After her reveal of her past and reasons for being a singer, Sakura and Artorian both stayed at the canyon's observation deck for two hours, simply staring out to the canyon's stone before the sun went completely down. When the nigh had then began, the two made their way back to the nearest bus stop and boarded the next one that came.

As to avoid the chances of anyone seeing through the idol's disguise, the two sat at the back once more, a comfortable silence between them as they began the trip back to Sakura's venue for her to begin her rehearsals.

It wasn't until five minutes into the drive that Artorian would feel a weight shift onto his shoulder, getting him to turn. Sakura was leaning against him, her head resting on his shoulder. He was initially going to speak up, but paused when he saw the shallow breathing of the idol, realizing that she was sleeping.

'Showoff.' He thought to himself with a chuckle, lightly poking her forehead to test the level of exhaustion she had. When all he got was a silent groan, he decided to just relax and let the idol sleep. She had her rehearsals to prepare for and was even going to be using her Hundred, what's the harm inletting her sleep?

Although he couldn't join her, as his condition made sleeping the last thing he'd ever want to do, the Slayer would close his eyes and rest his head back. A nap wasn't possible, but he learned to synthesis the aspect of sleeping to give himself a better way to recover. It wasn't much, but it was the closest thing he could get to real sleep in years.

And with a beautiful young woman resting against him, he could certainly think of much worse positions to rest and recover some of his strength.

'To think such a fragile girl endured so much.' He'd think, releasing a deep sigh as he let his body relax. 'And I thought she was just a spoiled idol. Turns out she's got a will that's becoming rare to find these days.'

"Who would've thought…?" He'd mutter to himself.

Just as he was about to fully drop his guard, Artorian's instincts flared and his eyes flash gold for a second. Moving as fast as possible, he quickly wrapped himself around Sakura's sleeping form, managing to protect her as a violent explosion sent the bus into the air.

"Ahhhhhh!" Shortly after the explosion went off, the idol and most of the passengers began to scream in fear, Artorian's eyes wide in panic as the vehicle was split in the air by a beam of green energy.

'One of the Savage!' He realized being sure to keep Sakura safe as the bus crashed onto the ground on its side. The windows shattered and glass rained on the surviving passengers, a larger shard grazing Artorian's cheek and leaving a deep cut.

"Damn it… Sakura come, we need to get out of here!" Artorian said, looking down to the idol as he rolled off her and got up to his feet.

"Wh-What's going on!?" The idol panicked, the explosion and rattling from hitting the ground disorganizing her. She hadn't suffered any real damage, Artorian's body having taken the brunt of both the landing and the glass.

"Savage!" He simply answered, kneeling down to one of the passengers knocked over. "Come on, come idiots get up!" He'd say, helping one of them up while others would attempt to pile out of the open half of the bus.

After clearing the way he went back for Sakura, seeing that the idol was still struggling to grasp her bearings. Picking her up in a princess carry, he didn't hesitate to run out, feeling the heat radiate off the still melting metal of the bus' hull. Going behind it with the other survivors, he would gently place Sakura down, seeing the idol frozen in terror as she panicked, her breathing escalating rapidly.

"Sakura, Sakura!" He'd shout as quietly as he could, snapping his fingers and breaking the idol's locked stare. "Sakura, I need you to calm down. Deep breathes, breath." He'd try to calm her, placing his hands on her shoulders to comfort her. It wasn't until thirty seconds went by that she'd show signs of calming down, her breathing slowing as she looked up to him.

"Ar…Artorian?"

"Yeah, yeah it's me." He'd say, taking one last look to the idol before getting up. He'd go over to the back end of the bus, barely poking his head out to see what kind of Savage he was dealing with. Luckily it wasn't a Trenta like before, rather it was a normal type, no bigger than five meters. Which meant it would need a few minutes before it could fire another blast.

'Okay, I might be able to work with this.' He'd think, going to the far side of the bus, now sneaking a look to see the forward half of the bus completely upside-down. 'The middle was completely destroyed, and there's five survivors here minus Sakura and me. If they were lucky, perhaps another five survived in the front. As long as they don't alert the Savage, they'll be safe.'

"What are we going to do?" One of the survivors asked, the group showing signs of panic in the presence of the invader.

"You're all going to remain here for the time being." Artorian answered, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his PDA. The screen was shattered, a result from him taking the brunt of the explosion and crash for Sakura. However, it was still functional enough to operate, meaning they weren't dead in the water yet. "Call Claire Harvey."

"I.D. not recognized."

"Shit, call… the President?"

"I.D. not recognized."

"Ravel Phenex?"

"I.D. not recognized."

"…Boobs-for-Brains?"

"Calling Boobs-for-Brains."

.

.

.

"Um-"

"It was funny at the time, okay?" Artorian said, not wanting to turn and face Sakura at the question. "I swear I forgot that's what I put her as for a normal contact."

"Suuuuuuure." The idol would respond, although with a measuring stare.

"Artorian?" He'd let out a sigh of relief when Claire answered, the president sounding confused but fully aware. "Why are you calling? Did you return Kirishima back for her rehearsals?"

"Claire, there is a Savage on the Zwei Islands right now." Artorian would say, avoiding speaking too loud as he continued to watch it from behind the bus. The Savage was moving slowly to the two halves of the bus, however didn't appear to be focusing on either and likely assuming all humans died in the impact.

"A Savage!? Where are you, what's Kirishima's condition, what's the size and can you confirm any casualties?" Claire responded, instantly getting into business.

