So, uh, remember how I said the Blade Wolf explanation's gonna be in this chapter? Well, turns out that couldn't really fit. I expected to put the Abkhazia mission on this chapter, where Raiden meets Blade Wolf, but that'd be just a tad bit too fast for the pacing. I'm really sorry about this.

To everyone else, thanks for the support! I'm really glad all of you are enjoying this:)

Review Responses have been moved to the end of the chapter, as usual.

And now, on to the chapter!

28 Months in the United Continents…

Jaune dodged a punch. Stepping back, he sliced upwards with HF Murasama, cutting the Yakuza member in front of him clean. The swordsman quickly turned around while slashing, killing another member of the Yakuza who was behind him, rushing at him with a metal bat. Jaune jumped and focused on the last member of the Yakuza before him. With his height advantage, Jaune dashed down and increased the force of his thrust with the falling momentum. HF Murasama pierced his opponent's heartn with his thrust, killing him in just a few short millimeters. The body slid from his sword and fell down to the ground. Jaune flicked the blood off of HF Murasama. He looked around. No one left. The dock's docking area was empty.

Jaune sighed and looked up at the night sky, his ponytail swishing behind him. Ah, couldn't they have been more of a challenge? Here he was, after a 4-hour flight, and his opponent's skills are at this level? Give him a break.

Well, none of them were his target, at least. That means he was in the only boat parked here. A large, expensive-looking yacht. Jaune rolled his shoulders. Guess, it's time to go inside.

Jaune entered the yacht with no issue. The guards that were residing there weren't all that hard to fight either, though they were significantly more skilled than the ones he faced outside before. Still, they weren't enough to challenge him.

After going through the yacht's various rooms and floors, Jaune singled out one he hadn't entered yet. It was located at the far end of the yacht, and the door was much fancier than the usual ones. Without knocking, Jaune kicked the door open and let it fly out its hinges. He saw the door land just before a desk, with a man sitting behind it. He had intense eyes, sporting slicked-back jet black hair, and goatee.

He didn't look the least bit surprised at Jaune's entrance. "So you are the one sent to kill me." He spoke in Japanese. The man stood up, walking cane in his left hand. He raised an eyebrow as he scanned Jaune over. "However, I did not expect Kyohei to send the Dragon Killer."

"Uhh…" Jaune stumbled over his words. "I don't speak Japanese."

The man shook his head. "So the Dragon Killer is a foreigner. I should have expected as much." He refocused his attention on Jaune. "I didn't expect Kyohei to have sent you."

"Yeah, that's me." Jaune said as he scanned the way the man stood. 'Doesn't seem like it's from old age…probably an injury, though he seems used to it.' Jaune decided to continue talking to the man. "Chairman Sera of the Tojo Clan, right? I'm guessing you knew my client was after you?"

Sera didn't seem to respond well to Jaune's playful tone. He remained stoic, expression unchanging "You're a pawn of things you don't understand. Why fight for Kyohei? Do you know of his plans?"

Jaune shrugged. "Eh, I'm just here 'cause it's an assignment. Once that's done, it's back to Desperado I go." Jaune unsheathed HF Murasama and pointed it at Sera. "Sorry. It's nothing personal. I hope you understand."

"I've accepted the consequences of my actions," Sera responded. He drew a handgun in his right hand. "however that does not mean that I shall give up." His body tensed, his grip on his gun firm. "Come, Dragon Killer."

Jaune grinned. With his mechanical right arm and speed-based exoskeleton, he lunged faster than the average eye could see. He slashed with HF Murasama with chest-level height, hoping for a quick end to the fight. However, even with a walking cane, Sera dodged fast. He stepped aside and let Jaune fly past him. The man brought up his gun up quickly and fired shots at Jaune. Jaune managed to turn around just in time to cut the first bullet in half, however, the others pinged his armour, bringing its durability down to 95 percent.

'Ah, so he's gonna keep dodging back if I rush, huh?' Jaune thought as he tried his best to deflect the bullets. He internally shrugged. 'Gotta play by his rules, I guess.'

With that, Jaune shifted his dual-grip on HF Murasama into a single grip and charged again. However, mid-charge, Jaune let go of HF Murasama and instead feinted a grab. Sera dodged back, buying the feint. Jaune smirked and threw out a kick. It was a clean hit, scoring the man right in the gut. However, the Chairman didn't go down that easy. He kept his footing firm and his grips tight. He skidded back, shifting the grip on his cane. Now, he held it like a sword. The man's eyes hardened and he spoke in Japanese. "Come at me."

