I do not own Infinite Stratos nor do I own Rurouni Kenshin. All rights respectively go to Izuru Yumizuru, the author who created Infinite Stratos, and Nobuhiro Watsuki, the author of Rurouni Kenshin.

(Insert OP: A Cruel Angel's Thesis by Yoko Takahashi)

Zankoku na tenshi no you ni (After a drop of water hits the black screen, it brightens up to a red sky with clouds and stars as it shows the IS Academy symbol)
Shounen yo, shinwa ni nare... (Camera pans upwards as it shows the schematics of an Infinite Stratos before it shows its heart, the IS Core and then everything tuns white)

(Title of the show appears as Infinite Stratos)

Aoi kaze ga ima mune no doa wo tataitemo (Raiden is shown fully clothed and carrying the Sakabatō on his left hip)
Watashi dake wo tada mitsumete (As he watches the waters surrounding the IS Academy Island, the shadowy silhouettes of Akane Fujimoto and Miram Walker appear at the side of the screen going up and down respectively)
Hohoenderu Anata (As the silhouettes fade away, Raiden gives a small smile as if content with something of his life)

Sotto Fureru mono (A shadowy hand is shown pointing to the ground before an IS blueprint of Akatsubaki appears)
Motomeru koto ni muchuu de, (And then Houki is shown next as her image looks up at the sky)
Unmei sae mada shiranai itaike na hitomi (Houki's shadowy image sits on the ground with her arms around her knees as if crying before she looks up while Raiden is in the background and then Houki's image is replaced with that of Tabane, staring out of a window and her eyes blinking twice)

Dakedo itsuka kizuku deshou Sono senaka ni wa (Raiden is seen in his IS, looking upwards as he prepares himself for a fight, embracing his persona of Hitokiri Kingslayer. Four brief images of Hiko Seijuro XVIII, Akane Fujimoto, Miriam Walker, and Chifuyu Orimura are shown in order)
Haruka mirai mezasu tame no hane ga aru koto... (Raiden cannot contain the darkness he kept within himself any longer as Hitokiri Kingslayer emerges and the background is shrouded in flames of Kyoto)

Zankoku na tenshi no tēze (Ichika duels with Raiden, clashing his blade, Yukihira Nigata, against Raiden's Sakabatō, fighting on even ground)
Madobe kara yagate tobitatsu (Raiden and Ichika break away as Rin comes in to assist the latter against the former with her Souten Gagetsu. Brief images of the various cast of IS, including students of the Academy, Liu King-Sang and members of the Righteousness Union, and members of FEISAR, are shown in quick timeframes)
Hotobashiru atsui patosu de (Laura was next as she unleashes her cables at Hitokiri Kingslayer, but he dodges in the air and attempts to cut her down but is blocked by Charlotte's shield)
Omoide wo uragiru nara (Raiden backs away as Cecilia unleashes heavy firing onto Raiden, making him move and slice down her BIT drones. Brief images of the various cast of IS, mainly the main antagonists are shown in quick timeframes, in order of Udō Hina, Squall Meusel, Autumn, Madoka Orimura, and the shadowy form of the Dark Lady)

Kono sora wo daite kagayaku (Raiden in his IS takes a Battojutsu stance and charges forward as executes a Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū attack)
Shounen yo, shinwa ni nare (As Raiden comes in and slices at the camera, everything flashes white as the title of the story, Infinite Stratos Hitokiri Kingslayer, comes up on screen)

The joint classes had been at the Inn now for a couple of days. While they all had to tend to their normal classes and IS training, time was also squeezed in for some free time at the beach. Almost every day, the girls and two other guys would go down and spend time at the beach.

As promised and because she won the volleyball game, Akane was allowed to have Raiden for a full day, much to Chifuyu's ire. But what Chifuyu didn't know was that it was just a cover up, for the Brunhilde thought only one day was allowed for Raiden to be with Akane. But Akane intended for it to be every day.

Speaking of Raiden, he was finished with his time at the beach, not relaxing but rather training with his sword. Under the hot sun and in a private cove, it allowed Raiden to hone his skills and meditate, sweating a lot in the process. The ocean water was not the ideal place to cool down due to the salt, so he usually goes for the showers back at the Inn.

However, upon returning to the Inn and cleaning up, Akane ambushed Raiden and took him into her and Miri's room. Raiden, because he was so obedient to his mentor and guardian, was forced to comply. And Akane had bet that Chifuyu will eventually start searching for him, especially given the fact that he was missing from dinner.

And with the alcohol drinks that Akane smuggled into the inn, she passes a cup of dark rum to Raiden, mixed with some soda.

"Here," Akane said. "It's your favorite."

Raiden takes the cup yet wonders, "You do realize that the students are training tomorrow, right? I can't exactly show up drunk, that I do not want."

"Did that ever stop you from drinking beforehand?" asked Akane. "What did I always tell you?"

"It's better to show up tipsy for a meeting than a nervous wreck, even if you memorize everything."

Akane smiles and nods. "Exactly."

Raiden then hears some noises from a closed door, which was Miriam. He hears a loud sigh coming from her, along with the splashing of water. But it was not so much of Miriam behind closed doors in water that surprised Raiden, but rather of what the room Akane was in came with.

"I didn't know your room has a private bath," Raiden said.

"I convinced Miri to book it for us," Akane said. "After all, with you and the kids hogging the public baths at night, and because Miri is from America where even women respect privacy of being naked in front of women, I thought it be perfect. Plus the thought of me in a bath with Chifuyu would probably just end up with the bath destroyed."

"A fair point, that it is," Raiden drinks. "You left quiet a mark at the Academy when you visited, that you did."

Akane drinks to that. Then, she had an idea for old times' sake. "Alright, Raiden. Come over here," Akane pats her lap a few times. "You did good, Raiden. You did a good job. Get some rest."

Complying with her words, Raiden rests his head on Akane's lap. It's always been like this. However much Raiden tries to persuade himself that he is not a kid anymore, it gives him an irreplaceable sense of relief. Her hand petting his head and stroking his long silver hair allowed him to regain his composure, if not get a little fed up at himself for being babied so much.

But that is just how Akane is. She was harsh on Raiden when he was young but caring. She showed no abuse of authority or power and instead, with time and care, allowed Raiden to expose his emotions locked within his heart. One would call her the Kingslayer's therapist, while others would call her his drill sergeant.

"Listen. You're you, Raiden, and that's the end of it. Nothing more, nothing less. Sure, you're a killer, and a real bastard. Anyone would hate you if they knew that about you... But you're fine just the way you are. I don't care who hates you. I need you just as you are now, as a comrade. No one loves you more than I do, kid... Live for the sake of those you cherish: live for my sake. That way, you won't have to acknowledge any more than that. We clear?"

A relaxing Raiden smiles, "I don't… As long as the person I value… understands me… That's all I need, that I do…"

"You're fine just the way you are, kid…" Akane reassures gently. "You're fine just the way you are…"

Akane repeats these words over and over, as if she's seen through his anxiety. If Akane says Raiden is okay, then it is better that he lives on. Hearing these sentiments from her totally puts him at ease. If he wants to live for the sake of others, he will live it for her.

