A/N: Sup Y'all. Well things are back to almost normal as I can now post things at my usually pace which is good as I hope to bust out these Chapters out soon. Aside from that I was thinking of doing Omakes for events like Holidays or Misadventures for certain characters to give this story a life hearted feel. I also do thank you guys for sticking around and following this story.
Well then I hope this chapter is both fun and action filled enough for you all to enjoy so then... LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!
DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE USA GOVERNMENT WITH MY D.O.G.E INITIATIVE! MUHAHAHAHAHA! ALL CHARACTERS AND PROPERTIES BELONG TO LILITH SOFT AND OTHER CORPOS.
Part II
Chapter 5
Who is Hunting Who?
"Don't let your guard down. We have to get as far away from here as possible and make our way back to the Brothel." Kotaro said as the Squad made their way to the Stairway that lead out of the basement. Luckily thanks to Kaiser's intervention in taking out most of the soldiers earlier, the Independent Rangers had no trouble making their way out of the basement.
"How are we looking Shikanosuke?" Kotaro asked as he clutch the hard drive with all the data they hacked from the terminal close to his chest as this was their life line to getting the intel they needed in capturing Kiryu.
"Uhh...Not good. Sometime is headed our way...it's not human!" Shikanosuke panicked as he sense something heading their way with his Ninja Art: Electric Release. Shikanosuke readied his shurikens while the rest of the team prepared themselves.
"What? Not human?" Hebiko said with concern as she prepared herself as her legs transformed into tentacles drawing out her 4 ninjato swords.
"Yeah one of them is a dog of sort while the other is... a huge wasp?" Shikanosuke said in confusion as around the corner a Robotic Dog with a gun attach to it's back and huge robotic wasp appeared.
"Drones!" Kotaro shouted out as they prepared for battle.
Kaiser tried to switch out his shotgun ammo from non-lethal to his 12 gauge shells but was unable to due to the robotic dog jumping on him as it tried to rip his face off with it's maw full of sharp fangs. The Robotic hound was biting at viscously as Kaiser grabbed it by it's neck to keep the robotic dog's fangs from ripping his throat open as it claws scratches his chest.
"FUCKING HELL! GET OFF OF ME! YOU PIECE OF SHIT SCRAP METAL!" Kaiser said as he kicks the robotic dog off of him as he was covered in scratch marks. Kaiser quickly pulled his short sword out and stabbed the robot in the head killing it as he twisted it's head off. He threw the Headless robot dog against the wall as it twitch a few times before it stopped moving.
"This isn't good!" Kotaro said as he dodged another barrage of bullets from the robo-wasps.
"Fuma-kun! You have a plan for this, right!?" Shikanosuke yelled as he dodge bullets and threw his shuriken at the drones knocking a few out of the air.
"I...Umm...Unfortunately, I got nothing for this." Kotaro said as he gave a awkward smile.
Hebiko and Shikanosuke gave Kotaro a deadpan stare as Kaiser facepalm.
"Well I got one... MAKE LIKE AN EGG AND SCRAMBLE!" Kaiser yelled out as he grabbed Shikanosuke and ran in the opposite direction of the drones which led back into the basement, deeper into the base. Hebiko and Kotaro follow Kaiser who was carrying Shikanosuke as the squad tried to lose the mechanical animal horde through the maze like basement of the facility.
'Damn, he is fast!' Thought Kotaro as the three ran down the hall.
"Why don't we just blow them up or something!?", Hebiko screamed out in frustration as her and the others turned another corner.
"We can't, none of us brought explosives for this mission and Kaiser is hurt too much to fight all those things head on. We can't use our usual strategy of blinding them with your ink as they are using sensors.", Kotaro replied as his friends were running down the hallways of the underground base.
"Sensors... Wait! I got something for that!" Kaiser yelled. "Shika-chan on my shoulder harness there should be a chaff grenade. Grab it, pull the pin and throw it at those mechanical dickheads!"
Shikanosuke grabbed the grenade from the belt and did as he was told. "Wait, I have no idea what it will do. What is a chaff grenade?"
"It's a grenade that will fill the area with static, which should mess up the drone's sensors and even some electronics. It won't be perfect but should buy us some time to help us escape." Kotaro explains as the group kept running from the horde of mechanical animal robots.
Shikanosuke pulls the pin as he threw the grenade at the mechanical horde, which exploded and created a large amount of static in the air causing the drones to either slip and fall or fly into walls. This bought the group time to escape as they made some distance.
The Independent Rangers kept running for what seems to be a long time until finally they saw that they weren't being pursued anymore. The three stopped, catching their breaths as they fell to the floor exhausted.
"Finally! We made it out." Kaiser said with a sigh of relief.
"Good job, everyone. We got away!" Hebiko said as she walked over to the boys.
"Yeah, but we still need to get back the Brothel and deliver the hard drive to The Madame as we still got to find Kiryu." Kotaro said as he gave his squad a moment to relax.
"Man, all this bullshit for one measly piece of shit scientist... I swear when I get my hands on that traitorous weasel, I'm gonna...", Kaiser was tired and hurt which did not help with his short fuse temper.
"Kai-san you know we have strict orders to bring back Kiryu alive and unharmed." Kotaro emphiase as he too was exhausted but had to remain focus on the mission as he was the squad leader.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Not a single hair on his body is to be harmed doesn't mean I can't vent out." Kaiser replied in a grumpy manner.
The team was ready to continue to move on until Hebiko decided to bring up a observation.
"Hey Fuma-chan?"
"Hm?"
"You said that there is only one entrance to the base right?"
"That's what the schematic show."
