Erica had to process the best course of action to approach Amanda. At first glance she appeared to be calm and at ease, but now she seems alert and focused, the Slayer seeing her posture has changed since her small leave from the party.

"Do you think something happened?" Matthew asked.

"Oh, I'm sure some business had come up, certainly nothing wrong could happen here." Erica responded, staying in character while looking back to Matthew. "How about you go discuss business yourself, there's plenty of contractors to work with."

"Of course, don't get too friendly with the guests." Matthew countered, walking off after grabbing a cup of airag.

Having the opening, Erica made her approach to the arms dealer, Amanda shooing off a guest that had gotten on her nerves by the time the disguised Slayer reached her.

"Unbelievable sometimes, how often people seem to forget history and the mistakes that are made." Amanda sighed, turning to Erica. "Tell me Hannah, what do you think of the attack on Little Garden."

"A shameless loss of life, attacks over old grudges only further divide us." Erica responded, turning on her receivers to single out Amanda's voice.

"Although I hold no ill will to the current Slayers, I have a hard time sympathizing with them over their predecessors. Especially since many of the past are still in control." Amanda responded.

"Many of the victims were just visitors, surely they were blameless?"

"Of course, but the incompetence of Warslran has just been further put on display." Amanda argued. "Judal has put too much faith in Slayers, had he equipped his militia with half as much equipment as he did his Slayers, not even Vitaly's attack would have gone through."

Erica didn't show it, but the moment Vitaly was mentioned her senses were on full alert. Warslran had not come out publicly to announce Vitaly was behind the attack, and those that knew were few. So Amanda had gotten information from an outside source, a mole or a slip of information. Either way she was more informed than expected, meaning their suspicion is more justified.

"Most of the equipment Slayers use though seem to have compatibility factors, making even half as effective equipment as Century Armaments would be a colossal undertaking."

"Oh love, Trevor's practices are clearly rubbing off on you." Amanda smiled as she glided her hand across Erica's cheek. "Humanity has always risen and advanced when in face of challenges, the Savage were the only exception that we relied on barbaric practices to protect ourselves. We use their energy, harness their cores, strip them of their armor and fluids to reverse engineer and transform into abominations of technology. And our "saviors" are humans infected with dormant forms of the Severance Virus."

"You're concerned?"

"I'm practical." Amanda countered. "There's been a lot of rumors going around: the Savage communicate in a telepathic consensus, every Slayer possesses a small portion of the Savage's viral infection, experiments on injecting the Savage's fluid directly into kids and embryos are just the tip of the iceberg. Then there's the rumors that there are humans with actual doses of Savage DNA inside them, enhancing their energy and making them more Savage than human, worse that Little Garden houses them and they possess similar communication abilities as the Savage themselves."

"Many people can see the writing on the wall, our Slayers are slowly being corroded to act more like the Savage than humans. I will not allow our history to be torn down because Judal values the loss of humanity in favor of strength. I have found my own way to enhance humanity's strength and combat prowess without sacrificing ourselves to the Savage's curse. I know Trevor views working with the Slayers as a necessary evil, but surely even you can recognize the importance of standing on our own."

"You couldn't possibly imply the Slayers are less human simply because they survived the Severance Virus?" Erica questioned.

"I do, we put all our faith into a limited number of combative units that we always lose throughout missions. We have outliers, no doubt Claire Harvey and Matthew Ornisium have remained pure as powerhouses, but their families alone put into question their morals. And I shouldn't even have to mention the war crimes committed by Artorias Abyssal and Charlotte Dimandias, both of which are revered."

"I just want to see our people survive this horrid situation with our humanity intact. If we leave it in the hands of people like Judal and Charlotte, we won't walk away at all." Amanda appeared to be wanting to talk more, but one of her security guards came and whispered into Amanda's ear, getting an annoyed glare from the woman. "Again? We just finished our call."

"He was quite insistent." The guard informed, getting an irritated sigh from Amanda.

"Very well, I suppose it can't be helped." She then turned back to Erica, giving a smile as she did. "I enjoyed our talk Hannah, although I feel you and Trevor are more wishful than you should be, there's no shame in trying to find a better world through your beliefs."

"To you as well." Erica shook Amanda's hand before the woman walked off, the Slayer turning and walking away as she tapped her earpiece. "Did we get enough?"

"More than enough." Charlotte responded through the comm. "Collect Matthew and get upstairs, I'll handle getting you in. Don't worry on the DNA, if Amanda's gone back to her room there's no chance we'll be able to get it."

"Good." Erica said, having a bad taste in her mouth when she approached Matthew. The Slayer only needed to see her approach to take his leave with his conversation to join her, pouring the airag out into a plant and place it away as they moved to go up the manor.