"We're a couple kilometers out of Eastland, on the road that heads for the Great Canyon. Sakura's okay, maybe just a bump or bruise but I made sure she didn't take the brunt of things. The Savage is at most five meters, a little smaller than that, so we won't have to worry about a Trenta. And I can't say for certain, but I estimate that at least ten people were killed by the Savage's first blast."

"Chris, track Artorian's PDA tracking chip and get us an exact location now!"

"Understood Claire."

"Artorian, me and the nearest Slayers will come as quickly as we can to back you up. Your primary objective is to escort everyone you can to safety. You have permission to use your Hundred, but only engage if you feel that you can stall it."

"Good, if I can fight back then-"

"Artorian, do not play the hero. Without a variable suit you won't be able to use your Hundred as effectively as you had before. Destroy the core if you have the opening, but only if you can say for certain that you won't be injured." Claire ordered, interrupting Artorian as he was reaching into his pocket for his variable stone. "You're Sakura's those civilians only chance at survival. If you die before reinforcements come, it will be a blood bath."

"…I understand." The boy looked down, knowing the president's words were accurate. He was the only person who had any chance at fighting a Savage, Sakura's Hundred had zero use for active combat aside from diversions. He knew direct action could solve the problem the quickest, but one slip up this time and he could be killed.

"I trust you to do the best you can, you're a gifted Slayer." Claire supported. "You have a promising future, stay alive and see through this fight to the end. I have to hang up, hold out for as long as you can."

"Understood." He said before hanging up, pulling his variable stone out and looking to Sakura and the civilians. "If you can move, get to the cliff behind us. The Savage shouldn't know you're there with our current cover and you can remain hidden until the other Slayers show up."

"What about you, you're not going to fight it will you?" One of the people asked.

"Fighting it is a bit of a risk." He responded. "For now my goal is to get to the other civilians in the front half of the bus that may still be alive. After that I'll keep it busy and stall for time. If I'm lucky, it'll treat me like food and attempt to grab me instead of just crushing me." It wasn't a great scenario, but if the Savage focused more on grabbing him to eat he would be able to dodge it better. If anything he could release all his energy at once to free himself from its mouth if it managed to get him.

"You can't go out there by yourself!" Sakura protested. "You don't have a variable suit, and there's no guarantee that it will even let you get close. It could fire a blast and you could be eviscerated in an instant!"

"Yeah, there's always a chance for that. But then again there's always a chance tripping can break your neck. If you focused on the negatives of a "what-if" you won't get anywhere." Tightening his hand around his variable stone, Artorian would grin as he stared to the Savage, seeing it draw closer. "I'd rather take a shot at this then give it the satisfaction of scaring me."

"Hundred On!" Dropping the stone, Artorian's Hundred would flash into reality, his greatshield forming over his right arm while a sword formed in his left. He noticed right away it was significantly lighter and weaker, no more than an average blade compared to his normal equipment. "Sakura, help the others get these people to safety, I'll divert it in the other direction for a short while."

"But it's too dangerous to fight it alone!"

"It's charging an attack!" One of the passengers shouted, getting the two's attention to see the Savage open it's mouth, energy building up as it prepared another attack.

"We don't have time to debate!" Artorian barked at Sakura, jumping up and landing on the top of the bus, focusing his energy into his shield. "Get moving!"

"No, I won't let you!" Sakura argued, reaching into her dress and pulling out her variable stone. "Hundred On!"

"Sakura what are you doing!" Artorian's demand was cut short as the Savage threw its mouth forward, a beam of energy speeding right for the Slayer. However just before it reached, Sakura would fly to right in front of him, holding her arms out with a determined stare. "Sakura!"

"Pause, focus, and release!" Sakura shouted to herself, her eyes turning bright gold as a visible vibration in the air went off, followed by a transparent barrier forming in a wide area the moment before the energy reached them. The moment the beam struck the barrier, Artorian was shocked to see it only push for a few seconds before fading away, completely eaten up by the idol's defenses.

"An N-Barrier? But… I thought you couldn't-"

"Charlotte taught me how to use one shortly after giving me my Hundred." Sakura explained, looking back to him with her eyes still glowing. "I can only activate it with my virus, so I won't be able to use it too many more times."

"Maybe, but that was too dangerous. You're safety is the priority here, you can't go throwing your life at risk like that!" He responded, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her behind him. "Go to the others, use your barrier to keep them from getting hurt."

"I'm not going to leave you!"

"I'm not telling you to." Artorian spoke, gripping his sword as he looked back to her. "Sakura, you said you chose to be an idol to give people hope, to help them in ways no one else could. Well I'm asking you to cast aside that unique approach for a basic one." Holding his arm to the side, Artorian would point to the front half of the bus.

"There may be survivors in there, and they need help more than I do." He would then turn his attention back to the Savage, seeing it prepare another blast. "Go to them, get them back with the others and make sure they're safe. Do that, then you can assist me with diversions."

"But… but if we work together right away we can protect everyone. The quicker we eliminate the Savage the sooner we can-"

"It's not about beating it." He would say. "It's about keeping you the way you are. I don't care about saving everyone; in fact I'd normally willingly use them as bait or divert the Savage's focus. I did it as a kid to guarantee Karen made it to safety. But you aren't like me; you care for everyone and want to help as many as you can. So stay true to yourself, help them before you help me."

