"Just listen to Sakura and Karen, aren't they amazing?" Mei Mei cheered as she looked to the Hunters, the only one watching being Nesat.
"Yeah, sure whatever." Krovanh muttered off handedly, picking at his ear as a small ring was going off for him.
"Oh come on, even you can't deny they are excellent singers."
"Hate pop, so yes I can."
"Besides, how can anyone even hear that junk with all that random music?" Nakri winced, rubbing her ears in distain.
"You two are just being sour, I know deep down you love this chance to listen to one of Sakura's songs." The cyber-cat maid teased, pocking Nakri's cheek and pulling her finger away to avoid the girl's bite. "And Karen's doing amazing! How could you think different?"
"Don't see the big deal, just another girl on a ship." Krovanh scoffed.
"It's a very big deal, especially for Artorian." Mei Mei stated. "Karen's been sick for a long time, before she came to Little Garden she would've been dead by this point." The reveal surprised the two difficult Hunters, turning to face her as the song ended.
"Hold up, that Severance spiel was real? Not a fake role idols get!?" Nakri asked, the maid nodding in return.
"Of course, it's why Artoria n became a Slayer in the first place." She added.
"He joined for her? Why the hell would he do that?"
"Not everyone is a Slayer for personal gain. All Artorian had left in his life was Karen, and he'd give up everything for her." Mei Mei answered, standing up as she picked up the Hunters' plates. "You know, he isn't much different from you. All of you. You just have to stop looking at the differences you hate and it's there."
As the maid walked away the three Hunters all looked down in thought. Of them, Krovanh was the most refusing to think of comparing himself to a Slayer. A member of Warslran, the most powerful PMC acting on a need to protect someone was too far out of place. A Slayer that fought like he did couldn't possibly treasure a life like that. Not like the three of them did for each other.
"I won't let you or anyone else steal away her future!"
'Damn it, what the hell is he?' Krovanh grunted as he felt an intense migraine. The words of the Slayer ringed in his head, the determination in his eyes from their fight outweighing the natural enjoyment he was experiencing. There was something savage about him, twisted that he felt in the air around him even before he lost control against the Scorned.
And even with that thought, he couldn't understand why the hybrid's words rung genuine to his ears the more he thought back? 'He's a Slayer, the enemy! He believes in turning his back on the world! Who the hell can be just if he would watch injustices like what happened go unpunished!'
'How can he be that firm, even amidst such a painful dilemma?' Nesat had her own thoughts, trying to understand how Artorian's will was as strong as it was. Their fights with the Slayer produced not even a solid reaction from him, even winning the rampant nature of the Variant Virus would impact a novice such as himself.
'Does his concern for her really overpower the virus? Or is it something else?'
As she placed the plates onto the table, Mei Mei's eyes widened in surprise as she detected an increases in energy across the entire ship. The build up becoming critical before she turned and saw the cleaning drone in the room glow bright. The Hunters' necks tingled at the temperature increase in the room, turning to the drone before being flung off the couch.
"Get down!" The cyber-cat maid shouted, having flipped the couch to have it provide cover for the three kids before kicking the drone and crossed her arms to brace herself. A bright flash then went off and Mei Mei was flung against the wall violently, denting the metal before she fell to the charred ground in a daze.
"Nesat, Nakri, are you okay?" Krovanh coughed as he pushed himself up, the smoke from the explosion slowly getting vented out by the ship's automatic systems.
"We're fine Krovanh." Nakri answered for the two, the two taking a second longer to get up.
"What the hell was that explosion?"
"The cleaning drone was sabotaged." Mei Mei winced, the three Hunters turning and staring in shock at the dent she left on the wall. "The ship's under attack, communications from the center ops is down. We need to get somewhere safe."
"Attacked?" Nakri asked.
'Vitaly must have planned for this.' Krovanh thought, figuring the scientist was the most likely candidate to accomplish such a feat.
"We don't have much time; I'm detecting multiple concentrations of energy over the ship forming. It almost feels like… Savage…" Mei Mei looked up in shock at the idea, unable to believe that any could've made it past orbital sensors. When the cyber-cat maid was final to her feet, a few sparks went across the back of her head, getting another wince as she placed her hand over the source.
'That did more then I was expecting.' She thought, grateful she was the one who took the brunt of the explosion.
"Come with me, there's a bunker where VIPs are kept during an attack. It isn't far from here."
