The skies over Leeves were a serene shade of blue and orange as the evening skies soon bathed the entire town in a dusky glow.
Soon Rean, Juna, Kurt and Altina had met up with Emma, Musse and Ash who hadn't managed to find anything on their end. However, before anyone could say anything, Rean suddenly felt buzzing from his ARCUS II.
As he picked it up, he saw it was Towa who was desperately trying to reach him.
"Rean!" Towa began, her tone serious. "We just got word from Major Micheal. There's been a commotion at the main plaza in Leeves. Witnesses are reporting masked individuals causing havoc."
"What!?" Rean said, his jaw tightening. "I didn't think that the Vanguard would be making their move this soon."
Emma soon looked worried "We have to go and help them!"
Everyone soon nodded and made their way back to the Branch Campus.
By the time the group reached the town plaza, the scene was utter chaos. Civilians were fleeing in all directions as masked operatives of the Ghost Vanguard moved methodically, setting up strange devices that emitted an ominous hum.
"Get everyone to safety!" Rean shouted as he drew his sword. "We'll handle this!"
Class VII sprang into action. Juna led a group of townspeople to safety, her tonfas glowing as she fended off an operative attempting to intercept them. Kurt moved like a blur, his sword strikes swift and precise, disarming enemies before they could react.
Altina's combat shell deployed its blades, protecting fleeing civilians from incoming projectiles as Ash and Musse provided cover. "This area is clear," she called out. "We can move further in."
Emma meanwhile saw the orbment that the Vanguard and suddenly got a strange feeling, as it felt similar to the power of the Divine Knights that she had experienced during the Rivalries during the Great Twilight.
"Rean!" Emma said to him. "You need to disable that orbment now!"
Rean nodded but as he prepared to do it, the blade of his tachi was soon blocked. Soon a figure stepped out from the shadows—a man clad in black armor with a distinctive ghostly insignia on his chest. His face was hidden behind a mask, but his voice carried a chilling authority as it confirmed that it was the same man they had met in Parm.
"So, the Ashen Chevalier himself graces us with his presence," the man said, his tone dripping with mockery. "I was hoping you'd show up."
Rean raised his blade. "And who might you be? You didn't exactly give us your name back in Parm."
"Call me Wraith," the man replied. "Not that it'll matter much when this town is reduced to ashes."
Without warning, Wraith lunged at Rean, his speed nearly overwhelming. Their blades clashed, the sound ringing out across the plaza. Rean quickly realized that Wraith was no ordinary opponent—his movements were calculated and brutal, his strikes carrying a force that made Rean's arm tremble.
Meanwhile, Class VII regrouped to assist Rean.
"Instructor, we're here!" Juna called out, rushing to his side.
"No! Focus on the devices!" Rean shouted back, narrowly parrying another strike. "If those go off, it's over!"
While Rean held off Wraith, the rest of the team split up to dismantle the devices scattered across the plaza.
Juna and Altina tackled the first device, with Altina's combat shell prying open its casing while Juna fought off operatives attempting to stop them.
"This thing is rigged with a self-destruct mechanism," Altina said, her fingers flying over the controls. "I need more time!"
"You'll get it!" Juna shouted, delivering a powerful blow to an approaching enemy.
Kurt, meanwhile, worked on the second device with the help of Musse and Ash, who had arrived as reinforcements.
"You know, these guys really know how to ruin a perfectly good day," Ash grumbled as he knocked out an operative with his axe.
"Focus, Ash," Kurt said, disabling the device with a precise strike of his sword.
Back at the main device, Rean was locked in an intense battle with Wraith. The man's blade crackled with dark energy, each strike forcing Rean to dig deeper into his strength.
"You're good," Wraith admitted, his voice calm despite the ferocity of their duel. "But you can't stop what's coming. The Vanguard's plans are already in motion."
"Maybe not," Rean said, his eyes blazing with determination. "But I can stop you."
Summoning the power of his Spirit Unification, Rean's attacks became faster and more powerful. He unleashed a flurry of strikes, forcing Wraith to retreat.
Before Wraith could recover, Rean slammed the hilt of his blade into the device, sending a surge of energy through it. Sparks flew, and the machine began to overload.
"This isn't over, Schwarzer," Wraith growled before disappearing into the shadows.
With Wraith gone and the devices disabled, the plaza finally fell silent. The townspeople began to emerge from their hiding places, their expressions a mix of fear and gratitude.
"You did it," Emma said, walking up to Rean.
"For now," Rean replied, his gaze lingering on the spot where Wraith had vanished. "But this was just the beginning. The Vanguard isn't going to stop until they've accomplished their goal."
Altina approached, holding a small data chip she'd recovered from one of the devices. "This contains information about their next target. We should analyze it immediately."
Rean nodded. "Agreed. Let's get back to the Branch Campus and regroup."
However, before they could even get a moment to catch their breaths about what just happened, there was a rumbling like a earthquake that nearly knocked the seven of them over. Soon all of them soon looked to see what was approaching the town as a giant Panzer Soldat covered in both gold and white soon approached with dozen of the orbments embedded within it as, it's pilot: a Vanguard lieutenant soon chuckled.
Soon the seven of them drew their weapons but with all of them knowing that this battle was far from over.