"Anything I should know?"

"Human evolutionist that believes Slayer energy is Savage corruption."

"Ah, so we got motive and means." Matthew responded. "What do you think we'll find up here?"

"Either new technology or a collection of decommissioned equipment."

"Hopefully there isn't some anti-energy equipment lying around in there. If something goes wrong we'll be boxed in."

Getting away from the party was easy enough, the guards weren't going to throw a fit over guests just walking around the designated areas of the manor. However, there was noticeably more guards the closer the got to the vault, almost three times the amount they theorized were going to be present, and each was wearing specialized armor that nearly had the same appearance as a Full-Body Armament.

'Those weapons aren't traditional choices either.' Matthew thought to himself, seeing multiple of the guards had a cavalcade of swords, maces, shields and spears, all missing the edge of their blades. The rest had N-Tranquilizer rifles, the guards appearing more qualified to fight Slayers rather than anything else.

"Hold it, Ms. Bankert's private displays are off limits to guests." The guard captain stated as the two reached the entrance, multiple of the guards stepping into a prepared position at the slightest hint of trouble.

"Ms. Bankert has given us permission, she intended to show us but had business brought up." Matthew responded, pulling out his PDA and handing it to the captain. "She gave us this so you would know."

"Trevor Synclaire and Hannah are allowed in to my vault, I will be joining them shortly after a business call." On the other end, Charlotte had synthesized Amanda's voice with the recording Erica had got, and with her access to the manor's servers was able to even give the identification key the guard was looking for.

"It's genuine." The captain said handing back the PDA, opening the door for the two to enter. "Try to avoid touching anything, the prototypes are still active projects and any interference could cause a month of corrections."

"You'll have no problems from us." Matthew nodded before he and Erica passed, the hybrid looking over his shoulder to see the captain hold his wrist up to his mouth, the door closing before he started to speak.

"Alright Charlotte' we're in." Erica spoke as the two stepped in, Erica's glasses providing feed while Matthew turned his PDA on to do the same.

"We're getting a clear visual, see what you can find." Charlotte stated, the Slayers splitting up as they looked through the vault. Most of what was visible were the weapons they saw the guards carrying, concerning as Amanda's reports never mentioned N-Tranquilizer weapons like this before. There was also the armor the guards wore, some variations but overall the same.

"Charlotte, is Artorian with you?" Matthew asked.

"I'm here Matthew." Artorian responded, Matthew walking along the row of weapons to show them all.

"Anything here look familiar?" The Slayer questioned, making sure Artorian saw everything since he was the only one to face the attackers in person.

"No, none of them used weapons." Artorian said with a growl, before his attention snapped from Erica's feed. "Hold it! Double back on the armors."

Following his request, Erica stepped back to look at half of the armors showing, Matthew turning to give a view of the remainder. There was a silence over the comms as Artorian looked over all the suits, before he narrowed his glare and pointed at the leftmost armor.

"That one, that hulking armor is the one the big bastard wore. And the one two beside it, the teleporting freak had that one on." Artorian stated, recognizing the two armor sets exactly as they were, minus the likely modifications the two terrorists made.

"What about their leader, is his armor here?" Erica questioned.

"No, most likely his gear was custom made. It was more cloth than armor." Artorian explained, Matthew walking past the armors as he looked to the wall.

"Something wrong?" Erica asked.

"The vault's smaller than our information showed." The hybrid responded, placing his hand on the obsidian black metal and dragged his hand across it. "And I doubt she'd make such a high security vault for just her new toys."

"I'll see about opening it." Charlotte informed, starting to type from her side before Matthew shocked the entire wall, frying the security system.

"Don't bother, we're likely already caught." Matthew said as he tossed his PDA aside and pulled his tie off. "Lose the layer, we're likely fighting out."

"Understood." Erica responded as the two stripped off their clothes, revealing their variable suits underneath.

Matthew then searched the wall before finding a gap going from the floor to the ceiling, gripping it with both hands and pulling it open, giving the two enough room to enter before seeing the full extent of the vault. And when they were in, both the Slayers and the scientist went dead silent and the illuminations, seeing multiple stands presented with trophies at each.

"By the Gods…"

"Those… those are Henrik's axes." Charlotte muttered in shock at seeing the weapons visible, watching from Erica's feed. "And Emily's hammer, James' scythe and even… those are Meiko's tonfas." The last one especially hit a ripple through Charlotte's composure, recognizing the bladed weapons, every visible weapon were from First Generation Slayers, each with a high reputation that died and had their equipment put into confiscation.