"Why the hell would you take us there? We're prisoners, not your guests." Krovanh questioned.
"Because you don't deserve to be left unprotected. Now hurry before something else-!" The cyber-cat maid froze in shock at detecting another, larger energy source from below, having passed the barrier and slammed into the hull. A red light then turned on as power was lost in the sector, a breach having torn into the vessel.
"Get away from the middle of the room!" She shouted, warning the trio who narrowly jumped as a black claw pierced through the floor. Metal plating was then torn apart as a large creature pulled itself up. Mei Mei looked in shock as the sight, a thin beast with pure black scales across its body. It's limbs were narrow but radiated with energy, green and red markings across its body. It's predatory head turned to the cyber-cat maid with bloodlust, the moment it did her instincts kicked in.
"Krovanh, get them out of-!" She could only get that out before the creature's right forearm slammed into her head, her reeling from the shock before crashing through the wall in an instant.
"Mei Mei!" Nakri shouted on instinct, the three Hunters stepping back when the creature turned to them. It's talon feet stomped into the metal, nearly ripping the floor beneath it when it turned it's chest to them. As Krovanh stepped between it and his family, the cracks formed on its body before another set of arms spread out.
"Well, it's good to see you three again." The Hunters stared in surprise as Vitaly stepped from the creature, it's abdominal arms having carried her. She wiped a hand through her hair to get the water out, not seeming bothered by her submerging.
"Vitaly?"
"Close enough." She responded. "I hope you haven't let your skills dull; you'll be needing these too." The scientist then tossed the three replacement variable suits, even two variable stones for Krovanh and Nakri.
"You want us to gather variable stones here?"
"Ideally, but those are only if you can get them." Vitaly said, turning to her creature. "No, I need you to preform an extraction for me. There's a few people I want taken from this ship."
"And who would they be?" Krovanh asked.
"Sakura Kirishima, Karen Kisaragi, and Artorian Abyssal." Vitaly stated. "They're important to my research, and with all three of you it shouldn't be a problem to overpower them. Avoid any other Slayer, especially Claire Harvey and Emilia Gudenberg."
"Why the hell do you need them?" Nakri questioned.
"Truthfully we only need Sakura and Artorian. Kisaragi is just insurance in order to draw him in." She answered. "You shouldn't have to worry about other Slayers, but be on guard. My Replicants can distract the bulk but the main force can't get in until the barrier's down."
"Main force? How many of your things did you bring? And what the hell is that thing?" Krovanh demanded, the three Hunters screaming in pain as a pulse of electricity went through them.
"Watch your tone, this is no thing." Vitaly said darkly, placing a comforting hand on the beast's jawline, a faint hum coming from it as she pets it. "This is the next phase in my research, my possession, my Pawn."
"…W-What is it?" Nesat questioned, trembling from the shock and fear, recognizing the vile eyes from the creature.
"If you must know, Pawn is the evolution to my research: A Chimera."
"Chimera?"
"It is of no concern to you. All you need to focus on is collecting the targets I gave you."
"What the hell is it?" Krovanh growled, tightened his hand into a fist as he looked at Pawn. "That thing, it has direct Savage energy, but those eyes… those eyes aren't artificial!"
The accusation brought a smile to Vitaly's lips, the scientist turning to them as her eyes glowed crimson.
"How very observant of you Krovanh. And here I thought you were just the brute." She said, the Hunters suffering a continuous shock as she stared down to them.
'W-What the hell!?' Krovanh thought as he screamed in agony. 'We don't have our suits on! How is she shocking us!?'
"The world is so much more then what you can see." Vitaly said, having heard his thoughts as she knelt down. "If you only rely on your eyes, you fail to see what lies beyond." She then pulled out three vials, fluorescent liquid glowing inside as she connected one to an needle injector. "Now hold still, you need another injection."
"Ngh… what was…" Mei Mei groaned in pain, clutching her side as she raised her head from the floor. From where she was struck, she suffered significant damage, the skin having been ripped clean off. But what laid underneath was a layer of metal. Her whole frame felt heavy, but she managed to push herself up to her hands and knees. As her focus cleared, she looked up to see Krovanh step out of the room, dressed in his variable suit with his eyes glowing golden.
"Kro…vanh…" Mei Mei said, the boy looking to her with a wide grin. He held his hand down and pulsed a shockwave of energy at her, knocking her head back against the wall and stunning her.