But that is when doors to the bath were opened up, and then came a rather mad Miriam, dried up and in her robes, who glared at Akane. Seeing that Raiden was with her, she easily deduced how he was able to visit their room.

"Hey, Akane! You took Raiden away from the students again, didn't you!? Honestly! You must know that Raiden is on a trip with the Academy students, right!? You idiot! Jackass! Alpaca!"

But Akane got confused on that last word. "Alpaca…?"

She wondered what kind of animal an alpaca was, not that she has ever seen one before. But she tries to conjure up an image of an alpaca from memory, like she saw one in the books. She looks up at the ceiling and squints, as though she were trying to remove a piece of spinach stuck between her back teeth.

"…Hm!?"

But Miriam, clever of what Akane was thinking, clarifies in a rather loud voice, "No! What you're imagining is a capybara! An alpaca is… You know, like a cross between a camel and a sheep!"

Akane understood now. "Ahh… Wait, how did you know what I was thinking? That's kind of suspect…"

"Forget about that! Don't try to change the subject!"

Technically, Miriam was the one to change the subject, but Akane knew better than to point her out for that, that now isn't the time to say something like that.

As Raiden reads the room, he learned from Miriam that this was a very important life skill. To not point out trivial errors.

"I told you that was off limits, didn't I!?" Miriam continued her ranting at her best friend. "Why can't you just wait and send him back to Chifuyu!? What are you, an idiot!? A jackass!? An alpaca!?"

Akane smirks. "…Well, at the very least, I'm not an alpaca…"

"I know that! I can tell just by looking!"

In a mood like this, Miriam cannot be stopped. Make one lame excuse and it is like adding fuel to the fire. For however long, she'll scream and shut, and throw whatever's within her reach, taking all her frustration out on other people, until she finally starts crying. She'll sob and say 'No one understands what I go through!' and then someone has to say 'Aw, that's not true…' over and over again, or else she'll never calm down.

Maybe it is because she is usually so patient and tolerant, but when she explodes, there's no other way to stop her, other than to slap her face and push her down on the bed.

After calming down a bit, she asks, "Hey, Akane… Why did you have to taunt Chifuyu like that through a violent volleyball game? We could have won without the need to make it violent in front of so many girls."

"Uh, well last night, you know… I haven't seen Raiden in a while, the rascal…" Akane was trying to come up with some excuse. "And, he didn't even send a letter to me once. Idiot."

Miriam only sighs but Akane did show a bit of regret from the intensive volleyball game. Despite the overwhelming victory and claiming her prize, she had to admit she did scare the girls, including the Personal IS pilots with her rough play.

"Uh… I do feel bad, y'know? Making the girls get bad impressions of us?"

"…Have you at least apologized? The rest of the inn's occupants have now become wary of both you and me at every turn."

Akane however reverts to her normal personality and smiles. "Well, it didn't matter since now they won't have to hog over Raiden. So I didn't."

"Akane, you-!"

"It's alright! Nothing's wrong! Look, even after that volleyball match, I still got my strength! Look."

To prove her point, Akane gets up from the floor and grabs Miriam by the wrist and pulls her in… right into the bath with her.

"Whoa-! …Wait, you're kidding-! AAAAAHHHH!"

*SPLASH*

"Miraculous, that was," Raiden sarcastically mutters.

Apparently that was an option too. In order to get Miriam to shut up, Akane drags her into the bath. With her yukata robes still on.

And Miriam was soaking wet. "Noooooo… Come on, realllllyyyyy? I just finished getting dried off, you know…"

"How would I know that?" asked Akane as she takes off her wet robe and tosses it aside. "Damn, you sure do worry about looking like the real deal, since coming to Japan…"

But Miriam could only glare at her best friend. This wasn't the first time Akane has done this to her, but Miriam was unlike her childhood friend. In fact, she was the polar opposite of her in terms of personality. And they say opposites attract one another.

Despite his reputation, Raiden is still legally under the guardianship of both Akane and Miriam, with the latter as a supervisor technically speaking. He'd never get away with pulling Miriam into the bath fully clothed like that. Not that he ever wanted to. He knew that for all the drama between them, this is just the nature of Akane and Miri's relationship. Something like that has to be earned.

Akane laughs mischievously at Miri. Puffing out her cheeks in frustration, Miriam starts ripping off her robes despairingly.

"Aaaaaagggghhh! Geeeeeeeeez! I have had it up to here with you! Forget it, I don't care!"

With her robes now off, Miriam remains in the bath, naked with her best friend, but still a little ticked off as she glares at Akane.

"Yup, you got it," Akane approved. "Worry too much about the little things and you'll get all wrinkly, you know."

But Miriam asks in reply, "Just whose fault do you think that would be!?"

"Point taken – not yours. Hey, Raiden! Bring us some beer!"

As if right on que, Raiden does bring in a couple of beer bottles and opens one for Akane, making her take it and drink. If there was one thing Akane always cherished having in a bath, it was some form of alcohol beside her.

"Here you are," Raiden said passing the beer. He then goes over to the side and takes an audiobook from the pile of books on the floor before plugging in to read something on the tablet.

"The hell is up with him?" asked Akane, noting how he just doesn't join in on the ladies' conversation. "Being so serious like that? Must be because of Chi." She then looks at Miriam all flustered. "And you, what the hell are you getting flustered about? Not like this is the first time he's seen you naked."

Miriam got even more flustered and bashfully retorted. "Oh, just shut up!"

*SPLASH*

Enraged, Miriam splashes some water over in Akane's direction.

"…Hey, don't splash water everywhere. The book'll get wet," Akane warned.

But that surprised Miriam. "…Books?"

Akane points over toa stack in the corner near the bath. "See? We've got a stack of books over there."

"Why do you have a stack of books on the floor?" asked Miriam. "They'll get wet, you know?"

"I got to find some way to keep myself entertained."

"Come to think of it, wasn't there also a pile of books by the balcony as well?"

"Yup. And there was a tablet with it. I figured if Raiden wanted to sleep with us, he can listen to some audiobooks at night, like he did when he was little. Buying books is fine and all, but there are quite a few he hasn't listened to, especially the classics. He always left some books in the bathroom and next to the toilet while growing up in the cabin. So then, when he used the toilet or the bathroom, he listens to the tablet. That way, he gets through his backlog pretty fast."

"…Hm… Don't books get ruined if you read them in the bath?"

"I do that often too. Never dropped a book in the water, though, and they're not gonna start rotting from a bit of steam."

"…Well, ok. Anyway, Akane… shouldn't you let Raiden be with the students…? If Chifuyu finds out-"

*BAM*

Suddenly, doors to their private bath open up, revealing a certain black haired woman who was pissed. Both at Akane and Raiden.

And while the former smirks, the latter freezes like a mouse.

"Oro!" Raiden is surprised.

"Oh, hey Chi!" Akane waved with bottle in hand. "Come to drink for tonight?"

But Chifuyu was in no mood for drink despite the offer. "Give. Back. My. Student."

"Hmm… no."

Chifuyu, anticipating this, decides to do this the hard way and grabs Raiden by the arm before bringing him close to her, albeit with one arm around his neck as if to hold him.

"ORORORORO!" Raiden feels the choke on him by his teacher.