"How did she manage to collect these." Erica said, finding several uniforms she recognized as the battle gear the First Generation wore, realizing they were a base for what the guards were wearing.

"I… I don't know. No one should be able to have accessed those. Not even I could… I made sure there was no chance someone could take that equipment."

"This isn't right, were could she… Matthew?" Erica's thoughts were cut off when she realized how silent her partner was, turning to see in shock as the hybrid stood in front of a stand, his body hiding what was on it. Around it however, was torn pieces of Savage armor, canisters filled with Savage fluid, and even cores that were shattered but put back together. "Matthew?"

The hybrid was silent as he grabbed what was on the stand with one hand, turning around to show to everyone the head of a spear, part of the pole still connected but clearly damaged. At first glance it was any spearhead, but Charlotte didn't even need a second to recognize the jewel encrusted golden metal, Matthew looking at his reflection from the polished blade.

"That's… that's impossible. Ornstein's spear was completely destroyed in the Second Attack. That can't be-"

"It is." Matthew interrupted, holding the spear up with a glare. "The cross guard and blade of my father's spear. The craftmanship is Lord, no human could replicate it to such detail."

"She desecrates the living and the dead, this arrogant bitch…" Artorian was heard grinding his teeth together, however as Erica turned to the very end of the vault the hybrid went silent from shock.

"Is… is that…"

"You insane bitch." Matthew muttered as he held the spearhead to his side, utterly enamored by what was on full display with Savage fluid illuminating the piece. The torn and battered armor, stained in blood and grime from the last time it was worn ten years ago.

Artorias' Armor.

"I'm killing her."

"Artorian wait!"

As the scientist spoke up, the comms were suddenly cut and the entrance doors slid open, 30 guards entering in with their weapons all primed and aimed at the Slayers. The missing blades were reveling in energy that made up for it, rifles charging as the captain walked past the wall of guards. Without a word he dropped a black box and kicked it, sliding it between them before it deconstructed and a hologram appeared.

"I must admit, you were smart to not waste time opening the second door. I suppose no less should be expected from an Ornisium." Amanda's hologram spoke, in a seated position. "Although I will admit, I'm rather disappointed in you Erica, I always thought you'd be an upstanding Slayer. You lack the baggage of the First Generation."

"Compared to you, she's the best person on the planet." Matthew stated, lightning crackling around his body.

"A scathing comment, how will I recover from the insult on the affront on humanity?" Amanda stated. "It was a shame I didn't get a more viable opponent, surely Harvey would have been a better pick. The two-meter-tall man was quite the red thumb."

"Maybe, but if you were smart you'd remain where you are."

"Oh, concerned about my safety. I wouldn't be, a sniper was an obvious pick."

'Damn it, how'd they'd get past my proximity alarm?' Fritz thought in strain as one of five armored guards was choking him with his forearm, using a foot and his free arm to hold him down. He was caught off guard as the men seemingly appeared out of thin air, their armor far sleeker than those in the vault.

"MVP is in transit, deal with him before any of Warslran get's aware of our discovery."

"Gladly." One of the guards snarked as they pulled out an N-Tranquilizer pistol, Fritz clenching his teeth as he fought against the man on top of him.

'Come on Glanz! The target will get away if you don't move!'

"I assure you Ornisium, I accounted for your espionage quite thoroughly. Business however forced me to leave early. That and knowing better than to tempt a freak like you with my presence."

"You won't get far, Warslran will have you tagged any minute." Erica stated, getting a chuckle from Amanda.

"Oh I'm quite confident in my tech to hide me from your outdated sensors. And I have more than one way to disappear."

"There's nowhere you can hide. In all your plans to take down Slayers, you made a fatal mistake." Matthew stated, clenching his fist as a sense of dread went down his spine.

"Oh?"

"You pissed off a real monster."

The next second erupted as the wall behind Artorias' armor broke away, Amanda only having a second to register a blur of black before the guard captain was bisected by his waist. Artorian was dawned in a temporary grey variable suit, now covered in blood as the man's body dropped in a wet slosh.

"Hundred On!" Matthew and Erica reacted at the time of Artorian's entrance and activated their Armaments, chaos erupting as three guards went for Artorian before losing their arms holding their weapons.

"You're in my way!" Artorian bellowed as he slammed his mechanical fist through one of the men, impaling the other with his sword as he protected himself from the hail of energy bolts from the rifles. Shortly into their spray however all of their guns erupted from overload, Matthew's lightning blowing off some of their fingers before he flashed past them, cutting down five men before they could blink.