"Good, get to work you three." Vitaly said, Mei Mei hearing her as she turned to Pawn. "As for you, go enjoy yourself. It's a festival, play some games, win some prizes, and enjoy the meal."
A green saliva dropped from the Chimera's mouth, opening to reveal its razor-sharp teeth before it slashed up, cutting through the metal like paper before climbing up.
'Charlotte… Vitaly's here.' Mei Mei's words echoed in her head, a signal leaving her as her body refused to move, Vitaly turning down the hall and walking away from her.
"Damn… that hurt more than I thought." Artorian rasped, opening his eyes to look down to Miharu. She looked unharmed, most of the debris from the explosion having hit him after he covered her.
"Artorian?" The nurse groaned, wincing from the ringing in her ears as she looked up to him.
"Are you okay?"
"I should be asking you that." She responded, getting a calm sigh from him.
"Erica, Touka, you two awake?"
"I'm here…" Erica answered, the Slayer slowly pushing herself up as glass fell off her. Luckily nothing sharp pierced her, having only a few cuts on her arms, legs and two cuts on her face bleeding but otherwise avoiding the worst of the explosion.
"I'm okay Shinshisho." Touka responded, pushing herself up while shaking glass out of her hair.
"Okay good, Claire and Bastard would've killed me separately if anything bad happened to you." Artorian groaned as he rolled off Miharu, falling onto the ground as he attempted to shake off the vertigo from the explosion.
"What happened?"
"Cleaning drone went haywire, blew up. Shockwave's knocked most people out." The hybrid detailed, looking to the bulk of the people lying unconscious
"We're under attack, the emergency sirens are going off." Erica, looking out the shattered windows as the alarm blared. As she looked to see the aftermath of multiple explosions, she was caught off guard when a creature flew up in front of her.
"Contacts!" She fell back from the window, reaching for her variable stone but the creature was quicker. As she saw a pointed blade about to reach her eye the creature was suddenly crushed against the table, Artorian having grabbed and slammed it. "…Thanks."
"Don't mention it." The hybrid responded, letting go of the creature and looking down to it. Aside from the crushed material, it resembled a type of flying insect. Pure black with red markings, the creature only twitched before having it's head crushed by Artorian's fist.
"What… what was that?" Touka asked.
"An artificial Savage, a small one." He answered.
"How can you be certain?" Erica asked, getting the answer as Savage blood dripped from the hybrid's fist.
"All Savage have a black and green pattern; this red is natural glass unlike the Savage." He spoke, looking to his hand before shaking the fluid off. "The drones had too much energy in them, they must have spread enough components to take in hardware to construct themselves these bodies."
"…Plural?"
"You just got to feel it, you should know how to sense better then me." Erica closed her eyes in response, putting her focus into her energy sense. When she detected dozens of small energy sources, her eyes snapped open in shock. "They're attacking all over the ship!"
"Yep, and they're not what I'm worried about." Artorian said, looking up to the top of the dome. The three women all looked to follow his line of sight and all their eyes slowly widened in horror.
"Th-that's…"
"Everyone… report!" Claire coughed out, the smoke in the room blinding from the explosion.
"Multiple explosions ma'am. ACK!" A crewmember coughed, struggling to breath from all the smoke.
"Everyone… stay down…!" Claire announced, pulling out her variable stone. "Hundred On!" Activating her powered down hundred, the blonde fired a concentrated blast into the wall. Melting a big enough hole through, the smoke began to funnel out of the room, allowing everyone to start taking in oxygen.
"Communications are damaged ma'am… the signal's too weak to broadcast a station wide alert."
"Find me a way to communicate with security, access as many links as you can. I want all Slayers on duty to armament up and mobilized now!"
"Yes ma'am!"
"Chris, see if you can get me a signal to the concert stadium." Claire ordered, stepping up to her consol. "Chris?" When she didn't get a response, she looked down to see the boy on the ground unconscious with blood on his face.
"Chris!" Jumping down to the boy, Claire knelt turned him over to and placed her ear to his chest. Hearing a heartbeat, she sighed temporarily in relief before checking his head, seeing a cut on his forehead that was the source of his bleeding.
"Hang on Chris, it'll be okay." She said, telling herself more as she took out a cloth and wiped away the blood on his face.
"Ma'am, we have Slayer Matthew on the line." A crewmate announced, Claire looking up from Chris.