"Artorian…" Sakura struggled to argue against the boy, finding herself caught in a difficult ultimatum. On one hand, she didn't want the boy to fight against the Savage by himself. Without his variable suit his power was but a fraction of when he fought against the Trenta, even with a regular Savage the chances of surviving for more than a few minutes were slim. But on the other hand, she couldn't abandon the people potentially stuck in the bus still, not when a single stray blast could wipe them all out.

Taking one last look at the Slayer, Sakura saw that he was not even flinching in his stance, keeping his shield in front of him with energy coursing around it. His energy levels were likely not enough to handle a Savage, even with his Variant capabilities. But as a Slayer, he still had a higher chance of survival than the others, which unfortunately shifted her views away.

"Don't get hurt. Promise me you'll last long enough for me to help." Sakura spoke as she took off, flying over to the separated bus in a trail of glittered energy.

"Your wish is my command, humble idol." Artorian smirked as he planted his feet, pushing into the bus' metal as the Savage fully charged its energy, firing another blast right at him. Seeing the angle of the blast, the hybrid would lunge out to the side, narrowly avoiding the blast and allowing it to fly harmlessly into the air before jumping off, landing on the dirt in front of the destroyed vehicle.

"Alright you giant alien crab, come get me!" He'd shout as he ran forward, rushing the Savage to draw its attention away from Sakura and the others. As initially expected, the alien would attempt to slam its claw down to crush him, the Slayer narrowly avoiding the attack and swinging his sword at its leg.

Although with no energy infused in it, little more happened then sparks forming as his arm jerked back. Breaking through the Savage's armor was a challenge but still doable with his variable suit, without it he might as well be kicking it in hopes of getting a reaction.

Jumping to the side, he would once again avoid the beast's limbs as it tried to squash him. The landing was rough, but he was quick to roll over his shoulders and onto his feet, his stance remaining firm as he stared the Savage down. As the monster turned towards him, Artorian would take a solid look to its head, seeing the armor that was defending the core.

'Even weakened, breaking that will be trouble enough. Not counting the fact I have to smash the core in the same move.' He'd think, watching as the Savage finished shuffling around to face him, letting off a loud hiss as it stared to him. 'Looks like I'll have to borrow one of your techniques Bastard. Guess I'll see if it's as much of a Savage killer as you always said.'

Rushing forward, Artorian would watch carefully at the Savage's limbs as it raised both, predicting the right claw to crash down followed by the second. Dodging to the opposite side when they came, he swung up with all his force, just managing to move its abdomen.

The Slayer would click his tongue, staring closely at the armored hide before rolling underneath the beast's legs, avoiding the dragging claws attempt to strike him. When he was at his feet he struck up again, hitting fiercely as the Savage continued to easily tank each blow.

'Damn it, how did he ever see it?' Artorian would question as he ran out from under the Savage, turning quickly and holding his shield arm defensively as the Savage turned and swung, the edge of its pincer striking the shield and causing him to skid several feet back.

His arm shook in shock, the blow causing his arm to feel numb like it had taken a cinderblock without any preparation. 'Damn it, the one time I want to wear that stupid spandex suit.' He'd think as the Savage shuffled again to face him, it's eyes narrowing as it looked to him.

'This stupid Hundred isn't effective enough.' He'd think, pouring more of his energy into his shield to increase his defenses. 'If I didn't forget my father's sword, I'd be able to get the damn move down no problem! But I can barely see any of the subtle movements Bastard said to look for.'

He'd then watch as the Savage opened its mouth, appearing to prep its canon for another blast. But before it would finish, the organic weapon would mutate, transforming into a minigun variation.

'Shit!' Keeping his shield up, Artorian would be barraged by a storm of small bullet like projectiles from the Savage, several getting past his defenses and hitting across his body. The Savage's quick mutation had caught him off guard, but after suffering a few of the shots he would find a split second opening in the pattern, lunging out of the flurry of bullets and back into the open.

He winced at the wounds he suffered, small burns forming underneath his clothes while several pieces of the fabric were burned off, a solid chunk of the left of his shawl destroyed and exposing his arm.

"Oh now you done it bastard." Artorian would growl, narrowing his eyes to the beast as his grip tightened on his sword. Rushing forward, he'd move at an angle as to avoid the Savage's attempt at spraying him with energy. Due to the mutation the Savage was able to fire more freely, however it came at the sacrifice of accuracy and power.

Swinging at its legs once again, Artorian would feel his arm recoil from the blow, but saw the leg slightly move as a result from the force. He was getting close to the proper form, but he had yet to find what he was looking from the Savage's reactions. But before he could consider any alternatives, the creature swung at him again, knocking him rolling across the rocky ground before he slid back on a single knee.

'Damn, I felt that one a lot more.' He'd wince, feeling his right arm slowly giving in to the two blows it had blocked. Even with the energy enhancing his protection, it was clear the Savage would outmatch him quickly. Waiting for reinforcements would only get himself killed, leaving him with no other option than to try and go for the kill.

"I need to get to the core, but I can't focus on the technique if it follows my movements for the whole time." He'd say to himself, standing back up and gripping his sword with both hands. Defense would be pointless, as getting hit would just continue to push him back, preventing a solid blow to the core. And as his shield moved to his back, the energy would transfer from it to his blade, the blade glowing with a faint trail of blue.

'One hit, it's all I'll need.' He thought to himself, holding his sword in front of him with a relaxed stance, keeping his eyes narrowed as the Savage looked to him. It was now seeing him as a plaything, daring him to make a move in response to his attempt at fighting back. 'Focused on me… I need an opening.'