The second he was past the wave of guards he moved around the hall, dodging the shots of the automated defenses that had been set up, his lightning ripping the metal to shreds before he got to the base floor of the manor, another 30 guards present and pulling out an array of weapons. Matthew made no effort to fight however, charging lightning into his father's destroyed spear and tossing it between the mob of guards. One was unable to dodge and was torn apart by the metal and magic, Matthew moving like a bolt of lightning past them and grabbing the spear before rushing out the door and sprinting onto the highway.

'You're not getting away Bankert!'

'How was one able to smash through my vault's wall? That was reinforced titanium with Savage plate infused?' Bankert thought in shock, tossing her holo-projection aside as she sat in the back of a reinforced car, in the center of a patrol of eight combat jeeps, all equipped with several guards and a turret each.

'No, no don't worry on that. The fool went into the manor instead of chasing me, which means the comm jammer worked.' She reassured herself, looking out the side to the nearest convoy vehicle. 'You have more than enough time to get to the jet, after that He will provide protection.' Amanda's thoughts trailed off when she saw the man on the turret be blasted with a concentrated energy bolt, seeing Fritz fly over from the buildings with modified thrusters on his back.

'What!? I thought the sniper was dealt with!?'

'Can't deny Charlotte really thought ahead there.' Fritz thought, although having a chill of fear down his back.

"Say goodnight, Slayer." The guard said as he put his gun to Fritz's head, but before he could pull the trigger he was sent flying off the building after getting hit by a maroon blur. The guard holding Fritz down also screamed in pain as he arm was cut off, rolling to the side to clutch his bleeding stump.

"You're wasting time." When Fritz sat up, he saw Nesat standing between him and the remaining guards, wielding a sword armament with a maroon Warslran variable suit on. "Bankert's getting away, I can handle this."

"R-Right."

'I don't think she even blinked in that time.' Fritz thought before snapping back into attention, flying up to avoid a spray of energy as the convoy focused fire on him, getting three perfect shots and hitting the gunners before flying low behind one of the jeeps. As soon as one of the guards moved to get a shot on him, Fritz fired his wrist canon, the man falling out and rolling across the road as he was left behind.

Fritz then took across the freeway while staying at pace with the convoy, firing several shots that struck the gunmen and jeeps before getting back to cover, but was violently flipped over when the jeep hit the brakes on him. A moment of pain was met with a quick draw fire from his wrist, hitting the jeep's front wheel and causing it to spiral and crash, then putting up a barrier as a hail of energy shots bombarded him.

'Shit, this is too much fire!' Fritz grunted as his barrier began to crack, preparing for the worst when Matthew bolted past and struck the back of the closest jeep, sending it flipping forward and crashing on its roof as he sprinted past it.

"Matthew!"

"Focus on getting Bankert, I'll handle the convoy!" The hybrid wasted no time getting into action, moving with lightning speed to the furthest truck and delivering a bolt to its hood, sending it flying off the freeway into water.

With the gunmen focusing on Matthew, Fritz flew to Amanda's reinforced truck and landed on the hood, seeing the right window open and dodging to the side as a flurry of energy shots came as a guard climbed out. As he aimed his sniper at the guard it was cut in half as a guard flipped out from the trunk, wielding an N-Blade that glowed with blue energy.

Surrounded by two guards, Fritz got into a boxing stance and drew the guards to him, dodging a slash from behind and ducking under the guard in front of him. As the front guard aimed his pistol, Fritz grabbed the barrel and pushed it away, firing his wrist canon but had it kicked away as the man kept up. He then twisted his body and flew over the man as the guard behind him slashed up, cutting into the roof of the truck trying to hit him.

"Watch where you're swinging that you maniac!" Amanda shouted from the truck, Fritz kicking the gunmen into the swordsman and using both his wrist canons. Both men went flying off and he looked down to reach through the tear in the roof for Amanda. But before he reached her, we took a harsh kick to the cheek and rolled across to the hood of the truck, the drive turning suddenly and tossing him to the side, hitting him with the weight of the truck and knocking him onto the road.

Fritz rolled across the asphalt before quickly regaining his composure and flew after them, seeing a pair of thrusters on each guards' back. 'Jetpacks, of course!' Fritz thought, angry he missed an obvious piece of equipment as he threw his knee at the swordsman. The guard blocked it with his hilt, but was knocked off when Fritz finished with an arch kick. As he was recovering from the sudden hit he was blindsided as Matthew flashed past him and punched him, shattering his helmet and knocking him off the freeway.

The hybrid had made quick work of the remaining jeeps, and saw as Fritz blocked two of the gunman's punches before tripping him and delivering a solid punch as he fell, denting the reinforced truck and watching as he slid off limply. Both Slayers the planted their feet to the truck and ripped the tear in the truck wide open, being met with a blinding light that Matthew quickly moved to block the attack for Fritz, the impact of the energy sending both high and disrupting Matthew's energy for a moment.