"Gladly." Jaune answered. He drew flicked his right hand and HF Murasama came flying back into him. Jaune slashed at his opponent, their weapons meeting mid-attack in a clang. Jaune noted the electricity that sparked in the cane. 'Ah, Honduran mahogany.' Jaune thought. 'Best wood for an HF treatment.' Jaune parried a strike from his target. 'Doesn't make my job any easier though!'

Jaune thrust forward with HF Murasama. The Chairman parried it smoothly and pushed Jaune's sword away. Sera leveled a gun straight at Jaune's face. Jaune's eyes widened and he quickly titled his head back. A shot fired right at where his head had been. He could feel a bead of sweat going down from his brow. 'Damn, that was close!'

The Yakuza chairman took advantage of Jaune's shock and swung his cane at Jaune's feet. Jaune cried out from surprise, buckling down from the attack's impact. Sera didn't let up and smacked Jaune hard in the face with his cane, sending the swordsman rolling back.

Jaune stopped rolling a few meters away. He looked up and saw Sera standing calmly. The Yakuza Chairman didn't enter any specific stance, instead merely standing straight and firm. However, Jaune noted that Aura constantly flowed to his left leg. 'He's already at a disadvantage for even fighting, and yet he still does it anyway.' Jaune thought. 'Huh. Takes balls.'

Jaune gripped his sword tighter. 'But conviction is irrelevant! What matters is that you win!' Jaune grinned. Well, looks like this wasn't a total waste of time after all!

Jaune rushed in with a yell, Sera lifting his sword before him defensively. Jaune swung from the side with HF Murasama, however it was parried. He dodged an overhead gun smack from Sera and smacked HF Murasama's hilt against Sera's face. Sera nimbly moved his head away and slipped behind Jaune, delivering an elbow to Jaune's head. As Jaune recoiled from the brunt of the attack, Sera's foot came up, meeting Jaune's face halfway. The Chairman linked Jaune's leg with his own and let Jaune fall down to the floor. He prepared to stomp Jaune's face in, but Jaune noticed it come early. The blond swung with HF Murasama, slicing a deep wound on Sera's right leg. Jaune jumped back with grace, readying his sword again as his opponent slightly stumbled.

Jaune rushed in as soon as he landed, Sera swinging again as Jaune came upon him. The blond swordsman parried the strike with HF Murasama. Then, as he kept the cane away, Jaune headbutted the Yakuza Chairman. He could hear his opponent's nose break. Jaune grinned and swung HF Murasama low, precisely at Sera's right leg. The man cried out in pain as Jaune's attack reopened an old wound. The Chairman was forced to kneel as Jaune kicked his face away.

Sera tumbled back, coming to a stop a good distance away. He knelt, struggling to get up. He could barely support his own weight anymore, and that's even with his cane. He slowly looked up, just in time to recognise his assassin standing over him. He didn't have time to react as suddenly a sword pierced his chest. His eyes lost their light as his body slid back, dead.

Jaune flicked the blood off of HF Murasama. He unsheathed it alongside HF Crocea. "Aaaaand that's that." He turned around, taking out his phone as he did so. He pressed a contact on his phone, labelled '恭平 – KYOHEI'. He called said number. As Kyohei picked it up, Jaune didn't even bother waiting for his contractor to talk first. "Hey, it's Jaune. Sera's dead. Pay up to Desperado. Later." He could hear Kyohei angrily ask for more details before he hung up. Ugh. Politicians.

As Jaune closed the calling app, he noticed a new notification pop up. It was from Monsoon. 'Huh, what's this?'

With his curiosity piqued, Jaune opened the notification. It was a message that told him to board a plane to Neo-Africa. Jaune shrugged. "Well, a job's a job, I guess." Guess he'll just have to wait for further instructions once he's there.

As Jaune walked away, he idly rubbed his chin. That was a close shot, earlier. Had he not ducked in time, maybe the shot might've drawn blood on his chin. Maybe he should get a mask…

A Few Hours Later…

Monsoon grinned as he faced Armstrong in the latter's office. "Jaune has already boarded a plane to Neo-Africa." He began "In a few days, the destabilisation of the region should begin."

Armstrong smirked. "Good. That oughta get us some more funding." He puffed a cloud of smoke from his cigar. "Speaking of, how's the tracking going?"