"Here, let me." An officer said, kneeling down next to her as he pulled out roll of bandaging. "You're needed to coordinate a counter defensive; I'll keep an eye on Steinbelt."
"Okay… please take care of him." Claire relented, letting him take the cloth as she stood up.
"Will do ma'am."
"Alright, patch Matthew in." Claire ordered, moving to the center of the room as Matthew's signal was broadcasted. "Matthew, what's the situation look like?"
"Bad, there's explosions all over the ship. And it isn't looking any better on the ship." Matthew stated. "Small drones made from debris from the explosions are all over the place. If you want targets set those are what to go after."
"Understood, I want you to communicate with as many Slayers as possible, keep the civilians safe."
"About that… we might be preoccupied for a while."
"Preoccupied with what?" Claire's answer came as a sensor alarm blared in the command center, the screens showing damage being done to Little Garden's barriers. "What is that!?"
"There's a batch of Savage on the surface of the barrier!" Reitia was heard over Matthew's link. "A Trenta's trying to smash its way through!"
"Savage? That can't be possible."
"I'd agree with you on any other day, but I'm looking right at it."
"What's the barrier's integrity look like?" Matthew asked, him and Reitia jumping down from their building to get to the closest checkpoint.
"The barrier's at 86%, it'll hold but if a Trenta's really out there then we can't wait." Claire informed. "If you two can distract it, I'll be suited up in a few minutes. Evacuations need to be established before I can go."
"Then don't waste your time." Matthew said, the two running into their assigned room, rapidly stripping and pulling on their variable suits. "Reitia and I can handle the Savage above. But you're needed to coordinate everyone else."
"Are you sure? I know you can fight a Trenta, but if there's multiple Savage protecting it you two might be overwhelmed."
"Destroying the Trenta requires just one clean shot. As long as the Savage aren't Regenerators it won't be a problem."
"Don't worry about us commander, we'll destroy these freaks and get back to help everyone with the little bugs." Reitia stated, the two zipping up their uniforms before running out.
"I just have one order to give you two. Come back in one piece."
"You got it commander!" Reitia grinned, rolling her shoulder as she looked up to the Savage. "Ready to do this?"
"Right by your side." Matthew smirked, the two tapping their wrists together before pulling their variable stones out.
"Hundred On!"
"There's so many of them!"
"Then keep smashing them!" Artorian shouted, slamming his sword down and cutting one of the drones in half. He then twisted his body and brought his sword around, slamming another one into the wall.
Behind him, Touka was cutting through her own set with an upward slice followed with a direct slash through the drones. As one was about to reach her from behind, Erica's Everlasting shot out and crushed the bug between its pincers, getting a relieved sigh from the swordswoman.
"Thanks Erica."
"There's no need. Watch out!" Erica announced, shooting her Everlasting out again to stop a drone from stabbing Touka with its stinger. Once it was stopped in place, Touka brought her leg up and stomped down, crushing it into the concrete.
The three have been smashing the drones that have been coming at them for only a few minutes, but have destroyed over twenty since the attack started. The sheer numbers that could be seen going around seemed unreal, the spread having reached enough machinery to make a small army.
Meanwhile, Miharu was attempting to take care of the survivors amidst the chaos. Finding those that needed care the most, she did her best to bandage any serious wounds and recruit anyone who was better off.
"I know it hurts, but you need to stay calm sir." Miharu said, wincing as she heard the battle going on behind her accompanied by small explosions. She was currently pressing down on a man's chest, using a wrapped cloth to clot the blood that was staining his skin.
"Ar… he… level o…" Looking to her side, Miharu heard static come from underneath a cement rock. Looking around, she saw the Slayers too busy fighting to call out, forcing her to look over to one of the civilians wrapping a bandage around a woman's arm.
"Sir, I need you to quickly finish with her and come here!" She called out, the man nodding rapidly as he tightened the wrapping as much as he could before going over to the nurse. "I need you to keep pressure on his wound, if any complications happen let me know."
"R-Right…" The man breathed out, taking over and pressing the bloody cloth on the victim's chest.
Freed up to move, she moved over to the piece of debris and pushed it off, seeing Artorian's damaged PDA currently receiving a signal.
"Artorian, Erica, is anyone on this frequency!"
"Yes, Claire!" Miharu responded.
"Miharu? Where's Erica and Artorian, are they okay!?"