"Ehhhh!? Then why did we run in the opposite direction!? Did We just run deeper inside the base!?" Shikanosuke panicked before Kaiser lightly bopped him on them.
"Weeeeell, Unless you want to face off a horde of mechanical animals drones then be my guess but I'm too injured to take them on with brute force and those machines will probably just stall us with superior numbers until reinforcements arrive." Kaiser explained as the group gave him a blank stare. "Hm? What?"
"I just didn't expect you to have tactical knowledge. I thought you were a muscle head." Uehara answered, making Kaiser flinched as vein popped out of his head.
"I'm not just muscles, ya dingus. I also have a brain, I know what to do in battle and how to use my surroundings. I just leave all that planning and strategic shit to One-Eye."
"Yeah but sometimes you get a bit too hot headed Kai-kun that it causes unnecessary collateral damage and fights. Not to mention you have a shoot first and ask questions later type of policy." Hebiko added as Kaiser flinched from the pointed statement at him.
"You don't have to tell me that but why are you acting like I'm an idiot!?" Kaiser snapped back at his friend as she laughed a bit.
At the Hebiko, Shikanosuke, and Kaiser argued with one another Kotaro was observing his surroundings as he noticed certain details while looking at the base schematics on his PDA.
"Hm..."
"What is it One-Eye?" Kaiser asked as he approached his friend.
"The this corridor doesn't appear on the schematics here and look at the walls and floor here. They appear to be older and more worn than where we just came from."
"The base was designed and built over time, a few corridors are bound to get shifted."
"Yeah, but this looks more like the foundation has been damaged and rebuilt without much thought and in a hurry." Kotaro said as he looked around. "Which means there could be another way out of here!"
"Well, there are bound to be more surprises here, we will just have to be careful." Kaiser added as he agreed with his quad leader.
"Then there's hope for us to get out of here!" Hebiko cheered.
As the group was talking the sound of the drones came close as they closes in on the groups location from behind.
"Fuck! Looks like they found us!" Kaiser said as he readied his shotgun.
"It seems they found a way to circle around us which means there is another way out." Kotaro said a he readied his sword.
"But it seems we are gonna have to break through them!" Hebiko said as she prepared her blades.
"Break through on the shaky corridor! Against flying drones!" Shikanosuke complained.
"We can do this we just need to work together!" Kotaro said.
"This isn't the first time we are being chased." Kaiser jokes.
The drones appeared and they fire upon the Independent Rangers.
"Hebiko we need to use your Tako Legs!" Kotaro ordered.
Hebiko's octopus legs have regenerative abilities, so even if they're cut, they can still move for a while.
"D...Don't tell me you're gonna use my legs as a shield to close the gap...!" Hebiko objected.
"Exactly." Kotaro replied.
"What do you think a girl's legs are!?" Hebiko complained.
Kaiser grabbed Hebiko by her waist and used her legs as battering ram/shield as squishy and rubbery tentacles absorbed the bullets.
"Sorry! No Time, Shorty! Just push forward or we will get overrunned!"
Hebiko Screams as Kaiser was using her to plow through the drones as the bullets were flying past them. He used Hebiko's octopus legs as a shield as they absorbed the bullet storm with Kotaro and Shikanosuke following behind him .
"I...I...I'll kill you...KAISER!" Hebiko shouted out as he had a massive blush on her face as she felt mortified as being used as a battering ram.
"Stop complaining and just keep using your damn legs already!" Kaiser said as he grunted as some the bullets nicked him.
They group broke through the drones as they ran down the halls until they found a door that look like an exit.
"There! Through that door! Quickly!" Kotaro shouted as Kaiser kicked open the door as the group sprinted through the door.
Kaiser quickly threw Hebiko to the side as he slammed the door shut.
"Fuck we did it!" Shikanosuke shouted as he jumped in joy.
"We will be out of here soon!" Kotaro said as he caught his breath.
"Ow...ow...my maiden legs are full of holes." Hebiko said with tears in her eyes. "Even worse, I was man-handle by a complete barbarian of a hound. Now Hebiko won't be able to get married anymore."
Kaiser looked around to make sure the coast was clear before responding, "Oh come on Shorty, we were in a pickle. We needed to do, what we had to in order to survive and get out of there. We are safe now so stop complaining and talking so much nonsense."
"I'm not talking nonsense! Hebiko's legs may be able to regenerate but it still hurts like hell, you asshole!" Hebiko screamed with rage. "It's no wonder a brute like you doesn't know how to treat a pure maiden!"
Kaiser made a face mocking Hebiko as he did a looking around pose, "Oh, yeah? Well, I'll tell ya what, when I see a pure maiden I'll tell ya because I don't see one around here."
"Stupid Mangy Dog!"
"Short Ass Octopus!"
"Uncultured Jackass!"
"Background Character!"
As the two were arguing like children Kotaro observe his surroundings as the team was now in a huge underground tunnel.
"What is this place?" Shikanosuke ask as he looked around.
"Hm... It looks like one of those tunnels used to transport construction materials when they built the Tokyo Kingdom." Kotaro respond as he looked at his surroundings.
"I see..." Shikanosuke respond. "There's a way out!"
"Yeah but that means the U.S.F probably knows about it too." Hebiko responded as she took a glance down the tunnel, "There's probably something like a gatekeeper guarding the exit."
"Yeah... I wanted to mention that...but I guess I'm too late again." Kotaro said with a sigh.
"Well... We'll cross that bridge once we get there." Kaiser said as he walk right beside Kotaro. " So Boss Man, where to next?"
"Well I think we should..."