"Raiden!" Chifuyu said. "It is past bedtime and you're needed in your room. Now!"

"Geez, easy on him, Chi," Akane retorted. "He's only had a couple glasses of rum."

"He'll feel better once I give him a gallon of water to drink," Chifuyu spit back. "I'm not letting him show up drunk tomorrow."

"Um, Orimura-sensei," Raiden asked. "How did you know where I was?"

"Besides figuring out Akane took you away before dinner?" Chifuyu replied. "I was hearing some screaming from the upper floors. And there's only one who can scream that loud."

With the face of annoyance, Akane realized whom her rival meant as she looks at Miriam. "Oh for god's sake… Miri…"

"What?" asked Miriam. "It was your fault you took Raiden away!"

Chifuyu soon takes her leave with Raiden in tow. "Do not interfere with my students' training, Akane," Chifuyu warned. "That goes for Raiden included."

"But I can have him after the training, right?" Akane smirks. "Or would you prefer me to take your little brother?"

"Absolutely not!" Chifuyu warned as she closes the door, dragging a poor Raiden with her.

Raiden, trapped in a headlock hold by his teacher, could only think that this trip was just going to get worse for Chifuyu.

'Looks like I got my work cut out, that I do.'

The next morning, Raiden walked out of his room and stretched out his arms. It was a rough night last night yet the sun poking out of the clouds gave Raiden a sense of relaxation.

On the way to the changing room, Houki and Raiden met coincidentally. Houki's heart jumped up a little in surprise before she turned her head to the problem is the mysterious scene in front of them, changing her mood completely.

There are bunny ears sticking out from the ground with a 'Please pull' piece of paper stuck on it.

"Uh, Houki-dono?" asked Raiden. "What are—"

"I don't know, don't ask me," Houki immediately cut him off to his surprise. "It has nothing to do with me."

Houki immediately denied it before Raiden could even finish asking her. Then again, it would be wise not to ask her.

It could be hours if they just stared at this sign. So, without further ado, Raiden then said,

"Well, looks like I will pull it, that I will. Is that okay with you?"

"Do whatever you want. It doesn't involve me."

After saying that, Houki immediately left. Raiden could only have a question mark on his head.

Being left alone, Raiden pulled that pair of bunny ears from the ground forcefully before he tumbled backwards due to the huge force.

All of a sudden, he heard something coming down from the skies and looked up to see something coming down fast.

"Oro?"

*BOOM*

An unidentified flying object drilled deeply into the ground, taking the shape of a carrot.

The carrot split in half, and the person who appeared while laughing is a tall woman with purple hair. She's wearing a tightfitting blue and white skirt that's like the one in Alice in Wonderland. She takes the bunny ears from Raiden and immediately puts them on her head.

"Oro?"

"Houki-chan!"

Shinonono Tabane, creator of the Infinite Stratos, older sister to Houki... can't she enter through a normal way?

"Oh? Houki-chan is not hear? Boo!" Tabane gave a comical sad face before she reverted to her annoying and happy mood. "Oh well. Time to use my Houki finder. Fui Fui!"

Raiden could only stay silent and still look while saying Oro.

"Now where's Houki-chan? Weren't the both of you together just now? Did she go to the bathroom? Well, no problem. I can use just this little Houki-chan detector to find her! Bye bye. See you later!"

Just like that, she vanished like the wind, and blazingly fast. On a side note, it seems that the Houki-chan detector she's talking about seems to be that pair of bunny ears. The detectors successfully turn towards where Houki went.

And again, Raiden only said one thing.

"Oro?"

LATER THAT DAY…

Down by a beach cove in a private area of the island not too far away from the resort, Chifuyu assembled the personal IS pilots along with Houki. Wait a second. Houki isn't a personal pilot so why is she here?

The group could only wait in silence before a question was asked.

"Umm…Orimura-sensei, why is Houki-san here with us?" asked Cecilia.

"Shinonono will be getting her personal IS today…from someone whom I wish should have never come," said Chifuyu groaning on that last phrase.

A little while later, a voice like that of a child was heard and called out "CHHHIIIIII-CHHHAAAANNNN!"

Tabane sprinted fast, possibly at light speed, over to Chifuyu in an attempt for a hug but the woman held her back surprisingly with just the palm of her hand. Her fingers delved deep into Tabane's skin, yet the purple rabbit didn't seem to be in pain as she was merely wining like a pouty child.

"Introduce yourself, Tabane," said Chifuyu annoyingly.

"But I wanna get a hug from Chi-Chan first! I really missed you! You cannot imagine what it's like to be years apart! Now come on and show me those melons of yours. They must've gotten bigger lately."

*BAM*

Tabane could only smack her hard on the head with her fist which, although a barrier was put up, still hurt to the girl. Her pain only made herself whine more.

Tabane reluctantly introduced herself yet kept the energetic and annoying attitude. "Hello! This is your super genius and IS creator, Tabane Shinonono."

While everyone but Houki and Ichika were shocked at her energetic personality, Raiden was emotionless.

And any super genius creator of the IS would have definitely come prepared.

"I am here on this spectaculorous occasion to deliver Houki-chan's personal IS. It should be arriving at any moment now.

Suddenly, really suddenly, with the sound of an impact, an unidentified metallic object dropped onto the sand. The silvery metal block looked like it's a wall for a moment as its front part falls down. Then the contents inside were soon revealed. What's inside is…

"Jya jyan~! This is Houki-chan's personal IS Akatsubaki! Its specs are superior to every IS in every way and was made personally by Tabane-san!"

As if in response to Tabane, that crimson red armor was moved out using mobile arms. The red armor was reflecting the bright sunlight, probably because it's a new IS. It's really eye-catching. The specs are all superior to the current IS. In other words, it's the newest and strongest frame!

"Here, Houki-chan, it's now time for the optimization! I'll help out from aside, so it'll end soon "

"...I'll leave it to you then."

"That's so rare~. We're blood siblings. You should talk to me in a more affectionate manner-"

"Hurry up and start." Houki ignored Tabane completely and prompted her to move.

"Mn~ well, that's true. Let's get started then."

Tabane pressed the remote control, and Akatsubaki activated, opening the cockpit to allow the pilot to enter. It even kneeled down automatically to let the pilot enter it easily.

"I've input Houki-chan's data to a certain level. Now I just need to update the recent values! Then, *pi, pa, pa *!"

Tabane opened a control panel and slides her fingers on it. She then summoned out 6 screens in mid-air to navigate through the huge amount of data on the screen, and typed out on the emulated keyboard in mid-air.

"It's a close-ranged suit that's adjusted to being an all-around type, so I guess you will get used to it soon! Not to mention there's automatic support equipment! Onee-chan prepared them all!"

"Oh, thanks."

Houki still sounded rather cold, and Raiden could understand why. Houki seems to hate Tabane because she had to transfer schools when Tabane introduced the IS. It left her apart from Ichika for six years before being reunited with him at the Academy.

While a part of it was due to Tabane, he wondered why Houki would get a person IS delivered to her. He could understand her desire to be out there fighting with her friends but even with this power, it can come at a price. A price he has experienced before firsthand.

"After that, it'll just be adjustments, and the personalization will be complete. Now then…where is that blind boy?"