"N-Canon, you could call it our ace." Amanda said, aiming up as the Slayers were playing catchup with a smirk. "Especially with this little touch." Firing the canon straight up, the Slayers watched as the giant beam split apart and curved, realizing it was tracking their energy and forcing them into evasive action, nearly hitting multiple trucks before it hit a semi-truck in front of Matthew.

The hybrid acted quick and pierced through the connection the truck had to the cargo before flashing past it, dropping his father's spearhead and his trident to catch toe top of the truck, grunting in exertion as he was forced to hold on to get his balance right. Fritz however had took a hit from the beam and was knocked out of his armament, curling the best he could to lessen the damage but feeling his skin tear from the road's friction.

Amanda smirked in satisfaction as they quickly were getting out of sight, placing the N-Canon down and taking a calm breath. 'You were close Warslran, but victory goes-'

"-To me?" Amanda's thoughts turned to words as in the moment of shock the entire truck flipped over, it's back axel and tires ripped out as Erica's Everlasting tore it apart with ease. Matthew then appeared next to the truck staring at Amanda as she was midair, unable to react as he delivered a bolt of lighting that crushed the truck down on its roof, rolling across the freeway before skidding to a violent halt.

Amanda was in a total daze, feeling blood go down her face and her body aching in pain as she rolled onto her chest before registering she felt the road through the tear in the truck. In that second she remembered what was happening before the door at her feet was ripped off and Matthew grabbed her ankle, pulling her out and holding her upside down with a cold stare.

"Amanda Fairbanks Bankert, you are currently suspected of aiding in terrorist action, fleeing an active investigation and opening fire on official Slayers. You have a right to remain silent and if you know what's good for you, you will until we're ready to start asking questions." The hybrid appeared monstrous to the woman in her dazed state, lightning crackling across his body and his eyes glowing yellow from his enormous reservoir of energy seeping out.

All the woman could do was look up in terror, realizing there was no escaping from this monster now that he had her.

"Artorian! Artorian!" Charlotte called out as she and several Warslran soldiers entered Amanda's manor, all stopping in shock to see the splattered blood and sliced corpses. The Slayer they were looking for was panting in the center, his energy heavily drained after sustaining multiple injuries from the N-Tranquilizers that managed to hit him.

"Did… we get… her?" Artorian panted out, his golden eyes dimming back to blue as his Variant Mode started to wear off.

"…Yes, Matthew just reported they've apprehended Amanda Bankert and have her on transport going to Little Garden." Charlotte answered.

"Good… I picked up the slack… they'd better have…" The hybrid then collapsed to his knees, holding onto his father's sword as he lost the strength to stand. His eyes were feeling heavy, the hybrid nearly passing out then and there from exhaustion.

"Hey, stay awake Artorian, don't pass out." Charlotte spoke, stepping through the puddles of blood to place her hands on his shoulders and stare him in the eyes. "Just focus, breathe in… and out… in… and out…" Slowly, Artorian's breathing corrected itself and he retained some of his focus, slowly pushing himself up by his sword and leaning on it.

"Are the others… coming here?"

"No… this is officially Judal's jurisdiction. Everyone's getting ready for Amanda's arrival." Charlotte answered, the two walking out as the soldiers remained.

"She's treating him like a child." One of the soldiers said in distaste, stepping past the bodies and towards the stairs. "Seeing this and she didn't even flinch, no wonder she's Warslran's Butcher." The two soldiers then turned the corner to the stairs, and were stunned to see bodies littering across the entire staircase, blood flowing down like a literal bloodbath.

"A Butcher and a Monster… what the fuck are we allowing in our ranks?"

"Cronu, what's the two's condition?" Envy asked, the Sin watching as his officer stopped beside him with an empty tray.

"Oh well let's see, the girl is recovering from a severe panic attack, the nurse's leg is busted, both refuse to eat and, oh yeah, they likely have severe PTSD from watching a hospital be bombed to rubble." Cronu said with a cold tone, looking at the Sin from the corner of his eye.

"Question my method, but the results were what we needed."

"You told me this was about striking back at Warslran, to take down Slayers and make things right for the next generation. That was murder, terrorism!" Cronu glared as he tossed the tray to the side, looking the sin dead in the eyes. "How many innocent people are dead? Completely uninvolved with Slayers and were already victims of Vitaly's attack? How much blood is on our hands?"

"No sacrifice, no victory. You're a doctor, you don't know the first thing about war." Envy responded, returning a calm stare to his Vessel's rage.