Before Kotaro could discuss what their next move was, a sound of gears and mechanical limbs made their way towards the group. An army of Mechanical Robo-Ants with gun attachments fire upon the Independent Rangers.
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!" Kaiser yelled as he fired his double barrel shotgun at the approaching drones destroying a hand full of the Robo-ants.
"UGYAAAA! Not bullets again!" Shikanosuke cried out in pain as the bullets bounce off his Taimanin battle suit but the force of impact still hurts though.
"Do I have to be a shield again!? I'll have you know I hate this!" Hebiko complained as her tentacles were already forming a shield to protect the team from the incoming bullets.
"Alright! Same as last time, push through and take em out in close range." Kotaro ordered.
Before the Independent Rangers could act another group of ants appeared from the other side flanking them.
"SHIT! THERE'S MORE OF THEM!" Kaiser yelled as he was hit a couple times that left some nasty bruises.
"Did we stumble upon some ant nest!?" Kotaro shouted out in bewilderment.
"Hebiko can't protect us from both sides!" Hebiko said as tried to block most of the bullets but couldn't as some them hit Kaiser and Kotaro.
'Is this it?' Kotaro thought as Kaiser was readying himself for a Last Stand but before he could a the bullets fell from midair as a electric wave struck.
"Wha...what?" Kotaro blurred out as Kaiser wondered what just happened?
A mysterious girl appeared out of thin air.
"Ahhh... looks like I broke out of my optical camouflage. Well... whatever!" The girl said as she got into a battle stance as metal blades pop out on her forearms.
"ASUKA!" Kaiser yelled out as he was surprised the Gyaru Taimanin appearing out of nowhere and take on the Robo-Ants.
"Huh?...Oh Hey, Kai-Kun!" The Gal Taimanin shouted out in excitement.
"How did you..." The young Fuuma male was cut off before he could finish his sentence.
"Well you see I was out shopping and then I saw that all these mechanical things were going crazy!" She said while she fired a burst of gunfire from her machine guns installed in her gauntlets.
"You where shopping...in the Tokyo kingdom... In the middle of a secret U.S.F underground base..." Kaiser said in an unconvincing manner as he didn't believe in a word she said.
"Moe~ It's the truth, Kai-kun." Asuka whined as she lean forward that emphasize her breast as she wiggled her hips from side to side.
Kaiser's face turned red as he looked at her and tried to retort but couldn't as he was speechless.
"Mmm... I wouldn't mind some extravagant clothes." Asuka said in a cute voice as she turned around and wiggled her hips at the young man. The rest of the team were shock to see Kaiser, The Kaiser Wrath, was speechless and blushing as the sexy gyaru tried to seduce him.
"Whatever..." Kaiser said while looking away.
"Haha! It's nice to see you are like this too, Kai-kun!" Asuka said in a giggly voice.
Before Asuka could tease Kaiser any further one of the Robo-ants shoots at them as in one swift move Asuka cuts the bullets with her bladed gauntlets.
"Well that is just rude. Here I am having a conversation with Kai-kun and his friends and you walking tin toys dare disrupt me... it seems someone is asking to be scrapped." Asuka said with a cold voice. "Don't worry, I'll teach these rust buckets a lesson"
Asuka jumped forward in the air and used the guns in her gauntlets to shoot at the Robo-Ants. Asuka lands on a Robo-ant, slashing it and jumping to the next robot. Using her blades to cut into them
Asuka said in an angry voice " Don't mess with me today, or you'll get what's coming!"
Asuka then once again jumps high in the air and slashes the heads off the robo-ants as she was a whirlwind of blades delivering swift death. She then fires her guns recklessly as the bullets the destroys robo-ants.
"Hey what are you standing around for?! Go, I'll take care of this." Asuka commanded as she took the Robo-Ants apart.
"What are you saying!? There is no way Imma leave you here by yourself to fight these things!" Kaiser said as he tried to help Asuka but fell on one knee as his injuries catching up to him.
"I'll buy you some time until you and your friends can make it out of here. Don't worry Kai-kun... I'll show you how strong I am! Now get out of here, or do you want to die?" Asuka said as she turned her firepower onto the Robo-Ants.
"Damn it! Fine!... Asuka... don't be reckless... please... don't die on me." Kaiser said as he turned around and left the area.
Asuka dodged the Robot Ant's bullets as she was dancing through the battlefield. Asuka could feel her blood pumping through her veins as heart was beating loudly in her ears after she heard her crushes worry over her. She leaped into the air and shot her bladed gauntlets at a robo-ant, bisecting it completely as she landed back on the ground and turned around to face the robots again.
"For you...Kai-kun...I..." Asuka whispered with a blush on her face as she had a smile of a young maiden in love. even after their last conversation ended in frustration and disappointment, Asuka still care about Kaiser as he too was worried about her wellbeing. This thought alone made the Gyaru Taimanin's heart flutter as nothing could severe the Bond she had with the Outsider who had unknowingly captured her heart.
Kotaro helped Kaiser stand up by lending him his shoulder for Kaiser to lean on to help as they limped towards the exit.
"FUCK! Damnit... this sucks... I... I shouldn't be this weak... what the fuck is wrong with me." Kaiser cursed and complained.
Kotaro laughed and looked at Kaiser, "Hey don't be too hard on yourself. You've been fighting nonstop since we got here with you taking all the hits. I've got you now, you won't die from this."
Kotaro talked to his friend in a matter of fact tone, while Kaiser just frowned and sighed frustration at himself.