All eyes then turned to Raiden, who merely kept his emotionless face. Tabane stepped down from the keyboard and approached the boy, while also checking him out, almost as if examining him.

"Well well well… if it ain't Hitokiri Kingslayer! Ooh, you don't look like what they say you are."

Raiden remained silent, but the others were shocked, except for Ichika and Chifuyu.

"You've racked up quite a body count since Luxembourg," Tabane said. "A king and queen of royalty ain't enough for you?"

"You're well informed, that you are," Raiden complimented.

"Of course~!" Tabane beamed innocently. "I'm Tabane the Genius! I know everything about the world! I got all the secrets at my fingertips!"

"Tabane…" Chifuyu sternly called out, which prompts the rabbit to go back to her holographic keyboard and resumes typing.

As Tabane continued her work, Houki coughed twice to check status. "Am I done here?"

"Mn, it's done. Oh, 3 minutes over. Ahh, I could have used the time to cook a cup of instant noodles. Try taking it for a ride. Fly it a bit! It should follow Houki-chan's thoughts~"

"Okay, I'll try it."

The cables linking to the Akatsubaki were removed. After that, Houki closed her eyes, and Akatsubaki flew off at a really fast speed.

"WAH!"

The sudden acceleration caused shockwaves that made the sand dance about. As everyone turned to look at Houki, Lion Heart's super-sensors captured Akatsubaki that was flying 300m above.

"How is it?" asked Tabane. "Much more mobile than what Houki-chan expected?"

"Mn...yeah, sort of..."

Tabane's most likely strapped with an IS as well, as Ichika can sense that she's using the public channel to communicate.

"Then try swinging your swords. The right one is Amatsuki, and the left one is Karaware. I'm going to send the special data of the weapons over!"

After saying that, Tabane danced her finger at the sky. Having received the weapon data, Houki drew both swords with a swoosh.

"Let's add on Tabane-onee-chan's explanation~! Amatsuki's used to attack one person. The blade will create an energy blade attack when it attacks. It can turn an enemy into a beehive if it's used consecutively! It's a wonderful weapon~ the range is about as far as an assault rifle, no? It can't reach the range of a sniper rifle, but it's balanced out by the speed of Akatsubaki."

Everyone didn't know if they were going along with Tabane's explanation, but Houki got ready to swing the blade. She raised her right hand to her left shoulder into the Shinonono-nitoryu kendo style-the shield-sword style. That's a position that can easily turn defense into attack, using the force of the attack to counter.

As the blade got swung out, the surrounding space let out several red lasers, forming a ball-shaped thing. They then formed bullets of light and pierced out several holes in the clouds in the air.

"The next one's Karaware. It's a weapon used to deal with a group, and can launch a shaped attack with the slash! It can extend its range when it's swung, so it's super useful. Try hitting some of them here!"

After saying that, Tabane summoned a 16-missile pod firing machine. As the lights gathered and formed it, it shot out its missiles at that instant.

Houki swung the Karaware, that was tucked under her right armpit, one round. The red lasers extended out just like Tabane said, taking out all 16 missiles.

"Powerful..." She commented.

Gradually appearing from the smoke of the explosion, Houki and her red IS looked as imposing as ever. Everyone present looked stunned and mesmerized by the overwhelming outcome in front of them, unable to say anything. Tabane seemed satisfied as she viewed the scene in front of her, nodding away.

However, only two people staring at Tabane sternly before one of them turned his head to Houki. Ichika caught wind of this and gave a surprise look.

'Chifuyu-nee...? Raiden? Why would they show such a look? It seems like they're looking at an enemy.'

"TH-THI-THIS IS BAD! O-ORI-ORIMURA-SENSEI!"

The sudden voice of Yamada-sensei caused Chifuyu to keep her sharp eyes and turn to her. Though Yamada-sensei's normally panicking, it felt different this time.

"What's wrong?"

"Pl-Plea-Please look at this."

On seeing the visual image Yamada-sensei passed over, Chifuyu's face darkened.

"Class A special mission, and a request to deal with it immediately..."

"I-I'll contact the other teachers then."

"Got it-EVERYONE PAY ATTENTION!"

After Yamada-sensei returns back to the Inn, Chifuyu claps twice to gain everyone's attention.

"The IS Academy teachers are now going to carry out a special mission, so today's testing will be over. Return back to the resort. Everyone is to hurry up and head back! Am I clear?"

"Yes!"

Everyone starts moving frantically. It seems that they got scared by Chifuyu's roar. All of them except for Raiden.

"Personal IS pilots are to gather! Orimura, Hataru, Alcott, Dunois, Bodewig, Huang, and...Shinonono!"

"Yes!"

Answering really loudly was Houki beside Ichika. Oh yeah, she can be considered as one with a personal IS. For some reason, Ichika developed this weird sense of anxiety from this panic.

LATER IN THE COMMAND ROOM…

The room full of teachers and personal IS pilots, as we all gathered inside the deepest banquet hall of the resort, the Kachihana Room. The room with the lights still off has a large screen floating in mid-air.

"Now, let me explain the situation," said Chifuyu. "Two hours ago, the IS Silver Gospel, a 3rd generation military use IS that was developed by both America and Israel, went out of control in the test facility in Hawaii and left the surveillance facility."

Hearing Chifuyu's sudden explanation, Ichika was gob-smacked all of a sudden.

'Huh? What? Military use IS? Out of control? Why must they inform us?'

Somewhat puzzled, he was rather mindful of the other members' reactions as he looked around.

All of them are looking serious.

Everyone else other than Houki, Raiden, and Ichika are official representatives of other countries, so maybe they've received training for this kind of situation. Laura's eyes were looking exceptionally serious.

"After that, through satellite tracking, we found that the Gospel will enter our air space, 2 km from here," Chifuyu calmly explained further on. "That will happen in approximately 50 minutes from now. Thus, according to the Academy's higher-ups' jurisdiction, we have to deal with this situation. All staff members are to use the Academy's training suits to seal off the air space and sea. The main operation will be done using personal IS'. Anyone with doubts, please raise your hand."

Cecilia immediately raised her hand, "What are the specs and data of the target IS?"

"These are the highest military secrets of Israel and the United States, so it definitely can't be revealed. Once the data's revealed, the parties involved will be court-martialed, and they have to take at least 2 years of probation."

Ichika didn't really understand the situation now, but including Cecilia, everyone present are already discussing about getting the data.

Chifuyu explained the data as the blueprint of the Silver Gospel appeared on screen. "It's a unique long ranged type that's designed to clear the area...it seems that it can launch a full-scale attack capable of knocking enemy aircraft out. Its frame has enhanced attack and mobility. And the specs are better than even the Shenlong, so the opponent has a slight advantage. This unique armor however will be tough to handle. France sent a few Revive defensive equipment over, but I do feel that it's tough to defend against them consecutively. Looking at these figures, its fighting capability is still an unknown variable. The technology it has is also unknown."

Everyone was seriously exchanging views as Chifuyu explained the mechanics. As for Ichika, he managed to recover from this chaotic situation, but he still can't catch up to them. Honestly, he was really useless.

"This machine's still moving at a supersonic speed. The maximum velocity it has is over 2450km/hr, so there's only one chance."