"They're okay, but they're currently fighting off these insect robots that are flying around!"
"I know, there's reports all over from the Slayers I can contact! Listen, you need to tell Erica and Artorian this is a level one security threat! I repeat, level one security threat!"
"I'll let them know! Claire… how did this happen?"
"I'll let you know if I find out. Make sure they hear the order-!" Claire shouted before getting cut off, the PDA sparking before shutting off.
"Artorian! Erica!" Miharu tried to shout, however protecting herself as debris from one of the drones nearly cut her face.
"They're getting bold!" Artorian stated, swinging left and right as more drones came, stomping down to crush one before Touka sliced one in half.
"Destroy as many as you can, keep them away from civilians at all costs!" Erica ordered, smashing a drone out of the air with her Everlasting before using it as a shield to protect herself from an energy bolt.
"Touka!" Artorian shouted, lashing his arm out to protect her as a drone attempted to stab her, grunting in pain as the stinger pierced through his arm.
"Shinshisho!" Touka responded before narrowing her eyes, slicing the drone's stinger off before crushing it underneath her blade and flinging it to the side and striking another drone. "Shinshisho, are you okay!?"
"I'm fine!" He growled, pulling the stinger out with his teeth and spitting it out.
"Here comes a swarm!" Erica warned, the three looking to a batch of twenty drones flying towards them. As the trio prepared themselves, a flurry of energy pierced a dozen of the drones, the rest turning to scrap as Liddy's lance spun and ripped them apart.
"Liddy, Emilia!" Touka said with a smile, the active Slayers running to the group.
"How bad are things here?" Liddy questioned.
"We have dozens wounded, a few died of their injuries shortly after the explosions. The drones have also picked off the ones we couldn't pull to cover." Erica answered, looking down in memory of the dead before speaking again. "How bad is the rest of the ship?"
"We can't tell, we haven't been able to get a signal to Claire." Emilia stated, looking over to see Artorian's bleeding wound. "You're injured."
"No worse than I've had before." Artorian sighed, giving her a reassuring smile to let her know it didn't hurt.
"Artorian!" Hearing Miharu shout, the five all turned to her as she finally had a chance to inform them. "Claire said the situation is level one! I have to keep care of the injured, so please don't get any more wounds!" She shouted, surprising the Slayers as she went back to the shelter.
"Level one…"
"Sounds about right." Artorian said, him, Liddy and Emilia tapping their necks while Erica activated her PDA. Following protocol, their communications were set to a wide broadcast, the threat too serious to worry about communication security.
"We've got four more signals on commander! It's captain Erica and lieutenant Liddy!"
"Erica, Liddy, thank god you're both okay." Claire sighed, her voice audible to everyone. "Are Artorian and Emilia with you?"
"We're here Prez, what's going on?" Emilia questioned. "One second everything's quiet and suddenly there's Savage on the barrier and these weird drones buzzing around like hornets!"
"Unfortunately I don't have the answers to your questions. All I can say is that the whole vessel is under attack and casualty and wounded reports are unaccounted for. We need to mount a counterattack now and prevent any more fatalities."
"These things are everywhere on the ship Claire, maybe even in the lower decks." Liddy responded. "Security may not have the experience to deal with these drones."
"I know, but the drones on the exterior are the primary objective. Eliminating them gives us time to reinforce Matthew and Reitia up top."
"They're up there!?" Emilia asked in shock, looking up to see a trail of gold and pink energy trail up to the barrier.
"Matthew is one of the best Slayers on deck, and Reitia is a part of Selections just like you. I have confidence they'll be alright, but I want as many drones destroyed so we can send them back up."
"Understood ma'am, we'll eliminate them as quickly as possible." Erica responded.
"What's the concert stage looking like?" Artorian questioned, everyone looking to him as he looked over to the building.
"Communication is down but reports are coming in. There were no drones present and the barriers activated the moment the first explosion went off." Claire answered, the hybrid's gaze unbreaking as he stared. "Artorian, she's at the second safest place on Little Garden right now. There's two dozen security officers and the barrier prevents the drones from attacking. I need you to stay focused on the task at hand."
"Artorian, we're needed out here." Liddy stated, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder. "Karen and Sakura will be okay."
"…Where's the hotspot?" Artorian growled, shaking Liddy's hand off but following along, getting a grateful smile from Liddy as he waited.