"You know, Kai... I've never had this... I've never had friends growing up who wanted to stand with me or have someone that made me want to push myself... not since I was a kid anyway. Not even the people I used to call family didn't really care for me as a an individual, but just as Kotaro Fuma the next heir to the Fuma Clan. All I ever did was make those who were close to me worry for me with my inactions or failed schemes... but they always find a way to forgive me. They all want for me was to be the best I can be, to be someone worthy of their loyalty and respect. I never felt I was good enough even with my lack of skill as Taimanin or as a Clan Heir, I learned overtime to trust the people close to me... that also includes you, Kaiser." Kotaro said in a sad, regretful tone.
Kaiser listened as he could see now that even someone as relaxed or as easy going as Kotaro had his own insecurities like him who felt like they never belong even among their own kind. Maybe his mother was right with him and Kotaro not being so different from each other.
"We've been together for a while now, and you've helped me plenty of times... if I hadn't met you... If I had continue the way I was, pushing people away... I would've ended up like..."
Images of Yuichi appeared in Kaiser's mind as he quickly shook his head of those thoughts.
"I never once had friends to watch my back, nor did I have people who would stand by my side other than my adoptive family along with a few others. I was... I was always afraid... afraid of losing what little identity I had—my family, friends, memories—there are all that I have. Without them...Who would I be?" Kaiser sighs as he is opening up to Kotaro for the first time since they met. "It's the reason why I am so reckless and wanting to fight...because I never want to lose anything I cherish ever again... not how I lost my adoptive father or almost lost my adoptive mother...or my memories. I'll get stronger and destroy anything that threatens my happiness."
"Kaiser...You..." Kotaro said as he looked at Kaiser with a new found respect.
"If it was for you and everyone's safety... I would not hesitate to sacrifice anything or myself... I won't hesitate to give my life for you..." Kaiser said as he turned his face away.
"You don't need to go that far...But it's comforting to hear. I'd do the same for you, Kai."
"Yeah... well, don't you dare get yourself killed, Kotaro." Kaiser says with a playful smirk.
Kotaro just smiles at Kaiser's reaction as the two men shared a small laugh between one another.
"I'm not going anywhere, Kaiser." Kotaro replied to him as the two men swore to each other that they would stand with each other as equals in this dark and chaotic world.
*** The Port District of the Tokyo Kingdom***
The Subway Tunnel Exit
"This must be the subway tracks. We're probably in a abandoned subway built during the construction of the Tokyo Kingdom. The exit to the surface should be nearby." Kotaro said as he helped Kaiser walk.
"Does that mean we are saved!?" Shikanosuke cried out in joy.
"Just a little further before we reach the surface." Kotaro grunted as he too was nearing his limit.
"Uoh...Mother... Grandma...with this, The Uehara Household can go on a little further." Shikanosuke was crying as he was acting over dramatic.
"Stop exaggerating, Shika-chan. Well I guess Asuka really came through for us and took care of the Gatekeeper, so we are in the clear." Kotaro said as Kaiser gave him a side eye stare.
"Careful, One-Eye. You don't want to tempt fate... She can be a fickle bitch." Kaiser commented as he had a bad feeling.
"Fuma-chan, Kai-Kun, Danger! Move!" Hebiko yelled out as both Kaiser and Kotaro instinctually jump out of the way as a small black circle appeared as it was quickly getting larger.
*CRASH*
A gigantic fully armored Humanoid lump of steel landed and started to make a weird mechanical noise as it extended its knees into a standing pose.
"FUCKING SHIT! God damnit, One-Eye! Next time you say some Murphy's-Law type of shit again, I swear, I'm gonna deck ya in the face!" Kaiser yelled as he prepared himself for battle.
"It this another drone!?" Hebiko asked as she took out her four ninjato swords.
"No... this probably one of those modified humanoid walking tanks." Kotaro said as he readied his sword.
"Yeah...it's one of those XPS-11A Exo Power Armor. A Bone-Type series, equipped with Revenger M25 rotary arm cannon and armor pack on the back where it's ammo is stored." Kaiser Informed his team as he remember when he fought one these exoskeletons during the Ireas Dies incident. "It's slow and has limited range of motion but it's heavily armored and packs a helluva punch."
The exoskeleton raised it's gun as it prepared to fire at the group.
"SCATTER!" Kotaro yelled as everyone took evasive action.
The Exoskeleton began firing a steady stream of bullets at the group but they were moving too fast for it to hit anything. Kaiser aimed his double barrel shotgun at the walking tank as he pulled the trigger firing 12 gauge pellets but saw that they didn't do nothing against the heavy armor.
'Damn it... the ants weren't the last boss. This guy is!' Kotaro panicked as he didn't have a plan to take this exoskeleton in a head on fight.
"Fuma-chan how are we gonna fight that thing!? My tako legs can't defend against those bullets!" Hebiko yelled as she was dodging the gunfire from the chaingun autocannon.
"That thing has armor like a tank. You think we can beat that!?" Kotaro flabbergasted at the mere suggestion of fighting the humanoid tank.
"In that case... let's run!" Hebiko suggested as she dodge more bullets from the autocannon.
"Aren't we just running from everything!" Shikanosuke shrieked as the small femboy Taimanin tried to hide.
"It's not like we have any other choice! And retreating is a fine strategy in itself! Listen! Like Kaiser said before this thing is heavily armored and has heavy firepower but it's also slow. Keep dodging and running until we get out of here!"
"O-Okay" Shikanosuke said as he tried to make a run for it but he was soon stop by Hebiko.
"Wait Shika-chan! Look!" Hebiko said as she pointed out some Robo-Ants blocking their path of escape.
"Damnit! They are still following us!" Kotaro cursed as he was trying to rack his brain for a plan until a cocky and fearless voice decided to make itself heard.