Monsoon nodded. "It's going well. In fact, we've made some breakthroughs." Monsoon pulled out a file and laid it against Armstrong. He opened a page on the file and pointed a particular line amongst many lines. "This is the frequency that we're pinpointing. It may look unassuming at first, but that's what makes it so special. It's faint, yet strong. No one would expect that this frequency is that of a Metal Gear RAY's location transmitter. It's a special stealth-based model of RAY, created based on the original unmanned-type schematics by the Neo-U.S. Navy. Modified and produced by Neo-China's military force, it was hacked and hastily deployed in the Big Shell Incident by the Patriots. Its stealth capabilities were so good that the Patriots missed it when they went for clean up post-op, lost amongst the many RAYs deployed in the final hours of the Incident."

"As a result," Monsoon continued "When it went down under during the Big Shell Incident, it was left to its own devices. As the years went by, it slowly moved away, carried by ocean currents. That was until it the signal went dead a few years ago. Its movement also came to a sudden halt not long before. We're scouring through records as fast as we can, both before and after the Fall of the Patriots. With progress, we should be able to pinpoint where exactly it stopped, and if it was indeed Remnant."

"And so you think it stopped because it reached Remnant." Armstrong concluded. "Fine then. What about progress on the transportation?" Armstrong asked. "We can't go there without something to take us, after all."

"It is about 50 percent done. Our top engineers are working around the clock, designing a plane that can take us there based on what we know on the Grimm from the black box we collected before, and reinforcing it even more than those estimations." Monsoon responded.

"Hmm. And Jaune still doesn't know, right?"

"Not one bit."

"Good." Armstrong nodded. "Keep it that way. Can't have him up on our ass. No matter how much info a native can bring, if he learns we can take him home, then we can kiss his position goodbye."

"Agreed."

A Few Days Later…

N'mani looked out of his limo, gazing at his people. His eyes held wonder. "Three years… We've gone so far in three short years." He turned to his primary bodyguard. "Credit where credit is due, my friend. Your team has certainly done well," He held back a small snicker. "Mr. Lighting Bolt."

'Lighting Bolt' let out a small smile. He took off his glasses, uncovering a pair of grey eyes. He sported long, grey hair with bangs that slightly covered his eyes. He wore a black suit with a white undershirt and a yellow tie. "Just doing our job, Mr. Prime Minister."

N'mani nodded. "I must admit, I once thought of your groups as opportunists. Enablers of war, shall we say." Just then, they passed several military men from their local ground defence unit. "But you've trained our new Army well. Order has returned sooner than expected." N'mani hummed in thought. "Perhaps I was wrong with these 'private military companies'…"

'Mr. Lighting Bolt' decided to correct his client. "We prefer 'private security provider', sir. Most of Maverick's contracts do focus on security."

N'mani chuckled. "Yes, well…" he gazed out the limo's window again. "Security can mean many things…"

"There's a saying I like." 'Mr. Lighting Bolt' put his glasses back on. His hands rested on a briefcase located under his feet. "One sword keeps the other in its sheath. Sometimes the threat of violence is a deterrent. Sometimes, taking a life is necessary."

N'mani nodded along. "Befitting of a soldier. It is good to think of why we fight, lest we forget…"

Suddenly, their car stopped. The security vehicle in front of them had halted in it tracks, forcing the entire convoy to stop. 'Mr. Lighting Bolt' turned to the driver seat "What's going on?"

His colleague, Courtney, looked out the shotgun's window. She looked slightly troubled. "Someone's blocked the road."

Several moments later, they heard several gunshots fire, and then a sudden cease. All of their bodies tensed as the security vehicles and personnel around them rushed forward, covering the limo. They heard sounds of battle raging from outside. They didn't hope that something like this would happen, but there's no doubt about it now. 'Mr. Lightning Bolt' growled. "We're being attacked."

Courtney quickly signalled to the driver. "Leopard One! U-Turn! Turning back!" The driver did as he was told and the car turned a full one-hundred-and-eighty degrees. The driver punched the gas, the car skidding forward as they quickly left the scene behind.

"Courtney, got any ID's?" Raiden asked. His grip on his briefcase tightened.

Courtney furiously tapped on her tablet. "XIFF comes up unaffiliated!"

Raiden growled. 'Ah, shit.'

Courtney's tablet was immediately called by their boss, the owner of Maverick, Boris. "What is going on?!" he shouted. "Has something happened?!"