"Only one chance...that means, we can only launch a suit with a sure-kill attack, right?" asked Yamada-sensei.

After hearing her words, everyone turned to Ichika.

"Huh...?"

"Reiraku Byakuya. Only that ability can harm the Silver Gospel, that it can," explained Raiden.

"If that is the case, we have one other problem," said Laura. "How are we going to send Ichika there? It'll be hard for us to succeed if we don't focus on the attack, but how are we going to move there?"

"And we have to catch up to a fast moving IS. The super sensors are important, right?" asked Charlotte.

"Ho-Hold on a minute! I-I'm going?" asked a frantic Ichika.

"OF COURSE!" The personal IS pilots but Raiden answered.

"Orimura, this isn't training, it's a real battle. If you're not ready, don't force yourself."

Once Chifuyu said that, he immediately kicked off the cowardice in him.

"I'll do it. I'll do my best."

"Very good. Now, let's discuss the battle plan."

Chifuyu was about to speak of the strategy she had come up with, but before she could even say one word of it…

"HOLD ON, HOLD ON! STOP WITH THAT STRATEGY~!"

And the voice came from the ceiling. Everyone looked up to see Tabane's head appearing upside down from the ceiling.

"...Yamada-sensei, please forcefully escort that person out."

"Huh? Ye-Yes! Ah, Professor Shinonono, please get her down first."

"TOU!"

Tabane flips a somersault in mid-air and lands. That gentle movement is something even a clown from a circus has to admire. How far is this person going to show her cards like that...

"Chi-chan! Chi-chan! My brain's now printing an even more brilliant plan!"

"...Get out."

Chifuyu pressed her hand against her head. Though Yamada-sensei wanted to follow orders and escort Tabane out, Tabane easily slipped away from her.

"Listen to me, listen to me! This is de~fin~ite~ly the time for Akatsubaki's debut!"

Chifuyu, perhaps wanting to get her explanation out of the way, allows Tabane to speak her mind. "Proceed."

"The good news is the Akatsubaki is suited for an interception like this~" Tabane said. "I think the success rate for a coordinated one hit, one kill attack is high.~"

Cecilia was stunned. "That's not possible. Perhaps you were saying before that the Akatsubaki is a good fit for a high speed pursuit. If my Blue Tears was equipped with the strike gunner package, it could work. We could get it outfitted in time."

"Not so fast~" Tabane said. "The Akatsubaki can handle high speed mobility without some kind of package. If we adjust the Fold-Out Armor, it's a piece of cake!"

"Fold-Out Armor?" asked Ichika, having heard a new term.

"Let's explain~ Yes, an explanation~ I, Tabane the Genius, made the Fold Out Armor as equipment for the 4th Generation IS units."

"That shocked Laura and Charlotte as they both exclaimed. "4th Generation…!?"

"A specfici example of the Fold-Out Armor is the Byakushiki's Yukihira Nigata. It's something I threw in for testing~"

"Wha-!?"

"The Yukihira Nigata…" Ichika was stunned.

Raiden keeps a remote look, thinking that Reiraku Byakuya's activation mechanism and the Yukihira Nigata are of the 4th Generation. And yet, if it was specifically for the White Knight, then it's also a 4th Gen.

"Furthermore, there was making all of the Akatsubaki's Fold-Out Armor," Tabane continued. "The system's operating time at max output was doubled. In other words, it's the strongest. By the way, the Akatsubaki's Fold Out Armor was found to have the potential to change the offense, defense, or maneuverability according to the situation. The 4th Generations are like an actress with multiple roles."

Tabane says it so easily, but each country is investing large amount of funds, experiments, and superior talent for competing in 3rd Generation IS development. And yet, all of the ridiculous stuff she said is not nonsense. It just shows how more advanced she is compared to other minds still theorizing about creating the 4th Generation IS.

"Houki-chan's Akatsubaki will do the high speed transport, and then Ii-kun's Reiraku Byakuya—That should decide it, hmm~?"

Chifuyu looks to Tabane to her right, realizing her intention. "I see. So this is your scheme."

"Taking success into account, right now this would be the best method. No one can stop the out of control 3rd Generation IS… no one except for the dashing 4th Generation models. That's Houki-chan and Ii-kun! This time, Houki-chan and the Akatsubaki's power will shock the world!"

To have Ichika and Houki take care of the Silver Gospel without the assistance of others… in his mind, Raiden did not like it. Especially if what he saw with the performance of the Akatsubaki may seem impressive. But with Houki on a power trip, something bad was going to happen in the midst of that battle. And he did not like the feeling one bit.

If Houki fails, then Ichika falls. Only his Reiraku Byakuya, according to Tabane, can stop the Silver Gospel. But no one ever said how much of a shot they got to take out the renegade IS. No arithmetic calculations were brought up by anyone of whether this mission has a chance to succeed.

Raiden didn't like this. Not one bit. Something bad was going to happen. And Houki will be caught in it.

Briefly without anyone noticing, he checks his picket to see he had Houki's green hair ribbon given to him last week. And he holds it somewhat tight as if he intends to fulfill his promise to her.

The time had come. Seven o'clock in the morning and the July sky is as clear as ever as the strong sunlight lights the land.

Standing slightly apart from each other, Houki and Ichika were on the beach. After glancing at each other once, they nodded their heads.

"Come on out, Byakushiki."

"Let's go, Akatsubaki."

Their bodies got instantly covered in light, and the IS armors formed around us as a result. At the same time, the floating sensation caused by the PIC and the Power Assist bring lightness to the energy, causing their entire bodies to feel a change throughout.

"I'll leave it to you then, Houki," said Ichika.

"My pride would naturally prevent any man from mounting atop a woman, but I'll make a special exception this time," Houki replied.

In terms of the battle, Houki will have to do all the moving, which means Ichika will have to ride on her back. Houki didn't even protest to this unhappily after hearing this method as it seemed that her mood was incredibly good. Or was it?

'But then again, is this really alright...? Houki got her personal IS less than a day ago, and no matter how good Tabane's personalization and the optimization are, the pilot can't possibly have it easy. I'll have to protect her if something happens.'

Thinking about this, Ichika reinvigorates himself.

"Even so, it's good that we're here," Houki said. "If you're with me, we can do anything. Isn't that right?"

"Well, that's right, but Houki, the teachers already said that this isn't training. We don't know what will happen in the actual battle, so we have to be really careful—"

"I know that. Fufu, what's wrong? Are you scared?"

"Of course not. I say, Houki—"

"Haha, don't worry, I'll send you to the destination properly. Just wait calmly."

Anyway, she's been like this since the beginning. Ichika can understand that she's really happy that she has a personal IS, but isn't she too happy now? At any moment, Ichika leapt onto the back of Houki's Akatsubaki, unable to get rid of that anxiety.

"The main emphasis of this plan is to take it out in one strike," Ichika reminded. "Remember, we have to win in a short time possible."

"Understood," Houki nodded.

Even though she sounded really calm through her breathing, Houki sounded really happy, or rather, too happy. Hopefully, it's just Ichika worrying too much...but it can't be the same for Raiden.

"Ichika," Raiden called to Ichika on a private channel.

"Yes?"

Raiden's voice came over through the private channel, and not the public channel she just used. Ichika frantically switched over to that line.