"We can't run and we can't fight... sounds like we are in quite a pickle... but that doesn't matter... Kotaro. Remember what I said back in the tunnels... I'm gonna fight this thing while you and your friends make a break for it." Kaiser said as he unseath his short sword.
"What the hell do you mean? We are in this together, Kaiser. I am not going to leave you behind!" Kotaro yelled, as he tried to stop Kaiser.
"You heard me! You can't fight this thing and neither can I... but maybe, just maybe, I can make it a bit more interested in me... buy you guys some time." Kaiser argued.
"How are you going to do that?" Hebiko asked.
"By being a loud annoying dickhead." Kaiser said with a smug smirk.
"I...I can't let you do that..." Kotaro said, trying to stop Kaiser from doing what he was about to do.
"It's better than all of us dying!" Kaiser retorted.
"Kaiser, you can't do this." Kotaro said.
"I can and I will... because I am a... TAIMANIN! AND TAIMANIN WILL FIGHT TO PROTECT THE THINGS THAT MATTER TO THEM AND KEEP THEIR PROMISES!" Kaiser yelled as he charge towards the Heavy Exoskeleton with his short sword.
"Kotaro! I will draw the attention! Get the others out of here!" He ordered.
"Kaiser!" Kotaro said as he was reluctant to leave him.
"Trust me, Kotaro." Kaiser said.
"Fine, but if you die, I will be really pissed!" Kotaro yelled.
As Kaiser heard this he had a small smile as he fought the Heavy Exoskeleton in close quarters combat with his short sword. He was able to avoid the heavy punches of the giant Exoskeleton with his superior reflexes. He slashed away at the robot's legs but his short sword was unable to cut through the heavy armor as it bounced off harmlessly. The Heavy Exoskeleton lifted its heavy foot and kicked Kaiser hard, sending him flying backwards. Kaiser landed on his feet and quickly rushed forward, charging at the Heavy Exoskeleton with his sword held tightly in his hand. He leapt into the air, intending to slam his blade down on the head of the robot but the Heavy Exoskeleton raised its hands and grabbed Kaiser by the waist, stopping his momentum completely. The Heavy Exoskeleton lifted Kaiser up and then threw him down to the ground with great force. Kaiser landed on the ground with a grunt and looked up to see the Heavy Exoskeleton stomping towards him.
Kaiser jumped to his feet and dodged the heavy punch of the Heavy Exoskeleton. He ran past the Heavy Exoskeleton and sliced at its back, but his sword only managed to leave a scratch on the surface of the robot.
"This thing's tough..." Kaiser grunted. "Fuck it!
Kaiser took out his double barrel shotgun as he aimed at the Heavy Exoskeleton as he fire at it. The buckshot bounce off the armor as the ammunition was not strong enough to damage it.
"12 gauge doesn't do shit to it...gonna have to bring out the big guns." Kaiser said as he reloaded the double barrel Shotgun with his custom ammunition. "Alright you fat walking metal fuck, how about you taste some 00 Hellshot!"
Kaiser loaded his shells with his own personal black market ammo into his shotgun. Kaiser aimed and fired his shotgun as loud sound of an explosion filled the air. The sound was overpowered by a huge flash of an explosion as the buckshot pellets of tungsten and depleted uranium traveled through the air. The pellets slammed into the exoskeleton and ripped through the armor as the overpower buckshot exploded the armor of the exoskeleton and blew the front armor off.
"HOLY COW!" Shikanosuke yelled out as he had to cover his ears as the buckshot that Kaiser fired sounded more like a artillery cannon rather than a normal shotgun.
"Woah... that's some ammo you got there Kai...the hell did you use to make that monstrosity." Kotaro asked as he was surprised by the power of Kaiser's shotgun.
"Just some elbow grease and custom made ammunition, that's all..." Kaiser said as he reloaded his shotgun. "And it's not finished yet."
"Well shoot it again, Kai-kun!" Hebiko said in a hurried tone as she fought the Robot-Ants off.
"I would if I could... I didn't bring enough shells for a second shot so I am all fresh out of 00 Hellshot shells." Kaiser said as the Exoskeleton started to get up again.
"How the hell do we stop it?" Shikanosuke asked as he continued to run from the Robot-Ants.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" A female roar was heard as giant axe slammed into the armored exoskeleton.
The armored giant staggered as the pilot inside was puzzled as to what hit him with such great force
"Just all show and no substance, huh? Here I come!" The voice and axe belong to no one other than Murasaki.
Murasaki in a swift assault started to pulverize the Armored Exoskeleton as she unleashed a mad rush of consecutive blows with her axe.
"HAA!"
Murasaki continue to land strikes on the armored exoskeleton as her axe speed began to increase as well as the power of her blows. She cause sparks to fly each time she struck the armored exoskeleton as the humanoid tank was getting crush in a one-sided beating.
"Amazing..." Kotaro said in awe as he observed his teacher in action.
"SORYAA!" Murasaki yelled as she pulled back her axe for a full power swing. The axe struck the armored skeleton and upon impact sent it flying straight on to the Robo-Ants, crushing them in the process.
"Murasaki-Sensei... thank you." Kotaro said as he was grateful but also overwhelm by the 'Immortal Taimanin' Murasaki Yatsu's power.
"Ehh... I could've taken 'em." Kaiser said as he tried to act like he was not impressed but in actuality he was surprised at Murasaki's power was on par with Asagi's.
Murasaki-Sensei stood with her arms crossed with an serious expression on her face, demanding an explanation.
"I thought I ordered you to find and bring back Kiryu Sabato!" Murasaki said sternly as she began to lecture Kotaro.