"We're being attacked!" Courtney responded. "Unknown assail-!" She was interrupted when several trailers carrying roadblocks blocked their route. They tried to reverse into another road, however, that too was blocked. "He's got friends! On our twelve!"

Boris didn't waste any time. "I'll notify the other checkpoints! Get N'mani out of there!"

Their driver drove fast, carrying them through various shortcuts. Eventually, they ended up in an alleyway. The driver tried desperately to take them through as fast he can, but just as they reached the end, their road was blocked by even more assailants 'Mr. Lightning Bolt' noted that they wore military-like fatigues and carried High-Frequency Machetes.

"Raiden!" Boris shouted from the tablet. "Protect N'mani!"

'Mr. Lightning Bolt', now 'Raiden' nodded his head. "I'm on it. Guard the Prime Minister." He carried his briefcase and exited the limo with a stomp. The limo turned around, leaving Raiden alone with his enemies.

Lifting his briefcase, Raiden scowled. He let the briefcase open and a sword dropped out, electricity crackling around it. He gripped it with his hands as he unsheathed it. As the sword let out its micro-vibrations, Raiden put the sheath at his hip. He slashed at the wall next to him. The wall crumbled, metal shipment crates falling behind him to block his opponents from following his colleagues.

Raiden adjusted his footing and entered his stance. A Solid Eye visor popped out and covered his left eye. Just like his mentor.

Raiden let electricity cackle around his sword. "Let's get this over with."

Raiden rushed at the first opponent and slashed, cutting him cleanly in the chest. As the second opponent rushed at him, thrusting with his machete, Raiden dodged by turning his body to the left. The machete flew past Raiden's back. Raiden drew his knife and spun, both his sword and his knife cutting the second opponent apart. He noticed another opponent aim his rifle at him. Raiden quickly readied his sword and parried the shots, redirecting them to hit walls on the street around them. Raiden kept deflecting the shots as he ran at the rifleman. Once he was close enough, Raiden slid, his foot attacking the rifleman. As the rifleman tripped, Raiden quickly attached his sword to his other foot and swung down, cutting his cyborg opponent clean in half.

Raiden got up, flicking blood off of his blade. He raised his hand to his ear as his CODEC rang.

"Raiden." Boris spoke to him, "The limo is in trouble. I'll mark it on your Soliton Radar. Get back there ASAP!" Raiden nodded and ran, approaching the mark on his radar. He can't afford to lose any more time!

As he ran, he came upon the earlier blockade. Raiden grit his teeth as more of the attackers appeared. Raiden rushed at them with all his speed. He didn't let them get a single attack start. He killed them faster than they could react. Coming up upon the large steel blockade gate, Raiden slashed it apart with his HF Sword. He ran past it as its steel frame fell apart.

Raiden could finally see the limo, and his mind immediately shifted to worry. It was overturned, and the two guards assigned to guard the Prime Minister lay dead on the street. Raiden rushed to the limo as fast he can. "Prime Minister!"

As he came closer, he saw a man emerge from behind the overturned limo with his back against Raiden. He carried N'mani on his shoulders. He turned around and jumped up on the overturned car. He smirked as he saw Raiden stop to a halt, blade at the ready. "So…you're Jack."

Raiden didn't play into this assailant's game. "What do you want with the Prime Minister?!"

The man huffed. "Isn't it common courtesy to ask for a person's name?" He grinned. "The name's Sundowner. And for the Prime Minister, I want him…" He smirked "dead!"

Sundowner continued when Raiden didn't respond. "You see, Neo-Africa's just getting a bit too peaceful, and that's just bad for business."

"What?" Raiden uttered, shocked. "People risked their lives for this peace! We bled blood, sweat, and tears taking them down!"

"Heh, then how's an honest warmonger supposed to make a living, huh?" Sundowner retorted. "''A clean break from the war economy' they said… bullshit! Some of us liked that economy!"

"And this…" Raiden growled. "Is your answer?!"

Sundowner pulled out a giant sword, looking ready to behead N'mani. He chuckled all the while.

Raiden panicked. "Don't do it!"