"Houki-dono seems to be a little excited, that she is. Something may pop up in that situation. If anything happens, can you support her as best you can?"

"Understood. I'll take note of that."

Then, Chifuyu commanded her voice to the public channel and gave the order, "Then, begin the operation."

With Ichika on her back, Houki takes off. The Orimura could feel the force of the wind violently trying to push him off, but he held onto her, clenching his teeth tightly in brace.

Five minutes pass by as the two keep on flying. They were then called on the comm by Raiden.

"Ichika, have you found the Silver Gospel yet?" asked Raiden on the comm.

Ichika answered and said, "Not yet. We just—Wait! I see it! Proceeding to engage!"

The Hyper Sensors visuals show the target as if Ichika was seeing it with his own eyes. As the name indicates, the Silver Gospel was indeed covered in silver. The strangest parts are the huge wings extending out from its head. According to the data, the silver-glow wings that are as shiny as the main body seem to have a lot of large boosters and wide-ranged shooting weapons.

Either way, there's no time to think on details and info. Ichika and Houki flew towards the rouge IS at high speed, and Ichika wielded the Yukihira Niigata in his hand.

"I'm going to accelerate! Reaching target in 10 seconds," Houki said. "Concentrate, Ichika!"

Houki boosts the output of the thrusters and the Fold-Out armor. The speed's really shocking as it closes the distance between the two frames at a high velocity. With Reiraku Byakuya's activated, Ichika also activated Ignition Boost at the same time to close in on the Gospel. But just when the blade of light was about to touch the Silver Gospel, the IS, to Ichika's surprise, actually turned towards him at maximum velocity and backed away in preparation for battle.

Since they were already in attacking range, it's too late to back away. If that's the case, it's better to finish it off before the opponent counters.

However—

*SWOOSH*

The Gospel's body suddenly swung beautifully, dodging Reiraku Byakuya's blade with inch-perfect precision. Even for an IS that has Passive Inertial Canceller, this movement's still extremely difficult to pull off.

"Ku...! Those wings accelerated? Back me up, Houki!" Ichika called.

"Got it!"

Ichika allowed Houki cover his back as he attacked the Gospel with a slash. However, the Gospel swayed about gently and evaded at the last second, moving as if it was swimming or dancing. As the remaining time for the Reiraku Byakuya was really little, Ichika let out a huge swing at the Gospel after being bamboozled for so long.

And the Gospel didn't let go of this chance. The silver wings, the armor with the thrusters on it expanded out like wings. The Gospel pressed the wings forward to aim the cannons at Ichika. At the next moment, numerous bullets of light shoot out.

Those bullets were shot out with high pressure acting as the energy source, forming what looks like feathers. Ichika thought they would hit the IS armor, but they exploded at the next moment.

The main armaments of the Gospel seem to be some explosive-type energy bullets, but the problem is the quantity and speed—this so-called rapid fire is really fast. It's not really accurate, but since those are explosive bullets, one touch is enough to blow up a single crater.

"We're attacking from left and right, Houki!" Ichika said. "I'll leave the left to you!"

"Got it!"

Houki and Ichika continued to do complex evasive maneuvers as we attack the Gospel from both sides. However, their attacks couldn't even reach it. The Gospel uses the specialized movements to dodge the attacks and counter. The uniquely shaped wing thrusters are used quite a lot, unlike what the unique appearance would indicate.

"I'll stop its movements, Ichika!" cired Houki.

"Got it!"

After saying that, Houki uses her blades to stab and slash, activating the Fold-Out Armor on her wings to match up with the energy blades that are formed as she attacks. She uses Akatsubaki's mobility and the Fold-Out Armor on different places at different timings, using emergency acceleration to bring herself closer to the Gospel. This wave of powerful attacks forces the Gospel to defend itself.

"HHAAAA!"

Thinking about success, Ichika gripped the sword in his hands tightly, but unexpectedly, the Gospel counterattacked. The sharp sound of the machine rang. At that moment, the wing thrusters went all out blazing, 36 barrels in total, all aimed in different directions.

Houki dodges the rain of bullets at the last moment as she closed in on the attack—there's an opening.

However, Ichika was moving in a completely different direction, down at the sea below.

'Wait, that's-?!'

Moving out of the way of the fire, Ichika realizes there was something on the sea, moving across the water.

"Ichika?!" Houki called on the comm. "What are you doing!? This is the chance we've been waiting for-!"

"There's a ship!" Ichika saw. "Ah crap, an illegal fishing vessel! Poachers!"

"Forget about them!" Houki said. "We have a rogue IS to dispose of!"

Even so, Ichika couldn't leave it behind like that. The light on the Yukihira Niigata disappeared, and the Fold-Out Armor disappeared as well. Ichika used up all his energy. He lost the one time to use it, and the key to this battle disappeared.

And Houki, drunk on her own power, accused him of his hesitation.

"You idiot! Sticking up for criminals… Just leave them be! At a time like this-"

"Houki!" Ichika called out in a rather despairing voice. But that made her stop in surprise of seeing Ichika silence her. "Houki, don't say such words, don't do that! You've lost sight of the weak, after gaining power...what's wrong, Houki? That's not like you, not at all."

Houki seemed like she was trying to hide her obviously wavering face as she merely stood with a shocked expression. Realizing she had just gone on a power trip and that her childhood friend had just stopped her from doing something that would otherwise stain her very honor, she felt the life drain from her. Enough for her two swords to slip away from her hands.

Seeing her dropped swords disappear into light, Ichika panicked. The Silver Gospel had taken notice of Houki's IS powering down and was about to fire on her.

"HOUKI-!"

Desperately, he tries to make it to Houki, speeding up to her position as fast as he can. But he then realized he wouldn't make it in time.

But luckily for him, he was not alone in reaching Houki's position.

"Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū – Ryū Sō Sen!"

*BOOM*

One massive explosion of fire engulfs Houki, to the horror of Ichika. The flames burn away her blue ribbon holding her hair up, releasing the ponytail and letting her hair down. Houki, for the price of her arrogance, was then met in a firestorm of judgment, one that would have put her out of commission. However, as she looks, the flames seemed to not touch her. Her shields were surprisingly holding up. But an attack like that would've knocked her out for good.

But what she saw next surprised her. She looks up front to see another IS. But it was not Ichika as the pristine white color from his IS did not appear in front of her. But rather the colors of silver white with a streak of black on its outline decorative design along with gold trimmings.

It was Raiden. In his IS Lion Heart. With the Sakabatō held in his right hand. Then the truth just dawned on Houki. Raiden had saved her, barely reaching to her in time to execute a Ryū Sō Sen to deflect all the shots.

Though not all of them as evident that his IS suffered burns from the explosion. His shield energy was down to 40%, as evident that he couldn't deflect all the shots. It was a hell of a risky move on his part.

"R-Raiden…?" asked a hesitant and shaky Houki.

Raiden turns his head briefly to detect Houki behind him, safe and sound if not shaken up.

"Houki-dono, are you okay?" asked Raiden.

But Houki could not respond, as she was still trying to process the fact that Raiden took the blow for her and just saved her life.