"We united the factions to give ourselves political weight, and you turned us into killers!" That got a chuckle from Envy, a laugh escaping him and enraging Cronu. "What's so funny you madman!?"

"You throw your soul away to the depths, accept power from the Abyss and now you're acting as if you have any moral authority to stand on?" Envy said with an entertained smile. "It's priceless, you're not a good person Cronu. You joined to get revenge on a dead man's son, you WANT to be a murderer." The Sin then tapped the side of his head, grinning smugly as the Vessel stepped back. "Don't forget, I get a few glimpses into your head from time to time. The horrors you want to do to Ornisium, you have no right to judge me."

"That… that's-"

"It isn't." Envy said, placing a hand on Cronu's shoulder. "I know that fury, that desire to get back at the one that's wronged you. I know it too well." The Sin then patted his Vessel's shoulder before walking past him, heading to the holding cells. "Stand firm Cronu, revenge is a path to hell, but you will get the blood you want."

"…" Cronu was silent, simply blinking out of sight as Envy smirked, feeling he got the message across. However now was the hard part.

Envy then entered the cell block, hearing the whispers of the prisoners go quiet the second the door slid open. His footsteps echoed across the entire time as he walked to their cell, where he stood at the gate to see the two women sitting at the furthest bed. Neither said a word, Miharu holding Karen close in a way to protect her, the girl not able to see the man from the nurse's hold.

"You know that food's going to waste." Envy said, looking to the steaming stew.

"…"

"It's beef and vegetables, most of my men here don't eat that good."

"…"

"It'd be best you two eventually eat, starving yourself doesn't help anyone."

"…"

Envy sighed at the silence and harsh glare of the nurse, reaching down to one of the bowl's of stew and talking a piece of beef out, eating it and motioning to show it wasn't poisoned. Miharu's glare remained unchanged, the Sin rolling his eyes at the supposed act of defiance. He entered the cell, the dread of the Abyss felt as Karen unconsciously held her breath, the depravity of Envy's presence alone feeling as sickening as Artorian when he'd lose control.

"You know, it's rude to ignore your host."

*CRACK*

"Ahhh!"

"Miharu!" Karen cried in fear as she heard a sickening crack and the nurse's scream, just being able to see that Envy broke the nurse's index finger, the digit bent in the completely wrong direction. And yet despite the clear pain the nurse kept Karen protected, Envy narrowing his gaze at the supposed act of defiance.

"Let's get one thing clear." Envy said as he gripped Miharu's jaw, silencing the woman as his eyes glowed white. "You are not here for anything besides loyalty. Had Cronu not been there you'd be buried under the rubble like the rest of the vermin that sides with Slayers. You are a nobody, and I can kill you like a nobody."

"…Is that all you have? Pathetic threats and pointless intimidation?" Miharu spoke when Envy released his hold, not backing down as he stared down at her.

The silence was deafening as the Sin kept his stare, Miharu remaining defiant. However, Envy's response was cruel as he in a blink broke Miharu's middle and ring fingers next, then striking her with the back of his fist and knocking her to the center of the cell.

"Miharu!"

"It seems you don't really understand the situation. You are nothing. I am more than okay with killing you, or making this process as painful as possible." To emphasize this, Envy pressed his foot down on Miharu's wounded leg, the nurse shouting in pain at the torture.

"Stop it! Leave her alone!" Karen pleaded to the man, his bloodlust snapping for a moment as he took his foot off of the woman. Karen flinched in fear when he turned, but was somehow more horrified when she felt him place his hand on her head, gently rubbing it as if to calm her.

"Well, it's good to see some things don't change, you're the same bleeding heart as ever." Envy's words struck fear into Karen's eyes, the words somehow genuine despite the cold indifference the man had to his violent outburst moment's ago. But the greatest fear came as she processed his words, realizing this man knew her.

She had been in the hospital for eight years before coming to Little Garden. From then no one could have known about her outside of the talks she has with Artorian, and none of the doctors or nurses in Yamato showed a hint of care to their conversations. Which meant this man knew her from before the Second Attack.

A clear image went through her head, her whole body shaking as she looked up and for the first time saw Envy's face, dread freezing her in place as she saw the scar that ran down the man's face. There were no words she could say, no way of expressing the terror she was feeling, and no way to respond to the horror she was in at this moment.

"K…K…Kai…" The only word Karen could say was the man's name, Miharu's eyes widening in realization as the Sin gave a small chuckle.

"It's been a long time Karen, I was afraid everyone had forgotten about me." Kai said, looking to the side. "It's been a… complicated ten years since I last saw you."