"Deploy decoys!" Hearing the idol's voice, Artorian was surprised by the appearance of several random animals surrounding the Savage. However soon recalling the abilities of her Hundred, he'd shake the hesitation away and ran straight for the Savage, which was now distracted striking at the different decoys created.

When he was close enough, the Savage would realize his position and raise a claw up, but it was too late as Artorian bent his knees and jumped high into the air, avoiding both the attack and clearing the height with shocking agility. Glaring with heated rage, the Slayer looked down to it as he went down, bringing his blade right to the barrier and striking with enough force to stun the beast, the armor for the core still intact.

However, this time Artorian grinned as his eyes narrowed in on the exact point he had struck it, catching the faint vibrations of the plating. "From you to me, go fuck yourself space crab!" He'd scram, timing his next swing down with the moment the vibrations went up.

Striking with all his force, Artorian's timed attack crushed right through the Savage's armor and smashed into the core. The fluorescent fluids spilled out of the best as the core shattered, a single drop landing on Artorian's face as he landed on the ground in front of the beast.

'Guess it is better than a neat rock trick. Thanks for the lesson, Bastard.' Artorian would grin as he wiped the drop off his cheek.

"Hooray!" hearing the idol cheer, Artorian turned around in time for Sakura to jump at him, wrapping her arms around his neck for a hug and getting him to spin. Making sure she didn't fall, the hybrid placed a hand on her back, somewhat returning the embrace before stopping and putting her down, the idol then clinging to his arm with a happy smile. "A clean kill, just as expected from my future husband."

"Wow you're still on that." He muttered to himself, chuckling as he shook his head. "Sorry there Sakura, but my criteria for marriage is a bit higher than 24 hours of knowing each other."

"Hey I said future, not current." She'd say, relaxing as she hugged his arm. "There's time for that later."

"We'll see." He responded, although taking a recovering breath, having put a lot of energy into destroying the Savage's core. It had been a long day so far with his date with Emilia and guarding Sakura, destroying a Savage was the icing on the cake of a rather draining day.

However before he could relax, the Slayer felt the ground shake, getting them to turn to a nearby rock formation in time to see a second Savage appear from behind it.

"Second thought, celebrations come later." Artorian would say, picking up Sakura once more and bolting it across the open terrain. Looking behind his shoulder, he'd see that this Savage was larger than the previous, still not close to a Trenta but still an imposing threat.

'I won't be able to make that jump and use Bastard's technique with that size.' He'd think, seeing the Savage charge a blast and turn while stopping.

"Sakura, barrier!"

"R-Right!" The idol would respond, trusting Artorian to keep a hold of her while holding both her hands, forming an N-Barrier in time with the Savage's attack. The attack lasted longer than the last Savage's, but was still dispersed into nothing after battling Sakura's barrier.

"I'm really glad you can use an N-barrier, you know that?" He'd say, sighing in relief as he looked down to the idol. He then appeared concerned as he saw Sakura panting lightly, the girl dropping back and now being completely held up by his arms. "Sakura!?"

"That was my… fourth barrier…" She panted, exhaustion clear in her voice. "Several shots almost… hit the bus… and I used too much energy in that last one…" She then looked over to Artorian, appearing regretful over her state. "I'm sorry… Artorian."

"Hey, it's okay. You did good Pinky." Artorian would say, running back to the nearest rocks to rest her against. "Take it easy for a few minutes, with any luck reinforcements should be here soon." He then stood up to his full height, turning to the Savage to see in shock that it was already charging another blast.

'Shit, it pre-charged!?' Savage were known to do this, usually when aware of another, weaker one being present to divert attention away from it to create a stronger set of attacks than the regular charges did. It would explain how it drained most of Sakura's remaining energy, as well as creating a second attack so quickly.

But just before the blast would be fired off, an explosion of lighting went off on the top of the Savage's head, causing it to look up and fire the beam harmlessly into the sky.

"You're sloppy Artorian." Matthew would say from the top of the ridgeline the civilians were hiding behind, his Hundred active with his trident aimed at the Savage. "Sloppy, but you held out long enough, leave the heavy lifting to us."

"Us?"

"Time to take this thing down a few notches!" Retia shouted with a wide grin, jumping past Matthew and landing on even ground with the Abysswalker. Her Hundred was active as well, however much like Artorian hers was in a more basic state, not as detailed as her normal form but still broadcasting more than enough energy.

"If I can destroy the core, then I'm a full-fledged Slayer!" Retia would say to herself, narrowing her yes in determination as she ran at high speeds right at the Savage. Seeing it rear one of its claws back, Retia would course her energy into her right fist, surprising Artorian.

"Wait, she can use her energy? I thought we couldn't have full access without a variable suit?"

"She's just better than you in that regard." Matthew would say, firing another blast of lightning to stun the Savage as it struck down at Retia.

Seeing this coming, Retia struck the ground with all her strength, a shockwave shortly following. The reaction went straight for the Savage's legs, reverberating off the limbs and shooting back out of the air, damaging the beast's left claw and leaving it useless.

'Oh she is definitely teaching me that.'

"Thank you for the opening Retia!" The Savage was then further crippled as Emilia flew down from the sky, her Arms Shroud active with a massive-scissors like Hundred, slicing the right claw off as if it was butter. Unlike in her date with Artorian, the girl was back in her male disguise, her hair tied back and her uniform on to prevent any notice of her feminine features.

"Good work you two." Artorian spoke as he charged energy into his sword, lowering his stance as he stared at the Savage's guarded core. "Matthew, get me an opening on the core, I'll destroy it in the next hit."