Sundowner chuckled darkly. Instead of swinging the sword, he merely let it rest in his grip. "Don't worry now, I won't. Not while he's still…" Sundowner grinned. "useful…"

Raiden clenched his jaw. He prepared to attack Sundowner but was interrupted when Sundowner smirked. "So long…"

The crazed assailant swung his hands forward in some kind of signal and jumped, landing on a rooftop behind him. Raiden prepared to follow. However, something emerged from the ocean just then. It jumped and landed right in front of Raiden, its massive weight shattering the concrete beneath it. Its large frame covered the sun, casting a dark shadow over Raiden. The ninja could only look up in determination as the thing moved its two legs slightly, its tail swishing behind it. It looked down at Raiden, its yellow eyes registering its enemy. Its rocket silos popped open, ready to fire at Raiden.

Raiden gripped his sword hard. He clenched his jaw. Time to fight a Metal Gear RAY.

Jaune swiped at the soldiers with a smirk on his face. As usual, they couldn't fight back against him. Well, there were some of those that tried attacking him with a sword, but Jaune wouldn't call it that. They weren't really attacking, more like flailing around angrily.

Jaune sliced another cyborg as he approached him. Red blood splattered to the ground. 'Well, at least these guys are the more modern types of cyborgs. White blood's went out of fashion ever since the Patriots fell.'

As Jaune deflected another bullet and killed the soldier that fired it, he received a CODEC transmission from Sundowner. "I've got N'mani, kid! Get to train as soon as you can!"

Jaune rolled his eyes at the childlike enthusiasm creeping in on Sundowner's tone. The swordsman made a show of twirling HF Murasama and sheathing it. He opened his arms mockingly at the soldiers rushing at him from all sides. "It's been a pleasure, everyone, but I have to go. See you!" Jaune jumped high, landing on the wall near the streets. He jumped to another wall and kept doing so, eventually losing sight of his opponents.

A few minutes later, Jaune happened across a train track. Just as his intel told him, a train passed by not long after. He jumped on top of its cargo, landing on the metal surface with a thud. He got up from his landing position and sat up on top of a box, patiently waiting for Sundowner to arrive.

Not long after, the crazed Alabaman man arrived, Prime Minister slung over his shoulder. Jaune looked on as Sundowner tied the man up with chains. "Honestly, what's even the point?" Jaune asked his comrade. "We're gonna take him back to base, aren't we?"

Sundowner chuckled. "Not quite, Jaune."

The blond sighed. He didn't want to deal with Sundowner's craziness right now. "Well, whatever cuts your jib, I guess."

"Prime Minister!" Jaune heard another voice approach them. He lazily turned his head to the voice. A blond cyborg with a sword approached them. Jaune raised an eyebrow at Sundowner, as if saying 'you managed to get followed?'

Jaune refocused his attention to the newcomer. 'Either Sundowner's just playing…' Jaune thought to himself. 'Or this guy's got some skills.' He noted the sword his fellow blond carried. 'Looks like it's seen its fair share of battles…so the latter, huh? Interesting…'

"Hah!" Sundowner scoffed as he turned to their new arrival. "Too little too late, hero! I won't be needing my shield any longer!"

Sundowner cut off the chains holding N'mani up. As the madman grabbed N'mani by the throat, Jaune noted how the mystery blond tensed. As he rushed to save the Prime Minister, Jaune intercepted him and swung his sword down. The other blond dodged nimbly, backflipping a good distance away. 'Huh, like a ninja, blond hair…' He smirked, remembering the mission briefing. 'So this is Raiden.'

Raiden and Sundowner began conversing with each other, Jaune standing between the two of them. As they talked away, Jaune zoned out. Sundowner was giving one of his infamous speeches about war, and Jaune wasn't going to hear another second of it.

Jaune snapped back to attention just as Sundowner thrust his sword straight through the Prime Minister's chest. Blood splattered around them, and Sundowner shifted his sword to the side, letting N'mani's body fall to the rocks beside them.

Raiden was driven to rage at the murder. He yelled and rushed at Sundowner, but Jaune wasn't having any of that. He swung HF Murasama again on Raiden. Raiden, to his credit, managed to block the blow well, though he skidded back from the blow. He glared hatefully at Jaune.

"He's all yours, Jaune!" Jaune heard Sundowner call down from behind him. A chopper descended for him, the Alabaman man hooking himself up to their escort chopper. The chopper flew up as the train approached a tunnel, leaving Jaune and Raiden to fight it out on their own.

Jaune adjusted his grip on HF Murasama and levelled it in a dual-grip, its sharp edge pointing in front of him and ready for battle. He tilted his head, smirk in place. "Let's go."