"There's signals all over, all Slayers have been authorized to use their Hundreds and variable suits with no limitations." Claire informed. A surplus of energy is close to you, much more then any of the drones but it's below deck. Only engage if it breaks to the surface. Support any Slayers or security that you come across and make sure civilians are safe."
"Understood!"
"Hold on that for a second." An additional voice spoke over comms, surprising the group at the addition.
"Dr. Dimandias?"
"Char?"
"The drones are a problem, but there's something else here on the ship." Charlotte stated, the sounds of rapid running heard over her signal. "Some form of experiment, perhaps an evolved state of these drones or even something entirely different. It attacked Mei Mei and the Hunters are no longer on my tracer."
"Mei Mei was attacked!?"
"Any idea where the Hunters went?"
"The Hunters are a no-go, there's no solid idea where they are. Mei Mei's injured but she'll survive, I'm going to assist her now." The scientist answered both Emilia and Claire, a small explosion heard as she grunted. "The biggest problem though is Vitaly, she's on the ship."
'Vitaly!' Artorian's eyes widened in rage at the woman's name, clenching his fist.
"You need to send security to LiZa's core immediately. If she disrupts her connection we lose both her AND Little Garden!"
"Vitaly… this invasion makes more sense then." Claire bit her tongue, keeping herself calm as she thought. "Any idea where she is?"
"I can track her; she's slowly making her way to the core. She's waiting for me."
"Charlotte, don't you dare go after her!" Artorian shouted over the comm. "Stay there, I'll find her and rip her apart!"
"No!" Charlotte said sternly, the hybrid pausing at the tone. "You cannot go anywhere near her; do you hear me Artorian? You WILL NOT engage her under any circumstances!"
"…You're in no better case to fight her, you know that." The concern in Artorian's voice surprised the group, his rage instantly seeming calmed in face of the scientist's shout.
"I have a few tricks up my sleeve, you just keep yourself far away from her reach." Charlotte's signal cut out shortly after, getting an annoyed grunt from him.
'She isn't the same Charlotte, not like before. Sakura's condition was a happy accident, her experiments are…' The hybrid's eyes then slowly widened as he looked over to the coliseum again, a bead of sweat going down his face. 'Vitaly's here… and she freed the Hunters…'
"Okay, while Dr. Dimandias moves to intercept Tynyanov I need you to stay focused on the drones." Claire ordered. "Find this experiment if you can, but keep the objective of protecting civilians a priority. As soon as communications are stable I will join in the counterattack."
"Understood, we'll direct any survivors to the coliseum and provide support where we can." Erica responded, stopping the signal. "Come on, we need to move to the nearest swarm."
"Right behind you." Liddy stated. "Your suit's close right?"
"It was moved to match my post; I shouldn't be more than a couple seconds." She informed. "Come Artorian, we need to suit up!" The team ran only a few meters ahead before slowing down, turning to see Artorian staring at the coliseum in realization.
"Artorian?"
"Shinshisho? What's wrong?" Touka asked, seeing her mentor frozen in place.
"Karen and Sakura…"
"They're safe where they are Artorian, we need to move now!"
"This is a distraction; she's not aiming to win." Artorian muttered, taking a step forward. One step followed by another, and before long he was taking off into a sprint. "She's after Variants!"
"Artorian!" Emilia called out, turning to run after the hybrid as he picked up speed.
"Artorian wait, don't go running-!" As Liddy began to follow, both her and Emilia were tossed back as a shockwave went off at their feet, the two recovering and looking to the source.
Seeing the claw pierced into the metal retract, they slowly stood up as it ripped through the ground, a second set aiding in it as metal and concrete was pulled apart. Avoiding the debris, the team stared in shock as they saw Vitaly's Chimera pull itself out of the destroyed hull. The sun's light reflected off the metal, blood and green saliva seen dripping from its mouth as it let out a series of deep breaths.
"W-What… is that?" Erica questioned in horror, the Chimera standing in place before taking a few whiffs of the air. It's arms then trembled in desire as it picked up a scent, turning to stare at Emilia.
"I… think that's Vitaly's experiment." Emilia stated, Pawn's lips pursing to reveal its blood-stained teeth in a sick grin. "We should move, now!"
As the two downed Slayers got up, Pawn rushed forward and slashed a claw out, Emilia narrowly dodging before firing a beam of energy at its chest to stun it. Although it recoiled, Pawn showed no signs of damage and continued its attack on the Slayer.