"I hate this waiting around." Artorian growled as he stood with his arms crossed, glaring into the interrogation room while Claire, Judal and Charlotte were attempting to get Amanda to talk. The woman was already treated for her injuries, needed in a more "cooperative" position to get her to be forthcoming on information.

"It's an important step, the two are good at what they do." Matthew responded, him having been the only member of Selections to have a high enough clearance to be present.

"The fuck are they gonna do, read her rights and slap her wrist?" The Abysswalker responded, turning to Matthew. "She's a business woman with enough resources she could get immunity in any court she wants. And Warslran is already in hot water for our mission getting her. Good going jackass."

"We got her, we're close Artorian." Matthew argued. "I know it's hard, but you need to reign yourself in. For just a few more hours."

"Matthew, we both know nothing those three say will get her to talk. She hates all three and clearly is willing to take the trial." Artorian stated, Matthew sighing but unable to argue with that point. "But us? We got something she's afraid of. And I am more than willing to use it."

"There's a process to this, what happens if you get your information and she's lost?"

"Then the terrorists lose a supplier and the entire fucking faction that took Karen."

"…Damn it." Matthew sighed in irritation, knowing that while getting every scrap of information from Amanda as possible was preferable, the fact they were able to get here without any trace of the rumored Vessels within the Anti-Slayer faction means she isn't important enough to warrant protection.

Not much more time passed before the three interrogators left Amanda in the room, the two hybrids not needing an answer to know the woman hadn't given up a shred of information.

"So, turns out you three aren't that great of interrogators?" Artorian questioned.

"We weren't able to fly anyone in due to our lockdown procedures. And if we lift it to bring one in that's an opening her lawyers or her contacts could use to get her released for trial." Claire stated.

"And if it goes to that, we lose our lead." Charlotte finished, the three behind Artorian and Matthew on the risk.

"Then how about you leave it to people who know how to get people to talk?" Artorian proposed.

"What experience could you have in interrogation?" Claire narrowed her gaze, wary of the growing animosity Artorian seemed to ooze.

"You can get anyone to talk with the right leverage." Artorian said, cracking his neck.

"The three of you represent public divisions; political, military, and scientific. You have reputations that can be exploited easily." Matthew added in. "My father is a war hero but has long retired, and Artorian's father has a checkered history that has half the world feel animosity towards him. Neither of us have an ounce to give her, but we have plenty to take on her."

"Your father's equipment." Judal hummed while rubbing his chin. After the raid they were short on time to acquire much from Amanda's vault, but they were focused on collecting Artorias' armor. And with Matthew in possession of his father's spearhead Amanda would be aware of the anger the prideful Lords would be at her. And that led to a chip in her defense as they have diplomatic immunity to an extent. "How long would you need."

"Five minutes."

"I could get her to talk in one if she's as informed as I think she is." Artorian said, getting a smirk from Judal.

"Judal this is irresponsible. Artorian's emotionally compromised and if we let him get close he could-"

"And no doubt Amanda herself knows that." Judal interrupted. "I say give them the chance. And if Artorian does go too far, Matthew will no doubt restrain him before we lose our resource."

Claire didn't like it. It was one thing to send Artorian to do this when he was composed, he could put a fool's front and lower someone's guard easily. But as he is now, with Karen and Miharu captured he was dangerous. And given his Lord strength, he wouldn't need a second to kill a civilian. Matthew was fast, but Artorian could crush her windpipe just in his motion to grab her. It was a gamble to put him anywhere so close to her.

"We don't have another option Claire." Charlotte spoke up, looking to the commander. "If we take too long we lose this lead. And if we can't condemn her with proof Warslran will be hit hard." Claire was hesitant, but there was a clear sign she understood the ramifications. "Artorian knows better than anyone here that Amanda's our one link to find Karen. He's the last person to kill her."

"That's what I'm afraid of…" Claire whispered to herself, closing her eyes in shame before relenting. "You get three minutes. And if you even lay a finger on her Matthew will stop you."

"Message received Commander." Artorian rolled his eyes, him and Matthew entering the interrogation room. The slam of the door echoed through the room, the tension thick in the air as Amanda was instantly on guard at the sight of the hybrids.

"So the top of the food chain is tired of wasting their breath so, they sick their dogs on me?" Amanda spat at the two. "You two have a lot of nerve to think you have any right to even be on this ship, with what your fathers have done to humanity."

"Matthew?"

"Yeah, don't worry." The hybrid responded coldly to Artorian, placing a hand on the door as lightning crackled across his arm.

"Threats? That's all?" Amanda scoffed. "Even if it weren't for the stunt at my residence or on the freeway, I'm not ill aware of your "miracles" Ornisium."