"Don't miss." Matthew said as he impaled his trident into the ground, raising his right hand into the air instead as lightning danced around his arm. In a second a spear of lightning formed in his palm, and in a single throw it closed the gap in an instant. The power behind it was more than enough to break apart the armor, the Savage even lowering due to the amount of force it was hit by.

Now seeing his opening, the hybrid ran forward with intent, his eyes narrowing in determination as he cleared the distance. Planting his feet down, Artorian would jump high once more, just clearing the gap between him and the core as he brought his sword up.

But just as he was about to swing down, the Slayer saw in shock as the damaged left claw suddenly shot up, striking him without resistance and sending him crashing back. Landing on his side, Artorian rolled for what felt like a full minute before his back hit a boulder, the force from both impacts causing him to cough out blood.

"Artorian!" Emilia shouted in concern as she saw the Lord crash, both her and Retia forced to retreat when the Savage attempted to swipe at them.

"Damn it, a Regenerator." Matthew clicked his teeth, the Slayers all watching as th Savage's damaged claw was now perfectly healed, not even a dent left from Retia's attack. Not only that, but shortly after hundreds of silk-like tendrils shot out and reformed the claw Emilia cut off, demonstrating the effectiveness of its healing factor.

"Artorian, are you okay!?" Emilia asked as she glided back to where he was, kneeling next to him and checking his injuries. "How bad is it?"

"I'm gonna have two hellish bruises, that's for sure." He groaned, blood dripping down from the corners of his lips. From the sound of his voice he was in serious pain, but despite that he was fighting against it and stood up to his feet, wiping the blood off his mouth with his forearm. "Nothing I can't recover from, don't worry about me Emile."

"…Okay." Emilia nodded, trusting Artorian to know his limits and turning back to face the Savage. "With a Regenerator on the field, it looks like we're going to have to finish this fight quickly."

"Any ideas?" Artorian asked, cracking his neck to get the pain out.

"Retia, Matthew; can you two get me an opening on its limbs? A good punch to its central abdomen and a lighting blast to its head is all I'll need." Emilia asked, pressing a finger against her earpiece that Artorian just noticed. "Once I get close I'll cut the limbs off, then Artorian can strike the opening we made."

"You got it Emile!" Retia responded with a grin, getting into a readied stance as energy coursed into all of her limbs. "I'll deck this thing with all I can!"

"I'll create your opening, just make sure he has the clearing to hit the core." Matthew nodded, summoning another lightning spear in preparation for the move.

"Look at you, being a team leader coming up with a plan." Artorian smirked, swinging his sword to the side and getting into his stance. "About time I'd say we took this thing to the scrapyard."

"I won't let you down." Emilia spoke as she glared at the Savage, gripping her scissors Hundred tightly as energy slowly escaped from her petals. "On my mark…" The whole wasteland became dead silent as the four Slayers shifted into position, weakened in comparison but not lacking in spirit in face of the Savage.

"Go!" Upon Emilia's order, the Slayers all went into action, Retia taking off at high speeds and striking the Savage in its center with everything she had, causing it to stumble back. Shortly after, Matthew threw his spear of lightning and hit its head, reopening the healing damage over its core and further stunning it.

The Savage wasn't even able to finish stumbling back as Emilia flew right to it and cut both limbs off with extreme accuracy, not even blinking as she stopped herself and turned back to face it. "Now, rush the core Artorian!"

"On it!" He responded, running directly for the Savage before jumping up, with the Savage lower than before thanks to the damage it had taken. He was in the perfect position to take it out, energy flowing freely into his blade with the core wide open. One solid swing would be all he needed to destroy both the core and the Savage it powered.

"Well lookie what we have here?" In the instant before he would begin to swing down, Artorian was intercepted by Krovanh, the Hunter jumping off the Savage and swinging up with a massive twin-bladed sword. "Not only a Savage, but four Hundreds all ripe for the taking!" With the assistance of his variable suit, Krovanh was more than capable of overpowering Artorian, coursing energy across his entire body and knocking the Slayer back onto the ground with a heavy crash.

Krovanh continued his assault however, as the moment Artorian hit the ground he followed and struck his gut with his right fist, causing cracks to form in the ground and the hybrid to cough both spit and blood. Following it with a swift kick, the Hunter knocked Artorian across the entire distance back towards Sakura, the idol staring in shock and fear as he skidded to a stop on his back.

"No!' She shouted as she got up, fighting against her exhaustion to run to him. Due to her fatigue, she was only able to help his sit up, her worry growing as he had more blood escaping his lips. "Please be okay, can you hear me!?"

"Damn, I wasn't knocked out." Artorian winced; both from the pain in his gut and from Sakura's scream. "Don't worry Sakura, I'm still kicking." He'd reassure, placing a hand over hers as he attempted to better get his bearings.

As he looked up though, both him and Sakura were faced with another Hunter. Nesat stared down at the two, completely expressionless as her focus seemed more directly on Artorian rather than the idol. Regardless, he fought against his pain and put himself in front of Sakura to protect her.

"…Hundred On." Artorian flinched as Nesat's eyepatch opened on its own, revealing a golden eye with a slit pupil. The vibrant glow of the eye expanded and in a flash, a sword matching the details of Artorian's formed in her hand, equipping her with the blade.

However, rather than attack the two the girl would turn back to face the Savage, the creature's left limb regenerating. Then with high speed, she rushed right for the beast, half the Slayers barely following her movements before she was right in front of it. The Savage would attempt to strike her, but without even blinking she dodged and jumped high.