Before it was about to send another slash out, Liddy slammed both her feet against the side of its head. Pushing out, her force proved enough to send it several meters back, grinding to a halt as its clawed digits gripped into the concrete and stopped itself.
"Something you said to it?" Liddy questioned, referring to its clear aggression to the white-haired Slayer.
"Artorian said something about Variants, maybe its trying to capture me?"
"Hard to capture if you're in pieces." Liddy argued, both getting a shiver down their spines as the Chimera licked its teeth in excitement. "Erica, go assist the other teams. Touka, go with her."
"You two can't expect us to just leave you against this thing!" Touka argued. "It looks like a beast, and something about it feels… wrong…" She added, feeling sick to her stomach at the mere presence of the beast.
"Touka, we have to." Erica stated, surprising the girl. "This invasion isn't won with a single battle. Emilia and Liddy are both top-tier Slayers, better than Artorian in almost every field. They'll be fine."
"But…"
"There are innocent people trapped under rubble, they need us more." Erica interrupted. "We're Slayers, our goal is to protect people no matter the cost."
"Emilia, Liddy-senpai…" Touka muttered, seeing the beast slowly prepare itself while it stood on all fours. "Please, win." She said before turning back and following Erica.
"Are you ready?" Liddy asked, Emilia summoning a hammer Hundred with a determined glare.
"All that and more." She responded, her eyes turning gold and bringing a nasty glare to the Chimera's vibrant eyes.
"Everyone, please stay calm!" Sakura announced, attempting to keep peace amidst the growing chaos of the attack. The crowd was keeping to a relative calmness, but the panic was expected and understandable. Outside the barrier was a warzone, people's family potentially in danger.
The idol herself was worried, a chill going down her back at the thought of Little Garden being under attack. The flagship of Warslran and the most advanced battleship in the world and someone preformed a flawless attack. It felt nothing short of a nightmare, ripped out of a paranoid guard's worse-case-scenario plans. And here she was, right in the middle of it.
"S-Sakura… the fighting outside is…" Along with the crowd, Karen was shaking in fear at the event. Looking up to the Savage visible over Little Garden, images of the Second Attack burst into her mind, scaring the girl stiff at the thought of reliving through that hellish night.
"Hey, hey, it's okay Karen." Sakura promised, wrapping her into a gentle hug. "They won't get anywhere near us. Everyone's out there fighting right now, and we know they will win. He is going to win."
"I… I'm scared."
"It'll be okay Karen, I promise you everything is going to be alright." The idol said, trying to keep her friend calm and relaxed. Past the Second Attack, Karen had never encountered dangers like this, so her panic was understandable. But Sakura needed to keep her calm, an inexperienced Slayer in terror could hurt themselves. And she would never forgive herself if she got hurt.
"We just have to wait out the attack, once everything's calmed down, you'll see that this was a hopeless attempt at-"
*CLANG*
A loud screech of metal stopped the idol cold, her eyes widening as a dent formed in the platform they entered from. A second was followed, along with a third, the elevator's cover eventual getting impaled through by a glowing green blade. Karen's shaking only continued at the sight, even Sakura feeling a pit in her stomach as she recognized the blade.
"Well hey there, Big Sis~." Krovanh taunted as he ripped metal aside, pulling himself up and stepping onto the floor. "Been awhile, miss us~?"
"Stand down!" The moment Krovanh entered the stadium, he was surround by several armed guards, aiming E-Tranquilizer rifles at him.
"Tch! Like that's an issue." Krovanh chuckled, Nakri's disks slashing through the floor and splitting the rifles apart.
Nesat then rose from the hole, her eye glowing as she copied Sakura's Hundred and formed a set of energy wings. Without even looking, she demonstrated precise energy control and fired dozens of concussive bolts at the remaining guards, incapacitating them before they could become a threat.
'J-Just like that…" Sakura thought, her eyes wide in fear as Krovanh's eyes glowed vibrant.
"Now with the small fry out, why don't you come with us?" The boy said, holding his hand out. "Vitaly's missed you so much, she wants to see you again and make up on lost time."
"Y-You're crazy… I… I'm not going anywhere…" The calm demeanor Sakura had vanished as quickly as the Hunters appeared, the grin on Krovanh's face the same as the last time she saw him. The same, twisted rage that the Variant virus brought, the fury of a recent injection of Savage fluids.