"Houki-san!" cried a familiar voice of Cecilia in her Blue Tears. She was followed by Charlotte, Rin, and Laura, also in their IS and getting into their strategic positions.

Houki was stunned. "Guys? W-What are you doing here?"

"Raiden took off because he felt something was wrong," Charlotte said. "It seemed his intuition was correct."

"The Instructor will give us an earful when we get back," Laura stated. "But it looks like we made it just in time."

Rin flew over to Ichika in concern and asked, "Ichika! You okay?"

"Y-Yeah," He said. "But more importantly…"

He turns his attention over to the Silver Gospel, which was standing still, its codes running on the surface of its helmet.

"I think it's trying to switch into a different mode of attack with all of us here," Charlotte deduced carefully, her fingers dancing around the trigger.

"Then let us take the chance to strike first!" Laura said as she charges the rail gun at her back.

*BOOM*

The shot fires and lands heavily, exploding at the Gospel. But like they expected, it flew out of the smoke unscathed.

"Everyone!" Raiden called out. "Take your positions in a skewed diamond formation. Surround the Gospel!"

Everyone did as commanded as Rin fires her Shock Cannons while Cecilia uses her rifle and her 4 BIT drones. Charlotte switched between different weapons rapidly and kept the Silver Gospel under pressure like Laura did with the rail gun.

"Houki!" Ichika called as he rallies to her. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah…" Houki said, snapping out of it. "I'm okay. But Raiden—"

Ichika then turns to Raiden. "Raiden, you're injured! Return to base. We'll take care of this."

"No, Ichika," Raiden denied. "If all of you but me fail, the Silver Gospel will continue wrecking havoc. We need to finish now, that we do. Stick to the plan like before. When you see your chance, take it."

With that said, the three carefully join in on the fray of taking down the Silver Gospel.

Laura keeps the enemy busy with her relentless barrage of her rail gun shots, but the rogue IS effectively maneuvered itself to dodge with great swiftness.

"Verdammt! The Miststück is fast!" She said. Verdammt meant 'Damn it' and Miststück meant 'bastard.'

Her eyes widen when the Silver Gospel flies straight towards her with one of its arms out in front to grab her.

*CHIINK*

But Rin intercepts with her Souten Gagetsu, blocking the attack. Cecilia takes this opportunity to shoot down the rogue IS from a safe distance with her sniper rifle, but it was quick to dodge her shots.

The rogue IS flies into the clouds in order to change modes as evident by the codes running on the surface of the helmet, but Charlotte gave it no chance to do so.

"I got her!" Charlotte cried as she fires a few shots with her dual shotguns. But after the first few shots, the enemy IS seemed to have adapted to Charlotte's arsenal and dodged all the bullets literally.

Charlotte quickly switches over to her submachine guns but the result was the same. But this time, the Silver Gospel fires back its own projectiles, forcing Charlotte to back away with her energy shield up.

"Kuuh! You can't take me down with something like this!" She said.

Cecilia provides sniper support from above, keeping the Gospel busy as she maneuvers herself to avoid the projectiles from the enemy IS.

Rin soon positions herself with a clear shot of the Silver Gospel and has her Shock Cannon charged to the max. She fires and the shot hits the Silver Gospel on the wing.

"Did you hit it?" asked Cecilia.

Rin answers, "Not yet."

Turns out the shot was slightly off angle and the projectile went past the wing, barely leaving a scratch.

She quickly goes in to suppress the Silver Gospel with quicker hots from her impact cannon. But this leads the enemy IS straight into Houki as she strikes it down with her dual katanas with all her might.

"Take this!" She cried.

But the strikes weren't strong enough. And the blades of her katanas stopped just on the surface of the metal shoulder piece. The rogue IS grabs the katana by the blade with its bare hands and flies higher up, taking Houki with it.

"Houki-dono!" cried Raiden.

"Houki!" cried Ichika.

Houki could see that the Silver Gospel was going to release its area of effect projectile attack at point blank range. She clenches her teeth and materializes a foot blade at the tip of her foot. Swiftly, she performs an aerial front flip and swings her foot blade down.

*SHIINK*

With one clean cut of its wing, the Silver Gospel falls to the ocean, splashing into its waters.

"We did it!" Charlotte cheered happily.

But Raiden knew better. In fact, that battle was too easy.

"Stay sharp, everyone," Raiden said. "It may still be active."

And he was right.

The sea was calm and still. But then a huge pillar of water rose up high into the air, and electricity sparked around it. There was a blue light emanating from the pillar, and in the center, there was a silhouette of the dreaded Silver Gospel, without its wings.

"What the heck is that?!" Rin almost felt herself being pulled into the center of the pillar of water as if it were a hurricane.

But it was Laura who recognized what it was. "Oh no! Second Shift!"

The Silver Gospel then materialized 4 pairs of wings made purely out of energy, and for a second, everyone but Raiden were blinded by the brightness of it.

"S-Second Shift?" Ichika stuttered.

As soon as the words left his mouth, it flew up higher into the air and the girls noticed that its speed had increased.

"It's gotten faster!" Cecilia said.

"Houki, watch out!" Charlotte cried on the comm. "It's got you in its sight!"

She didn't notice until Charlotte pointed it out; the Silver Gospel was facing in Houki's direction and forming a large ball of energy above its head. Then, one massive energy beam was fired and it hit Houki directly.

"Gaagh!"

"Houki-dono!" cried Raiden, but she was already far out where he couldn't reach her.

With smoke trailing out from her unit, she crashes onto a nearby island, leaving her unconscious from the impact. Her IS saved her and was still functional but severely damaged.

"Tch! Houki's down! Someone go help her!" Laura ordered concisely, as she keeps the Silver Gospel distracted with her rail gun.

"I'm on it!" Raiden said. "Charlotte, keep the Gospel distracted!"

"Got it!" Charlotte said as she materializes a shield energy in an attempt to block the same charging attack.

But despite holding her own for a few seconds, she was overpowered. Her shield broke and sent her plummeting to the ocean floor.

The Silver Gospel was hit by a sniper shot from Cecilia. Noticing that the enemy IS had locked its target onto her, Cecilia quickly flies away to buy some time, using her BITS. But she was left exposed, and the Gospel moved too fast.

Rin grabs its attention firing her Shock Cannons, as does Laura anchored to the ground and firing her rail gun like a howitzer.

But the Silver Gospel dodges all shots, and fires a hail of energy bolts at Laura, who could do nothing but cover herself in her arms as she was blasted away.

Cecilia continues using her BITS, hitting the Gospel in the back.

"Don't forget about me!" She cried.

Firing her two rockets, the Silver Gospel in turn fires it charged up beam. It destroys the rockets easily, and Cecilia could not move out of the way in time. She takes the hit dead on.

"AAAHHH!"

Ichika charges in again with Yukihira but the Gospel was moving too fast. With most of his friends down, only he was left standing.

Except he was not the only male IS pilot still functional.

"Ichika, get ready!" Raiden said over the comm.

"Raiden?"

"The moment I make a strike on the IS, you charge in and finish this!"

"Got it!"

Taking fire from the Silver Gospel, Ichika disengages and keeps its attention on him. He then looks to see that Raiden was above and coming down on the Silver Gospel, with the Sakabato primed and ready.