Her eyes were set right on the core, and as she focused her golden energy to push her down, she struck the regenerating armor and completely shattered it, the edge of her blade digging into the core. It had not gone through all the way, however with her feet now on the Savage's hull Nesat would shift the sword and place the tip of it into the cut she made.

"…Limit Out." With the single phrase, the glow of her right eye intensified further, and a golden aura of her energy formed around her. And in the next instant she impaled down through the core, the fluorescent liquids shooting up as the Savage collapsed to the ground.

"Who the hell are you…?" Artorian questioned with a groan, attempting to stand up as he stared the girl down.

Nesat would only give him a single glance before turning her attention back to the core. Her eye was still glowing bright, and as she would pull her sword out it was expected she would turn her attention elsewhere. However that was proven wrong as she jabbed the blade back into the edge of the core, more fluids escaping with drops landing on her.

She would then stab it again and again and again, each impalement causing more of the fluids to land on her, each drop glowing bright as she carved the core of the Savage out.

"Wh-what is she doing…?" Sakura muttered in fear, trembling at the sight of the Hunter's actions.

"I don't know… but I have a bad feeling about it." Artorian answered, his stare focused on the girl's right eye. He knew right away that it was the same eye Variants have when they use their powers, which made him certain she was one as well. And in the split second Krovanh had struck him, he saw the same pair of eyes, meaning there were two enemy Variants on the field now.

"Hey, stop it before you hurt yourself!" retia called out. "If you get too much of those fluids on you, you'll be infected and go crazy from the virus!"

Nesat paused her repetitive stabbing to look over top Retia, unconcerned and even expecting of the result. As she demonstrated her apathy by licking some of the Savage fluid off of her hand.

"I said stop!" Retia didn't know anything about the Hunters before her, and even then they had actively attacked one of her comrades without a moment's hesitation. But her instincts to prevent a virus attack kicked in and she'd attempt to run towards the girl to stop her.

"Hey, don't you dare disturb Nesat!" Before Retia could reach her though, the final of the three Hunters appeared, getting between the two with two ring weapons in hand. Retia was unable to dodge as she threw one, hitting her square in the chest and sending her back onto the ground.

"If you know what's good for you, you won't get in her way." Nakri said with a grin, revealing her teeth as she caught the ring when it came back.

"Why you, who do you think you are?" Retia questioned with a glare, coughing from the loss of air but managing to push herself back onto her feet.

"Wouldn't you want to know, Little Garden dog?"

"Oh I'll show you a-!"

"Retia don't!" Matthew shouted, the volume of his voice alone causing Retia to stop cold in her tracks. "She's goading you, she wants you to make the first move. Without your variable suit you won't be able to keep up with her."

"But I can't just-"

"You can and you will!"

"If you won't move, then I guess I'll just have my fun with you now!" Nakri grinned as she threw her rings, Reitia turning back in shock at the weapons approaching. Just before they'd hit though two small lightning shots collided with them, sending them back to the Hunter who caught them.

"Reitia won't be able to match you, but I didn't say I wouldn't." He said with a heated glare, jumping off the ridge onto the leveled ground. When his feet touched the ground, lightning and energy coursed around his body and he launched out at high speeds, surprising the Hunter as he was right in front of her in an instant. "There's more sources of power than energy in this world."

"Kuh!" Nakri would grunt, blocking Matthew's trident with her dual disks, jumping to the side to avoid his follow up attack. However, seeing his movements only caused Nakri's grin to widen, her eyes flashing gold as her energy appeared. "Good I was beginning to think every Slayer was no better than garbage on this stupid island!"

"What's the matter snow pile!? Having trouble keeping up!?" Krovanh would shout, slashing back and forth at Emilia as she was being pushed back, having replaced her scissors for dual-swords. However even then, the Hunter showed intense speed as she wasn't able to find a single opening, forced to back track constantly in the midst of his barrage.

"Just! Looking! For! An! Opening!" Emilia would grunt with each block, desperately trying to see through his next attack in order to counter him. But no matter what the Hunter just pressed on, not slowing for a second while swinging with deadly efficiency.

"If that's what you're looking for, I got news for ya punk!" He'd respond, hitting with a heavier swing and knocking Emilia's right sword out of her hand. "You won't find one!"

"Tch!" Ignoring the pain in her hand, Emilia would immediately transform the sword knocked away into a canon, surprising Krovanh with a blast to the chest. "You sure about that?" She'd smirk as she lunged forward, bringing her sword forward for an arced strike to his side.

The blade had struck his side, but due to the protective nature of his variable suit it did little more than cause him to stumble a few steps, easily corrected as he shifted his feet into the dirt. "That all?"

"Hardly." Emilia spoke as she held her right hand to the side, both the sword and canon vanishing and forming into a scythe. Gripping it with both hands, she'd look over to Sakura and Artorian, the latter still stunned from the blows he took from Krovanh.

'If I don't keep him distracted, he'll go right for Artorian.' She'd think, her eyes narrowing in determination as she shifted into a combative stance. 'I have to fight him with enough power to keep him from going after him.'

"Heh, you've got more spirit then the last few Slayers we took down." Returning the gesture, Krovanh gripped his sword with both hands, holding the blade diagonally as the green energy coming off it brightened his face. "I'll enjoy taking your Hundred off your wounded body."

Lunging towards each other, the two clashed with a flash of mixing energy. Emilia would shift her scythe across the flat of his blade, attempting to wrap her curved weapon around him and end the fight quickly. However as she pulled back the blade stopped when it connected with his back, the Hunter's grin widening as his eyes turned bright gold.