"A... About that..." Kotaro awkwardly said as he was trying to find the word to explain his team's current situation.
A Few Minutes Later
Kotaro began to explain to Murasaki-Sensei as to how his team ended up here.
"So in other words you, came here as a deal for information as to Kiryuu Sabato current whereabouts." Murasaki said as she got a rough detail of the Independent Rangers situation.
"Yes..."Kotaro said.
"Tsk. Such Recklessness..." Murasaki said in a annoyed tone.
"Well it's not like we did this for shits and giggles, Teach." Kaiser added as he held his side as he was still heavily injured from his fight with the exoskeleton.
"What about you? Why are you here?" Kotaro inquired as his curiosity got the better of him.
"The United Federation was using this base to illegally get their hands on Dark World technology. There are also japanese enterprise involved, so I'm here to collect evidence." Murasaki explained as this caught Kaiser's attention.
'Wait... could this mean that... NOMAD is involved?' Kaiser thought to himself as it would explain why Asuka was here as well but Kaiser decided to keep his thoughts to himself.
"Do you mean this data?" Kotaro said while he held out the Hard Drive that contained the data they stole from the Terminal Servers of the base.
"What's on this hard drive?" Murasaki asks.
"This hard drive contains all the data we pulled from this base when we hacked the terminal and access the base's server network as requested by The Madame." Kotaro explained.
Murasaki had a surprised look on her face when she looked at Kotaro and the hard drive.
"So the Madame wants the data on this hard drive, is that correct?" Murasaki asked as this was prime opportunity to accomplish her mission.
"Yes... which is why I made copy of the data on this second Hard Drive." Kotaro states as he pulled up a spare hard drive.
"You sneaky son of bitch." Kaiser chuckled as he gave Kotaro a sly smile.
"I see... well done." Murasaki gave devious smile.
"W... wait. I thought it was taking too long because you were trying to get as much data as you could?" Shikanosuke complained as Kaiser had an annoyed look on his face. "Wasn't that why we were so late to run?"
"Well it ended up being useful, didn't!?" Kotaro said trying to defend himself.
"Because of that we nearly died..." Hebiko pointed out before she was interrupted.
"We!? Who the fuck is this 'We' you are talking about! I, Me, Myself nearly died!" Kaiser yelled comically. " I was the one who took on those U.S.F bastards single handedly and didn't kill a single one mind you!"
"And how did that turn out for you?" Hebiko said smugly as she poked at his injured side. Kaiser hisses in pain as he slaps away Hebiko's finger.
"It was just a flesh wound." Kaiser insisted.
"You were covered with bullet wounds." Shikanosuke said as he looked at Kaiser with a cheeky grin.
"Yeah, well I got back up pretty quickly didn't I? You guys were too busy getting your asses kicked to notice." Kaiser declared as tried to defend himself.
As the group argued with each other as to who did more, Murasaki giggled as she saw her most problematic and underachieving students pulled off such a dangerous mission with teamwork as she saw Kaiser finally started to build bonds with his fellow Taimanin and saw that Kotaro was finally being serious with Hebiko and Shikanosuke were coming into their own being.
"Huh? What so funny Teach?" Kaiser asked as he broke away from his teammates.
"With one infiltration, you guys manage to download two copies of data and not create mass casualties while escaping with said data... Those are some big achievements. You kids are quite the effective team." Murasaki complimented as she smiled, expressing genuine happiness which was a total different vibe from the 'Orge Instructor' that the students had of her.
"Uhh... Yo, One-Eye?" Kaiser elbowed his friend trying to get his attention.
"Huh? What!?" Kotaro asked as he turned his attention away from Murasaki and towards his friend.
"Is this really Murasaki? You know the same Murasaki who always has a stick up her ass and is totally busting my balls for every little thing, Murasaki." Kaiser said while staring in disbelief as he could believe the woman in front of his eye could have such a... soft feminine side.
"You mean the same Murasaki that gets made at you when you play hooky during school or acting like a trouble making delinquent?" Kotaro snickered at Kaiser's comment as he tried to keep his cool in front of his former teacher. "I didn't know she was like that either."
Kotaro confessed as he scratched his cheek in embarrassment.
As the two boys joked around the said teacher heard their comments as she had a massive blush on her as she brought her fist to knock both boys upside their heads in embarrassment.
"Ow! What the hell gives,Teach!?" Kaiser shouted as he rubbed his head while Kotaro groaned in pain.
"It's not nice to make fun of others!" Murasaki said as she continued to stare at the two boys with a hard gaze.
Both Kotaro and Kaiser just looked at each other before they let out a hearty laugh. Murasaki couldn't help but smile at the two boys antics. Even though she would never admit it to the two troublemakers, she was grateful for their support in the recent mission.
Kaiser had made a lot of progress in the short amount of time that he had spent with Kotaro and his friends after he became a reliable member of the Independent Rangers. Kotaro and him were getting along better than ever as Kaiser wasn't showing any signs of betraying the Taimanin anytime soon. He had started to become a valuable teammate to the Task Force, and people were starting to warm up to the loud-mouthed but kind Outsider who was always looking out for his friends.
As the group was having a moment of relief and peace a sound of metal moving was heard as the exoskeleton was once again moving.
"FUCKING HELL! What will it take to keep this asshole down." Kaiser said as he tried to prepare for battle but staggered a bit as he was unable to move due to his injuries.
"It's still moving!?"Hebiko panicked as the Armored humanoid tank stood up and began making it's way to them.
"Looks like we didn't take enough precautions."Kotaro said as he glared at the exosuit.
"Damn it!" Hebiko shouted as she grabbed her weapons and started to back up.