"You should be more scared of me." Artorian said, grabbing Amanda's dress by her shoulder and ripping her out of her chair, lifting her off her feet and slamming her to the cold wall.

"Damn it Artorian!" Claire was quick to try and intervene, but was caught off guard to see the door's system was deactivated. And that's when she saw through the glass that Matthew was coursing his lightning into the door, temporarily disrupting any effort to enter. "Matthew? Matthew! Open this door! That is an order!"

"You gave supplies to a faction of Anti-Slayers, I want to know where you sent them." Artorian said with a silent yet imposing voice, Amanda's attempt to pull his hand off not even getting him to flinch.

"Or what, you'll kill me?" Amanda goaded. "Don't take me for an idiot you dog, you can't kill me. You either lose your information or get imprisoned, not to mention you have no way of proving if I knew anything about it. My transactions are all legitimate, every court and government will see you harming an innocent civilian and cause hell for your people."

"There are things worse than death, Bankert." Artorian said with venom, lowering her to meet his glare. "I know that better than anyone else. And I bet you have an idea too."

"Your threats are pathetic Abyssal, I have nothing to fear from a worthless dog that not even his own race wants."

"Yes, my people don't like me, regardless of the side." Artorian said, his lips parting as he grew a toothy grin. "You've done some research Bankert, you know the right insults for us. Was that from curiosity, or do you have someone you needed to avoid pissing off."

"I haven't done any business with Lords, the thought is revolting."

"You're a shit liar Bankert!" Artorian shouted, slamming his free fist into the wall and denting it, the woman looking away as his eyes glared harsher.

"Lies are for the ignorant and weak, much like your ilk, Abyssal."

"Then how about I introduce you to the dirty secret I've held for the past ten years?" Artorian questioned, grabbing her jaw and turning her to stare into his eyes. "It's a good one, enough to drive you mad."

"What are you-!?" Amanda's poker face instantly cracked when she looked into Artorian's eyes. The once cold blue was replaced with a vibrant red, the hybrid's grip on the Abyss growing weaker and becoming physically visible now that he was pushing his limits. "W-What is this?"

"A dirty little secret for the urchin of the planet." Artorian hissed, the Abyss' mist slowly seeping out of him. At that second Amanda's eyes were wide in fear, recognizing the entity in front of her.

"Y-You're… you're a…"

"Ten seconds Bankert."

"It isn't possible, he said it wasn't-!"

"Six seconds."

"Don't do this!" Amanda began to panic, kicking her feet at the hybrid and not getting him to budge. "You can't do this! If you don't stop I'll-!"

"ONE SECOND!"

"SALEM!" As soon as the name left Amanda's lips Artorian tossed her to the ground, the woman convulsing in fear as she clutched her head, muttering to herself as she was making sure her thoughts were her own.

"Salem, that's the largest desert in the Middle East." Artorian said, figuring he got the information. "Frequent sandstorms that go a kilometer high. Explains how they likely stayed under the UN's radar."

"With it limited to a single desert, tracking the base won't be difficult." Matthew said, before looking down to Amanda. "What about her?"

"I'm Amanda Fairbanks Bankert, I'm Amanda Fairbanks Bankert, I'm Amanda Fairbanks Bankert, I'm Amanda Fairbanks Bankert…" The woman muttered to herself, rocking and crying in relief as she was the one saying these words, matching with her thoughts.

"She recognized It, which means she knew the risks." Artorian stated, his fellow hybrid looking to him before he rolled his eyes, the red turning back to blue as he composed himself. "She's clean."

"Good." Matthew said, removing his hand from the door and stepping back as it opened with Claire on the other side.

"What in the world were you thinking! I gave you both strict orders to-!"

"We're dealing with terrorists Claire, I don't give a fuck how harsh I am." Artorian spat at the blonde. "We got our location, be thankful I did in one minute what you wouldn't in a day."

"Salem desert, it'll be hard to get a signal through the storms. But if it's there we'll find it within a few hours." Charlotte stated, looking to Artorian as he stepped out.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

(A/N): Don't have much excuses here, things have been getting busy irl and with a mix of stress and distractions I hadn't managed to write this much. I also had to constantly change things to fit a written format better, otherwise I would have wasted too many chapters on buildup events. I believe I've said it at some point, but original arcs are normally story killers for me, so I feel safer taking the key points I made and focusing on the necessities. I've included stuff I originally deemed unnecessary, I'm just trying to best operate the story as to tell what I'm trying to do.

But with this chapter getting the pieces in place, I'm hoping to get the kick and the action of the arc started soon. And with the players involved and their circumstances, I hope I can make this arc a good read for everyone. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in the next one I've already started.

Peace!