That was when he realized it.

'I see. He'll execute Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū - Ryū Tsui Sen, leaving it stunned.'

"Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū – Ryū Tsui Shō Sen!"

*BANG*

*POW*

Combining Ryū Tsui Sen and Ryū Shō Sen allowed Raiden to come in from above and hit the Silver Gospel twice: one to the top of the head and one to the cheek. It left the Gospel's systems badly damaged and stunned, trying to adjust itself of its settings. Because the Silver Gospel's blind spot was directly above its head, it was left vulnerable to such a perfectly executed attack.

"Now, Ichika!" Raiden cries as he backs away from the stunned Silver Gospel.

As soon as the rogue IS recovers its visual systems, Ichika soon charges in. "You're not getting away!"

*BOOM*

With one final clash, both Ichika and the Silver Gospel make contact, but the former was strong to push the rogue IS over to a nearby island.

"UUWWWOOOOAAAAHHH!"

*BAM*

They crash head-on onto the beach in a fiery sand explosion. When the dust settles immediately, Ichika had Yukihira Nigata pointed down onto the chest of the Silver Gospel, trying to penetrate the armor. The rogue IS resists at first but Ichika presses on, using whatever power and will he could.

The Silver Gospel tries to hold the blade back with its left hand while it chokes Ichika with the right. But the Orimura presses forward before finally, his blade pierces through the IS. The Silver Gospel soon loses the rest of its energy and shuts down. The energy wings also dissipate.

It then disperses to reveal a woman a beautiful woman in her twenties with well-endowed body and long wavy blonde hair. She still wore an IS suit but she was unconscious and thankfully, not bleeding.

Everyone else rallies over to the beach area.

"It's over…" Cecilia said.

"Yeah. Finally," Rin confirmed.

As everyone comes over to Ichika, a despondent Houki keeps her distance, her feet in the sea, as she calls out to the blind pilot.

"R-Raiden…" She weakly calls out, but it was enough for him to hear.

"Houki-dono?" Raiden asked as he turns around.

But Houki didn't know what to say, facing the man who saved her yet again. To her shame, she lowers her head, her bangs covering her eyes. Despite the victory and the mission accomplished, it almost ended in disaster. The fact that Houki was so focused on the mission, wanting to succeed at any cost, nearly killed her.

And Ichika. Her own childhood friend, defending poachers on that boat. It was always in Ichika's nature to be good-hearted, wanting to defend even those who were caught in the crossfire. Criminals or not, Ichika would see to it that they be saved. Houki didn't understand that. She saw everything in black and white. If anyone got in her way of defeating the Silver Gospel, they'd be a casualty in her eyes. And she wouldn't regret it.

But now, it seemed she had to learn a valuable lesson the hard way. And it hit her like a train collision. That she had forgotten Katsujinken and adopted Satsujinken in that moment. If not for Raiden, she would've perished at the hands of the Silver Gospel. While grateful to be saved, it was the second time, the first being against the Golem weeks ago.

Ichika was about to walk over and ask what was wrong, but Raiden holds up a hand to halt him. The blind pilot then takes a few steps forward, meeting Houki up close by the edge of the waters as the waves keep crashing their feet.

Then, out of nowhere, an arrow is fired and lands right in the middle of the group behind Raiden. But on the arrow was a device beeping red. And Laura realized what that was to her horror.

"EMP!" She cried.

But by the time she yells of what it was, the EMP activates like a flashbang, emitting a field of EMP electricity. Everyone in the group, except Raiden and Houki, were caught in the field, screaming as the electricity courses through their body. Their IS suffered the most as the electrics within the machinery began to shut down, thereby disabling them.

As the EMP field dies down, everyone collapses in the sand, unconscious.

"Everyone!" Raiden yelled before he turns around to speak to Houki. "Houki-dono, listen to me! You need to—"

*FWOOM*

Suddenly, Houki is grabbed violently from her left and behind, held captive in the arms of an unknown IS and its pilot. The ambush came so fast that Raiden did not see it coming, as he senses a familiar presence. A presence he had not felt since protecting the Dunois Corporations matriarch. One who had the ability of freeze her targets in place with a gaze. One wearing a infamous black kasa.

And that laughter. That sadistic laughter that Raiden recognized all too well. One that even he would never forget.

Udō Hina.

"Hehehahahaha!" Hina laughs as she takes her prey.

"Houki-dono!" Raiden runs to the edge of the sea, chasing after the kidnapped Houki and the kidnapper Hina.

"I see that this girl is your woman!" Hina called out mockingly as she flees with Houki in her arms.

"Hina!" Raiden realized as he was halted by the edge of the sea. With his IS battered from fighting the Silver Gospel, he would never reach to Houki and Hina in time.

"Angry! Become more angry!" Hina proclaimed while laughing in triumph. "Return to the way you were ten years ago! Hate me! Hate me! Return to the hitokiri you were, Kingslayer! Hehehehahahaha~!"

Houki manages to get Hina's hand off of her mouth for her to scream, "RAIDEN!"

All Raiden could see was Hina and Houki's vestige disappear over the horizon, the hitokiri IS pilot taking Houki to an unknown location and holding her hostage. Pure anger for not seeing it coming quickly enveloped Raiden, seeing someone dear to him now taken away. The Silver Gospel may be out of the count, but now another threat returns.

"HIIIINNAAAA!"

And now this time for Raiden, this was going to be personal.

Here we come to the part of season 1 where there has been a major of twists. The first one was comical of course as Akane is shown to be somewhat possessive over Raiden and loves to make Miriam a complete mess at times. After all, that rival of Chifuyu's is willing to do anything to keep this rivalry game going.

There's not much to say on this episode as it combined the last three episodes into one, starting with the debut of the infamous Akatsubaki. Tabane being Tabane, even as she knows of Raiden's identity. You may have noticed I took out the massage scene of the episode because I couldn't find any place to put Raiden into it. Instead, I decided to just use Akane and Miriam again, and reveal a little more of a dynamic relationship that the two have. Oh, and there is no more of any boob squishing this time for Raiden, unlike at the beach. Instead, every time Raiden is with Chifuyu and regarding about Akane, he gets some sort of punishment for being too close to someone she does not like.

Now the Silver Gospel battle. I had to combine both of the last two episodes of the battles to make sure that the Silver Gospel was defeated in one battle. Was not easy, I will admit. But I'd say it was worth writing. The only difficulty I had was Ichika going into Second Shift which you may have noticed I had totally cut out. That was because I didn't want to use the stupid plot armor that the series did for Ichika to save the day. I'll figure out how to do the Second Shift eventually but I don't want a plot armor device to be the solution to every losing battle.

And now, Houki has been kidnapped by a returning villain, Udō Hina. It was only a matter of time before the hitokiri showed up again. But this time she has taken matters into her own hands in order to draw the Kingslayer out of Raiden. With everyone else incapacitated, only Raiden is left remaining as the sole IS pilot facing the returning threat. If Udō Hina wants him to save Houki, he will have to challenge her for it.

Next episode is the fated and last encounter between two hitokiri, which will derive off of episode 7 of Rurouni Kenshin. One of my favorite episodes of the series, to be honest.

Like, favorite, follow, and review at your leisure. If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me.