Raiden took a deep breath and brought his sword behind him, a low grip as a Solid Eye visor popped into his left eye. They entered the tunnel, the closed off space casting a dark shadow upon them. They slowly inched closer, the glow from their blades clear as if nothing was blocking the light. They both readied their stances well.

With a cry, the blond ninja dashed at Jaune, swinging his HF Sword in an upwards slash. Jaune parried it cleanly, retaliating with an overhead swing. Raiden riposted Jaune's strike, delivering a spinning upwards slash. Jaune sidestepped, leaving slight afterimages in Raiden's vision. He slipped behind Raiden and thrust HF Murasama forward. Raiden managed to block it just in time, though he flinched and staggered back from the sheer force of the blow.

Jaune smirked as he saw Raiden reaffirm his stance after that attack. The ninja attached his sword to his right foot and kicked with it, extending his sword's reach. Jaune dodged back, just in time as Raiden flipped his sword to his left feet and kick-slashed with it. Then, Raiden flipped the sword back to his hand and did three consecutive full-body slashes, of which Jaune dodged but the last one. Jaune let the last one swipe cleanly across his chest, though not deep enough to draw any blood whatsoever. Jaune laughed as he stepped back, taunting the ninja. Raiden growled and roared, rushing at Jaune once again. The two clashed, their swords pushing against each other. Sparks flew from their colliding HF enhancements.

Jaune looked at Raiden's stance and posture intently. "Hmm, self-thought… and not half bad, really! But still…" He grinned as Raiden lifted his sword and flipped his body over him. Jaune knew that Raiden would pull something like this, and had already prepared to intercept it before. He swung with HF Murasama, his strike catching Raiden mid-flip. The ninja was flung to the tunnel ceiling. Raiden plunged his sword on the concrete, stopping his momentum, only for Jaune to chase him and strike him back down to the train with HF Murasama. Raiden rolled on the floor, slowly getting up.

Jaune stood before Raiden, posture relaxed. He let out a small chuckle. "I can't help but feel like you're holding something back…"

Raiden rushed at Jaune again, his HF Sword at the ready. He swung multiple times and used his acrobatic skills to the fullest. A jump slash, a sword kick, a flying strike. He struck Jaune from all the angles he could think of. None of them managed to get through Jaune's guard. He either blocked them all with ease or sidestepped with grace. He grinned as Raiden's attack started getting predictable. Finally, He blocked Raiden's power slash from his lower right, holding the block as Raiden attempted to push through his guard.

It was then that Jaune noticed something. Throughout this entire fight, Raiden didn't seem too forceful in engaging him. "Ah, now I see…" He smirked. "You're holding yourself back!"

Jaune noticed Raiden's shocked look and grinned. He suddenly pushed Raiden's sword away and rammed his hilt onto the ninja's face, disorienting his enemy. Jaune spun around, lifting HF Murasama as he did so. With the spin, he managed to increase the force of his next attack, breaking through Raiden's hasty parry and slicing a wound on his opponent's chest. With a final grip twist, he swung upwards on Raiden's face, cutting the Solid Eye visor and his left eye in the process. Raiden backflipped and landed on his feet, kneeling. He covered his left eye with his hand, all the while Jaune stood calmly with his sword lazily held by his right hand.

"Come on…" Jaune twirled HF Murasama around, a mocking tone evident in his voice. "Are you that queasy about killing? I thought that's what a soldier's supposed to do! "

"No." Raiden said. He gripped his sword tight and stood his ground, levelling his HF Sword straight at his enemy. He uncovered his left eye and curled his left hand into a fist. "My sword is a tool of justice."

Jaune groaned. Loudly. "Agh, you don't really believe that, do you? After all, it doesn't matter why you fight, your 'conviction'…" Jaune plunged his sword to the train cargo they were standing on, right on the cargo carrying some oil. "All that matters is that you win!"

With that, Jaune dragged his sword through the train and pulled it up as he reached Raiden. The ninja stepped back as the flaming HF Murasama sliced the air mere millimeters from where he was standing before. He hastily parried the next attacks, jumping back to regain some distance. He skid to a halt a few meters away and saw Jaune leaping at him, HF Murasama in a double overhead grip. The samurai swung down with force, Raiden meeting him head-on and barely managing to hold the block. Jaune yelled as he forcefully lifted Raiden's block, the ninja stepping back from the action.