"Nice one, if not very predictable!" When his energy shot out of him into an aura, Emilia realized that the Hunter was a Variant as well, his speed increasing drastically as he slashed forward.

Emilia was able to block with her scythe's pole, however the impact had sent her skidding back onto a single knee several meters back. When she stopped herself, she instantly transformed her scythe into a greatshield, blocking Krovanh's downward swing aimed at her shoulder.

"Come on now, you just started fighting back and now you're going to hide behind a damn shield!?" The Hunter taunted as he swung again, each blow increasing in strength while the girl struggled to keep up, the ground slowly cracking around her as she put all her energy into her defense. "Is this all the dogs of Little Garden can do!? Turtle up and stand like a coward!?"

When Krovanh would bring his blade up for another attack in his seemingly endless barrage, it was knocked off course as Artorian's sword struck the back of it. The Hunter would look back, his eyes wide in anger as the hybrid had managed to raise himself to his feet, panting in pain as he glared in return.

"Back… the fuck off my friend." Artorian growled, planting his feet and shifting his shield back to his left arm.

"Artorian no, you're injured!" Sakura protested, blocking his way and holding her arms out. "You can't fight him, not when you've already taken too many hits!"

"I have to try Sakura!"

"Sakura huh?" Krovanh would mutter, his grin disappearing for a second before returning, his aura growing in size as he focused on the idol. "So not only do you have the Hundred we were after, but you're also our spiritual big sister then?" He'd then turn completely, his Hundred held to his side as he charged his power. "Now that's what I call a find!"

"Artorian, run-!" Emilia attempted to speak up, but was kicked away by Krovanh's enhanced strength, unable to block the impact and getting sent further back.

"Let's see if you're any stronger than us, big sister!" He laughed with twisted humor, lunging at high speed directly for the idol. As the Hunter pursued after Sakura, the idol could only stare in horror. His crazed grin and glowing eyes brought back terrifying images of when she was experimented on, of the frenzy so many of the kids would develop upon being injected. The memories flooding back in caused her to freeze, unable to even think of getting away from her attacker.

But before he reached her, she'd feel herself get pulled back sharply right off her feet. Artorian's shield would collide against the Krovanh's massive weapon. The silver metal only stood against the black blade for a second, shattering from the overwhelming energy. The Hunter's swing still went down, drawing blood and leaving a deep cut across the hybrid's arm.

Krovanh didn't even hesitate as he raised his sword over his head, preparing to finish the Slayer while Artorian extended his arms to his sides. The idol on the ground behind him saw the position he was in, he was extending his body out as much as possible. He wasn't preparing for the attack; he was acting as a shield for her.

'No, you can't Artorian…' She'd think, time seeming to slow to a crawl as she stared helplessly. The Slayer that had saved the Zwei Islands, the man who risked life and limb not only to protect her, but the past she treasured was staring in the eyes of a wild Variant out for blood. And all she was doing as watching, just like back then.

Just as when she saw kids tear each other apart.

As she saw her one friend in the hell of the facility kill herself because of the pain.

"Sing, Sakura."

"Please, don't ever stop."

"You're song was nice… thank you for singing it to Karen."

Her last thoughts went to the first and last time she saw Artorian before yesterday, tears forming in her eyes as she remembered the injured child pass out from exhaustion. The recollection of the injuries he had then as to now snapped something in Sakura, and a teal aura formed around her as her eyes turned golden.

"STOOOOOOOOOOOP!"

A piercing sound wave went through the entire area as Sakura screamed with all her might, the frequency matching that of a Savage's signal and being registered by all of the Slayers and Hunters. However among the ranks of the Hunters, both Krovanh and Nakri froze, their bodies suddenly locking up at the sound of Sakura's voice.

Both seeing the openings, Artorian and Matthew would swing forward with their free fists, striking the Hunters simultaneously. With their enhanced strength, the hybrids were able to provide more than enough strength to stun the Hunters and send them crashing back to the Regenerator's corpse. Two giant dents would form after they bounced off, the pain snapping them out of their daze and looking back to the two that struck them with heated rage.

"Why you bastards…!" Krovanh grinded his teeth, wiping the spit off his mouth from when he coughed at the blow to his stomach. "I'll make you all pay for hitting my cousin!"

"It's time to flee." Nesat would say, interrupting the two Hunters from continuing their battle and jumping to in between them. In both her hands were the Savage cores, fluids dripping out with her forearms completely stained in the glowing liquid.

"What, you're crazy!" Nakri would argue. "The rest are weal compared to us, we take the gold bastard down and the rest will be powerless to stop us!"

"…She's right." Krovanh would say, although reluctantly as he calmed his posture and stood straight. "The reinforcements from Little Garden will be here soon. We can handle all of these guys, but we shouldn't waste time when we have the two Savage cores already."

"I guess… you're right?' Nakri groaned in defeat, turning back to Matthew with a heated glare. "Next time I see you, I'm kicking both you and your girlfriend's asses!"

"I'm not his girlfriend!"

"She's not my girlfriend."

The two Slayers replied, Retia's much more heated with an accompanying blush while Matthew's was calmed and impassive.

"Let's get going, there's a large source of energy coming at high speed." Krovanh would say, holding his hand out to Nesat. "Sis, toss me one of the cores." The Hunter would simply nod as she threw the larger of two cores to her brother, his eyes glowing gold one last time as he stared at Artorian. "We'll settle this another time. And there I'll kill you."

