try to impair us next!" "CF" Jasmine warned.
"I know… Such cowards!" "CF" Airstar growled.
"I'm eager to blow them up!"
20:12 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Well? My brave warrior?"
"Yes, Master. I did search the site, but found nothing else…"
"Naturally. Not like I expected a major discovery…"
"The room 666 was destroyed as well…"
"Fine. I did bust some proxies on my end, anyway…"
Yoshitsune talked to someone over the radio.
He stood in a rooftop near the abandoned hospital.
It was buzzing with Net Police drones, scouring the outsides and insides.
"What do you make out of the elusive cat?"
"If he's not going to harm us, ignore it…"
"As you order…"
"Wouldn't surprise me if they stage a farce using a fake…"
"And I should strike the enemy, ignoring their farce…"
"Exactly…"
"Hi, Yoshi. Did you ride your cousin Yosshi?"
A girl's voice joined the exchange, giggling.
"I fail to see the correlation between each, Milady…"
"There isn't. You can be at ease…"
"Don't dump it in mid-air to jump higher!"
"Again, I don't see the meaning…"
"You need some more culture, Yoshi!"
"If you must…"
"But the cat isn't dumb. Found and busted several factories…"
Another teen's voice joined them.
"I know. I did find a couple and busted them as well, but…"
"They reek of distractions…"
"The issue isn't the robots! The issue is Death Shadow…"
"That freakish thing… What does it want to do with that data?"
"Building a bomber? But what for? What will it achieve?"
"I feel like Rufus slipped in some "hypnosis" to make it obsessed over it…"
"That makes more sense. Maybe it benefits Rufus rather than DS…"
"DS! Dual Show of Dual Screen!" The girl laughed.
"Patent it!" The other two sighed.
"Beware! It's the Dual Scream of Professor Oya-Mah!"
"Who was that again?"
"Everyone's beloved ghost maniac, my dear Han Solo…"
"The Professor from Luigi's Mansion…? What a maniac choice!"
"Hammering hammers! It's everyone's beloved prankster!"
"And that is…?"
"The Teresa, of course…"
"Save for their boss, the others are tolerable…"
"Sure. Their boss is the incarnation of humanity's collective grudges!"
"How drastic…"
"Anyway. Ignore the cat, smash those fools…"
"And bring their wisdom tooth back as a souvenir…"
"Don't give him odd ideas!"
"I shall resume the chase…"
"Alright. Move out before Rufus tries to attack you…"
"Understood…"
Yoshitstune jumped off the rooftop and into an alley.
He found Keith and some thugs waiting there, carrying spiky bats.
"Was waiting for you! To bleed you to death!" Keith hissed.
"Net Navis don't bleed to death, fool…" He shot back, unimpressed.
"I don't care! Let's go, boys!"
They roared and raced for Yoshitsune, but he simply crouched.
He lifted the manhole, and they all fell inside, one after the other.
He could hear them falling into the main channel.
Once they'd all fallen, he closed the manhole and shrugged.
He drew a raincoat from behind a garbage bin.
He wore it over himself and stepped into the main street.
He calmly walked down the street.
He stopped before the electronics shop to watch the TVs displayed there.
"According to the Net Police press conference, today's operation…"
He looked at the reflection of the show window to see an open manhole.
Keith emerged, drenched in water, and carrying a kitchen knife.
"Police! An armed, dangerous man is there!" He called out.
"What!?"
"Police!"
"Run!"
He ran away taking profit of the fuss that he started up.
Keith roared and tried chasing him.
"Stop!"
Four officers rushed there, surrounding him and aiming their guns.
"Out of my way, rent-a-cops! I'll tear out your livers!" He roared.
He brandished the knife, and the officers stepped away.
One of them aimed his gun upwards and shot a warning shot.
"Next time, I'll shoot at the knees!"
"Try it, bro!"
He roared and rushed for that officer.
The officer kept his ground, aimed the gun, and shot.
The bullet scratched the upper palm of the right hand.
He dropped the knife out of instinct.
The officers jumped atop him and fought him.
"Hands off me, rent-a-cops! I'll cut off that brat's throat!"
"As if we would!"
"I think that it's about time to retire you. The "prologue" is over…"
Rufus walked over to them and smirked.
He snapped his left thumb and index.
Keith roared as he was slowly deleted and vanished.
The officers recovered and aimed their guns at Rufus next.
"Rufus Shinra! You're under arrest!"
"Bark as much as you want, dogs of the state…"
His purple "dog" ran in, and the officers shot at it out of instinct.
"Are you looking, "T"? I'll crush you as easy I crush these fools!"
He laughed.
A blade was driven through his right shoulder from behind.
"You need to make it past me before that…"
"Damn you! Not you again!"
"I shall chase you across the world, if needed…"
"Damn it!"
Yoshitsune appeared behind him, and Rufus hissed.
"Leave the little cat alone to play with the toys…"
"Never! I'll crush them and ensure victory!"
"If Death Shadow doesn't wipe you out before that…"
"I can crush it when I see fit! I'll steal its moment of glory!"
Cold laughter echoed across the area, and fog formed on their feet.
"What a foolish feeble lifeform. As if I was not aware of it…"
A cold voice rang out next, and the officers shivered in fear.
"You may watch me, but I can feel your presence from long distances…"
"What!?"
"I have had time to sort out my mind. My vision is clear!"
"Damn it! What happened to that malware!?"
"As if it would work against my defenses… Foolish and feeble lifeform…"
"Fine! I'll come crush you myself!"
"Come. And become my servant! Your knowledge shall be mine!"
Rufus snarled and warped out of the area as the fog receded.
"You were right, Master. That thing must be addressed right away…"
He also warped out of the area, baffling the officers.
"What on Earth is going on!?"