Kaiser gritted his teeth in annoyance while yelling at the armored tank,"You son of a bitch, stay down dammit!"
"I see. So the Pilot was just knock out and the suit is on autopilot... it's a lot more sturdy than I thought." Murasaki said as she gripped her battle axe.
Behind the Armored exosuit was a sound of Robo-ant crawling towards the group to provide the exosuit back up.
"You gotta be kidding me. First, we need to deal with this tin can now these fucking ants?" Kotaro growled as he drew his sword.
"Now they are just pissing me off!" Kaiser yelled at the machine as he charged straight towards it, as his body started to flicker with Crimson(?) energy surrounding his fist as it was charging up.
"Wait! It's too dangerous!" Murasaki called out but it was too late as Kaiser let out a roar and delivered a powerful punch to the exosuit's torso, causing it to stumble back a bit.
The Exosuit was thrown back by Kaiser's attack and Kotaro charged in to deliver a powerful slash to its leg, causing it to buckle and fall onto one knee.
"You two are reckless!" Murasaki chided them but stayed back to observe the situation.
Kaiser charged forward and delivered a powerful kick to the Exosuit's head, causing it to be thrown back. Kotaro quickly ran forward and sliced its other legs' tendon off causing it to fall completely on its back.
"This is our chance." Kaiser said as he began charging up his Crimson power again but just as he was about to deliver another powerful blow, a Robo-Ant jumped on his back causing him to stagger forward as it tried to bite him.
"Shit! How many more of these bastards are there?" Kotaro said as he slashed at the Ant knocking it off of Kaiser.
"I'm not sure." Murasaki said as she gripped her axe tightly. "But we need to destroy this exosuit before it can get back up."
The Robo-Ants began to circle around the group once again, looking for an opportunity to attack. Kaiser could feel his rage rising as he glared at the ant's movements. He wasn't going to let a bunch of bugs get the better of him.
"I ain't done yet! I'm gonna tear your metal ass apart!" Kaiser growled as he charged towards the armored exosuit. "RAAAAAAAAH!"
Murasaki rushed forward to assist Kaiser as he slammed his energized fist into the exosuit's head again, causing it to reel back slightly. As he tried to follow up with another blow, the exosuit suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm, throwing Kaiser up in the air before it slammed the young man into the ground with a brutal slam.
"Kaiser!" Murasaki shouted as she rushed towards him, only to be caught by the exosuit's other arm and thrown aside.
Aishu Hebiko landed several ink splats onto the Robo-Ant's head while Kotaro unleashed a barrage of slashes to its body, cutting off its antenna and legs.
Kaiser was on the ground, his body covered in injuries, and his head was bleeding over his left eye, clouding his vision red. His stamina was near depleted as he lay broken on the ground with a few broken ribs. Kaiser wanted to stop; he was tired, and he just wanted to go back home to his family and friends... but his willpower... his desire to fight wouldn't let him. Something compelled him—something primal and savage within him gave way to power that remained untapped and was slowly leaking out of him. He knew he couldn't give up now, and he got up once again, just as he always did.
Fight
Just as Kotaro and Hebiko were about to launch another attack on the Robo-Ant, they heard a loud crashing noise coming from behind them. They turned around to see Kaiser running towards them, his eyes burning with an intense flame that seemed to engulf his soul.
Kaiser charged into the Robo-Ants as he ripped them apart with his bare hands, using unnatural strength and speed that seem to be impossible for a human, even one who is a Taimanin, to be able to wield.
Rage
As Kaiser fought the Robo-Ants, Murasaki, who was taking on the Exosuit alone, saw the young man fight with reckless abandon as Kaiser became death incarnate. She saw how Kaiser fought with a savage fury that consumed everything in his path. Kotaro and Hebiko were also stunned by Kaiser's sheer strength and speed as they watched him tear the Robo-Ants apart like paper.
Suffer
The Exosuit unleashed its auto-cannon gatling gun at Murasaki, who was caught off guard by the sudden barrage of bullets though with Murasaki's ability 'Immortal Awakening', her injures automatically began to heal but the pain of being shot at still hurts. But just as quickly as the Exosuit fired its gun, Kaiser appeared in front of them and with a single swing of his sword he deflected all of the bullets back at the Exosuit autocannon, causing it to malfunction and explode.
Kaiser stood over the ruined machine with his sword drawn and his eyes glowing with a wild fire. Kotaro and Hebiko had never seen Kaiser so intense and furious before as they only seen him have fun when he was in battle. Murasaki was also stunned by Kaiser's action and felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at his eyes...Rage that couldn't be put into words or even be understood. Rage that didn't belong to a young man but...something else, something old...something that did not belong in this world.
Kotaro and Hebiko picked themselves off the ground and rushed over to help Murasaki as they watched their friend take on the technologically advance war suit on his own.
Murasaki watched in amazement as Kaiser destroyed the exosuit with such ease with pure strength that a 17 year old boy shouldn't have been able to use. She could sense the raw power emanating from him and realized that she had underestimated her student. She couldn't help but feel a bit aroused by the display of Kaiser's strength as her cheeks flushed a deep red color. But what surprised Murasaki more than Kaiser's strength was the fact that he knew how to destroy the exosuit so easily as he was able to target it's weak points on pure instincts. It was not something that any regular human could have done without heavy anti-armor weapons or wielding some sort of tremendous power.
Kotaro and Hebiko were also in awe of Kaiser's ability and were curious to learn more about this crimson power he uses as it seem to make them feel... empowered as their fatigue and wounds began to recover.