"Well that's not a problem, we'll bring you along regardless." Krovanh promised, his gaze shifting over to Karen whose entire body shook. "Can't promise that it'll be pretty though, the crossfire that could happen."
'A-Artorian… please… I'm scared.' Karen thought, tears building up in her eyes as a vile aura formed around Krovanh. Eventually her legs buckled out under her and she collapsed, unable to support herself anymore.
"Y-You won't touch her!" Sakura shouted, turning to fully face the Hunter as her own body began to shake.
"Oh, is that a promise Big Sis?" Krovanh teased. "Let's see how far you'll go for it!" He then lunged forward, his blade glowing as he raised it up and slashed down. Before he reached the idol a barrier stopped him, getting him to recoil from the counter. His grin remained however, his energy growing as he looked past her shield.
"Oh look, you did something besides scream this time! Way to go Big Sis!" He taunted, raising his sword up and slashing across the barrier again. "Let's see how long you can last!" The Hunter swung wildly against the idol's energy, each blow forcing her to recoil in fear. The sword's edge was close to her face with each blow, the idol terrified as she saw a crack begin to form.
'I… I can't hold him. I can't stop him.' She thought in fear, flashes of the kids from Vitaly's experiments plaguing her mind and disrupting her concentration. 'I could never stop them, even with my abilities I'm powerless to stop them!'
"Game's over Big Sis!" Krovanh shouted, one final slash cutting past the barrier and knocking Sakura back. The idol shouted in pain when the blade struck her stomach, causing her to skid on her back next to Karen. She wasn't built for a fight, she couldn't imagine trying to actually stop him.
'I can't stop him… I could never stop them…' She thought, closing her eyes as she began to cry in fear.
"S-Sakura…" As the idol accepted her fate, her eyes snapped in realization that Karen was still next to her, trembling in terror as Krovanh walked towards them.
"Don't worry, I'll only break a few bones Big Sis. Vitaly wants her as well."
'Vitaly… wants her?' Sakura thought, her breath stopping at the thought. She's experienced the hell of Vitaly's experiments, she barely managed to endure them. But Karen, her body is still too frail. She would never survive, the pain she felt alone could kill her slowly.
'N-No… not her. I… I made a promise!' Fighting against her fear, Sakura managed to push herself up with a grin from Krovanh.
"There you go Big Sis! One more round!" He cheered, planting his feet before lunging after Karen.
"I won't let you hurt her!" Sakura shouted, using her energy to enhance her speed and place herself between Karen and the Hunter.
'No… Sakura…' Karen thought, shaking as the idol spread her arms to her side to protect her as much as she could. She wasn't trying to brace herself, only intending to take the blow from the Hunter. 'Please… no…'
"Artorian! Please save us!" Karen cried out, Sakura staring into Krovanh's eyes as she stood shaking, unwilling to move.
*CLANG*
The three's eyes widened in shock as a familiar sword impaled into the ground to Sakura's left. The weapon blocked Krovanh's swing, stunning the Hunter as a bright light went off over them.
"Hundred On!" In a bright flash of blue, Artorian's uniform ripped apart and he landed in front of the Hunter. His full armament formed, his variable suit revealed to have been under his uniform as his sword formed in hand.
Swinging powerfully, Artorian's Hundred struck Krovanh's chest and sent him flying back, the Hunter getting caught by Nakri before he hit the ground.
"A-Artorian…" Karen and Sakura said, the hybrid standing firmly as he reached back and locked his shield onto his arm.
"Don't worry you two, I'll take over from here." He promised, looking back to give them a confident smile. "Just keep each other safe, I'll deal with the trash." He then looked to the Hunters, glaring as his energy slowly formed around him. "I'm going to rip you all apart. There's a few things I refuse to accept from others. And what you've done is at the top of the list."
"Oh yeah?" Krovanh responded, wiping the corner of his lip to remove the blood. "And what's that?"
"Making Karen cry!" He bellowed out, the ground beneath him cracking as he shot out, his energy turning torrent as Krovanh lunged forward, their blades clashing as a shockwave of force clashed.
(A/N): Ahha... cliffhanger. Don't have much to say this time around for the chapter, both from being tired and not knowing what is proper to say. All I can really think is that the fights are about to pick up and we'll get some good action to come. I hope this chapter was good and I'll see you in the next one.
Peace!