"Good luck trying." Artorian responded, clutching the cut on his arm as he stared the Hunter down. "Next time you won't have the advantage of your variable suit."

"It won't matter." He'd say, turning away while swiping his blade to the side, the blood on it splattering onto the dirt. "Later, dogs of Little Garden!" And with that said, all three Hunters' auras ignited and they took off to the south, out of sight in a matter of seconds thanks to their speed.

"Damn… punks…!" Artorian grunted in pain as he fell to a knee, the blood from his cut trailing down to his hand and dripping into the soil.

"Artorian!" Emilia would shout as her Hundred disengaged, running to his side and sliding to a stop next to him. "How bad, let me see it!" She'd say, reaching into her uniform's pocket and pulling out a set of bandage wrapping. "This will help with the bleeding a bit."

"Thanks…" He winced as he removed his hand, allowing her to begin wrapping the bandaging tightly across his injury. Luckily Artorian's arm was held horizontally when Krovanh struck him, meaning the cut was much smaller than if it traveled the length of his entire arm.

"Are you okay Ms. Kirishima?" Matthew would ask as he approached the idol, holding his hand down to her as his Hundred deactivated.

"Y-Yeah… I'm fine…" Sakura responded, although she rejected the Slayer's offer to help as she stood on her own. She would look over to Emilia and Artorian, seeing the former help cover up the latter's wound suffered to protect her. "Artorian…"

"Hmm?" He'd hum, both him and Emilia looking back to her as the bandaging was finished being wrapped. "Something wrong Sakura?"

"I'm sorry… it's my fault you were hurt." She would apologize, looking down to the ground in shame to avoid staring at him. "I dragged you out of your personal affairs for my own selfish ones and… and you got hurt protecting me twice now because I wouldn't act in time and I-"

"Okay, I'm stopping you right there." He interrupted, closing his eyes as he sat onto the dirt, getting comfortable as the group waited for Claire and the rest of the reinforcements. "You didn't do shit that resulted in me getting hurt. You fell asleep; I chose to protect you when we crashed. A Savage began to attack; I chose to fight it head on to distract it. A crazed kid with a double-bladed sword rushed you with killer intent, I chose to protect you."

"But if I didn't take you out from the restaurant, then-"

"Then you would've gone to the Great Canyon alone, and this would've been a blood bath." He interrupted again, shaking his head before looking right up to the idol. "Did you interrupt my date with Emile? Yes, but I for one am glad with it if it meant I saved you." He then gave a small smile, the pain on his face fading as he did. "I am a Slayer, I signed on to help Karen and to kill Savage. But if I have to, I will defend the people I care about by punching, biting and kicking. That includes you."

"Artorian I…" The idol's tears would come back, although she'd wipe them away as she looked to him. "Thank you."

"Just keep singing Sakura."

"I will."

.

.

.

"W-Wait, did you say your date with him!?" As the tension in the area went away, the idol's mind suddenly realized the meaning behind Artorian's words. "Y-Y-You mean you w-were, you weren't with a girl but-!"

"Yep, he was with me, relaxing and having a great time." Emilia would say, smirking as she hugged Artorian's uninjured arm. "And if you would believe it, he asked ME out, just so you kn-gh!" Emilia was interrupted as Artorian elbowed her gut, not aiming to hurt her but to keep her from talking.

"You two are ruining the moment." He said with a deadpanned expression. "And by date I wasn't strictly saying anything romantic. Emile and I are not on a dating stand yet due to our limited time together."

"B-But you're still… wait was my advances-!"

"Were adequately enjoyed, and not ignored or thought of less." He responded, giving a subtle wink. "Ball park's an interesting one for me, so the returned fun was just as genuine if it were for Emile."

"Artorian…!" Emilia spoke, pinching Artorian's cheek and pulling it sharply. "And what exactly do you mean by "returned fun". Something I should know about?"

"Ow, damn it Emile let go!"

"Not until I get an answer."

"I don't gotta say shit, I know my rights."

"Your rights are invalid when I'm asking the question, especially after you ditched me."

"…I am very lost right now." Reitia said, unable to figure out the relationship between Artorian and Emile even after knowing them for a rough month now.

"Don't bother, just roll with it." Matthew responded, sighing as he rolled his shoulders.

"I see things have mostly cleared up here." The entire group all turned as they saw Claire fly down from the air, her variable suit on with her Hundred active with her canons floating around her. "I came ahead of Liddy and the others expecting the Savage to still be present, I wasn't aware how close Matthew and the others were."

"Eh, they came quick enough." Artorian said, shaking his head to free himself of Emilia's pinch. "Got changed pretty quick though, I swear I called less than ten minutes ago."

"My teammate and a VIP were both in danger, I came as quickly as I could." She responded, her expression softening as she saw his injuries. "Are you okay?"

"Eh, cut on my arm's the worst part. Nothing more than bruises and a few small burns." He waved her worries, patting dust off of his damage shawl.

"That's good to hear, I was afraid you'd suffer worse before I got here."

"I'm glad you're here too." He'd chuckle, grunting as he'd attempt to stand, planting back down after he did. "Hey can somebody help me? I used to much energy on the Savage and my last punch."

"Really?"

"Not all of us have a mountain of energy to rely on without a variable suit Claire. Bill me."

(A/N): Another chapter, another day being a tired Slayer. Keeping this note short but I enjoyed writing it and had a fun time getting this action sequence down. I hope you all enjoyed reading it and I'll see you next chapter. Peace!