With this, Jaune took the offensive. He swung from his right at head level, Raiden blocking the move just in time. Jaune repositioned his sword quickly and feinted a slash from his left. Desperate, Raiden bought the feint, only to be met by a punch from Jaune's right hand. Jaune swung again with HF Murasama in his left hand. Raiden managed to sidestep the attack, ending up behind Jaune. The ninja didn't get enough time to attack again as Jaune spun to his back with HF Murasama swinging, forcing Raiden to parry yet again. Jaune grinned as desperation leaked into Raiden's eye.

'And now…' Jaune thought as he unsheathed HF Murasama. He could see Raiden jump in as he sheathed his blade. Jaune's left hand traced his gunsheath as his vision slowed down, Raiden's sword coming down on him closer and closer. 'All that's left is…'

'There!'

Jaune pulled the trigger and let HF Murasama fly out of its sheath. He caught it mid-air and swung faster than the naked eye could see. It hit Raiden in his left hand, cutting the limb cleanly from the body. Red, red blood sprouted from the wound as Raiden flew back, his balance thrown off from the sudden attack. Jaune smirked at his work, red electricity crackling along his sword and across his mechanical right arm. Ah, what a classic move.

"Shit!" Raiden yelled. He didn't even bother looking at his arm. He used his HF Sword to stabilise himself. "Not again!"

Jaune put his sword over his shoulder, chuckling mockingly at Raiden. "Where's your 'conviction' now, hero?"

Raiden cried out, lunging at Jaune with his remaining arm gripping his sword tight. Jaune laughed as he easily dodged, kicking Raiden away. The ninja tumbled across the cargo and almost fell over the train, just barely keeping himself up. Jaune approached him, HF Murasama ready to cut.

"And this is why you don't use a tool in a swordfight." Jaune mocked. He slowly lifted his sword above his head. "It's over, Raiden."

However, just at that moment, light shone at the edge of Raiden's vision. Faster than he could register, the train exited the tunnel, just as Jaune was ready to swing his sword his sword down.

Jaune chuckled as they exited the tunnel. He held his sword in place, not striking down. He glanced to his left, where military vehicles were fast approaching them out of the tunnel."Heh, well good for you."

The military vehicles fired at Jaune, the blond smirking as he deflected them. With Jaune busy, Raiden was now free to lift himself up. He gazed at Jaune, and the samurai glanced back. For a moment, Jaune's eyes seemed sullen. The samurai's hand hovered over his other sword, what looked to be a bastard sword. Then, in a flash, that emotion was gone and his hand pulled back. Jaune noticed his earlier extraction arriving again and jumped up to catch the rope. The rope pulled him up, allowing Jaune to board the chopper in seconds.

In response, Maverick personnel fired rockets at the chopper. As the rockets came closer and closer, the chopper acted quickly and deployed flares. The rockets scrambled as a result, rendering the attack useless. With that momentary relief, the chopper went full throttle, escaping Maverick in seconds.

Raiden let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He clenched his fist and slammed it on the train.

Damn it! How could he have let them get away?!

For anyone who's familiar with the Yakuza timeline, I hope the Sera murder would be telling enough of the current state in that particular part of the world.

Review Responses!

To SplitsShot, yeah, Jaune will be wearing an exoskeleton suit. When I said nanomachines last chapter, I meant more of the MGS4-type. Enough for communications and, for Jaune, mechanical implants, but not like Armstrong where his skin is hardened and he gains superpowers. I'm sorry if I didn't make it clear!

To Skeletalrepublic, glad that you did!

To TheJSmooth, I do have the Jaune-and-Raiden-arrive-in-Remnant chapter written out, but we're gonna have to spend some time here first (MGRR's main story). Sorry.

To ShortyMcCoy, as I said in an earlier response, Jaune will be using an exoskeleton and all of that. As for the events in Remnant, well, can't give too much on that, sorry!

To TheNineNerdGhouls, I'm glad you liked it!

To Kabuto S. Inferno, I'm happy that you thought it was good, and that you're looking forward to the next one! As for the Blade Wolf stuff, well I already wrote above that it'll have to take 'till the next chapter. Sorry!

To Greer123, yeah, I guess it is? Thanks for reviewing!

With all of that said, thanks for reading! Don't forget to review!

See you next time!

Edit 20/01/2022 : I MADE A MAJOR ERROR! THE TANKER INCIDENT HAS BEEN PROPERLY REPLACED WITH THE BIG SHELL INCIDENT! SORRYYYYY