The Exosuit was on it's last legs as it was cut up and beaten up but the autopilot was still engage as the pilot inside was unconscious from Kaiser's punches and was unable to eject himself out. The A.I of the exosuit was calculating it probability of victory as near impossible that it decided to make one last effort and activated a self-destruct sequence while it charged at Kaiser. With the pilot still knocked out from the beating he took earlier from Kaiser as the A.I on broad the suit observed the entity that was Kaiser Wrath by trying to scan the Crimson Energy as it's results came back... Inconclusive. The Crimson energy began to infuse itself onto Kaiser's sword as the blade was reinforced.
The Exosuit then released its built in missile pods as it began to fire a barrage of missiles at Kaiser while he smirked and began to swing his sword like a baseball bat and send a flurry of red energy blasts at the missiles, exploding them midair. Murasaki, Kotaro and Hebiko were shocked to see Kaiser's energy as the Outsider was able to wield this unknown power by instincts alone as his attacks were strong enough to be able to destroy the missiles. Kotaro knew that he was stronger than anyone he has ever met before but didn't know that his friend was capable of using energy as the attacks that Kaiser inflicted upon exosuit damaged it further But the machine was still determined to eliminate it's target as it began to charge in an attempt to eliminate this High Priority Target before the self destruct sequence was in it's final countdown.
Kaiser was able to easily dodge the attack and then finish off the exosuit with one last swing of his sword as he adopted a Iai Sword Stance that he was able to learn from Rinko as the Crimson power was focused into his sword. The energy gathered into the blade enhancing it's cutting power that with one quick and powerful slash a wave of red energy sped towards the exosuit so fast that it had no choice but to Eject the pilot before the exosuit exploded into pieces in an impressive display of fire and smoke.
"Woo! That was so cool!" Hebiko squealed in delight as she ran over to congratulate Kaiser on his victory.
"Are you guys okay?" Kaiser asked as he walked towards them. He was panting slightly from exhaustion, but there was no sign of injury on him as all of his wounds and even exhaustion seem to mysteriously disappeared.
Kotaro noticed this but decided to keep his mouth shut as he was just happy to see...his friend and second-in-command fine and well after a hard won battle.
"Yeah were okay...Kai..." Kotaro said but before he could say anything more an unknown voice spoke out to the Independent Rangers through the speakers of the destroyed Exosuit.
"My my, you sure are an interesting young man aren't you?" A male voice spoke with amusement.
Kaiser looked at the Exosuit with his eyes still glowing with rage and responded coldly, "Who are you? Show yourself!"
The voice responded,"We'll see each other soon enough, but for now I hope you and your friends can enjoy this victory. Until we meet again... Fuma."
Kotaro felt his blood turn into ice as a sinking feeling began to form in the pit of his stomach as anxiety and fear of ghosts of the past haunt the Young Heir knowing that things had gotten even more complicated.
Kaiser in a fit of rage kicked the speaker of the ruin exosuit until as he saw no point in destroying it any further more. He turned his attention to Murasaki, who was still being attended to by Kotaro and Hebiko.
Kaiser walked over to her and spoke to her with a soft tone in his voice "Hey, Teach... Are you ok?"
Murasaki smiled and nodded "Yes...thank you Kaiser."
Kaiser smiled back at her and patted her on her shoulder affectionately.
"Good...I still owe ya that dinner, right?"
Murasaki blushed as she remembered the Dinner date that she promised Kaiser before things had gotten out of control for her Troublesome Pupil.
"I'm glad you're alright Murasaki" Kotaro said as he helped Murasaki stand up.
Kaiser noticed Murasaki staring at him and raised an eyebrow as he help her up. Murasaki's cheeks flushed even deeper red as Kaiser extended his hand and helped her off the ground.
"Well, we're all okay. Thank you for your help, Kai," Kotaro said as he and Hebiko walked over towards the exit that would lead the team out of the port district. Kotaro took a moment to catch his breath before turning to Murasaki. "I think we should head back to The Madame and deliver the data to her so that we can finally end this mission."
Murasaki nodded in agreement and began to lead them back to The Brothel 'Cub Persona'.
As the Team began walking away Kaiser couldn't help but shake a feeling that they were forgetting someone important.
***Back at the The Subway Tunnel Exit***
Under a pile of destroyed robo-ants a sad and pathetic voice cried out.
"Someone...anyone...please...get me out of here!"
The cries of a Certain Femboy went unanswered as it seemed that Karma was reaping it's due on the poor individual.
"I wanna go home (Sniff)...Uuuuuuu (Sniff)...YOU , BASTARDS! HOW COULD YOU FORGET ABOUT MEEEEEE!" The Voice cried out in indignation, " I SWEAR! I'LL GET BACK AT YOU ALL! IF IT'S THE LAST THING I'LL DOOOOOO!"
A/N: LOL! Poor Shikanosuke, a victim of the classic " You Forgot Me!" Trope. I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter as I wanted to show Kaiser's character more as to why he tends to be reckless due to him basing his entire identity on the people around him since he has no memories as to who he is and thus he attaches himself to his relationships deeply. Basically I want Kaiser to be the reflection as how others see him as whether it's a bloodthirsty killer to a kind and self sacrificing hero. Kaiser is whoever he wants other perceive him as. Also the Crimson energy as well as it's origins will be revealed slowly over time as this power not affects Kaiser but those around him as there are consequences in using such power.
What further awaits our Heroes? Who was that Voice that seems to strike deep feelings in Kotaro? What is this mysterious power that Kaiser has within him and Who...is it that dwells inside his soul? And will the Team remember to pick up their mascot? Find out in next the Chapter
Part II
Chapter 6
Truths hidden within Hearts of Glass.