The city echoed with endless gunshots and explosions as chaos ensued in what was once a peaceful city.

Armed thugs gathered and struck all at once to stir up trouble across the burning buildings for their own selfish desires.

Gangs against gangs, gangs against the shattered police force, and everyone else against each other. Caught in between a rock and a hard place.

On this day, anarchy swallowed every corner of the DU.

The party of six ran through the streets with one single objective. Their eyes darted left and right, scanning for any threats that could sabotage their escort mission.

Yuuka ran in the very front, with Suzumi and Rin following closely. Chinatsu and Hasumi were in the rear, and Hans was at the very back.

To protect him, they said. It was a funny thought when he thinks of it—that he, the one who had been doing the same thing for countless years, was now being escorted in turn by angels, of all things.

Yet, skepticism still lingers about what the students really are.

Are the halos paranormal in truth, or have they been augmented? Merely mortals with some sort of device?

Are they true angels, or just a shadow of a shadow?

"Uhm… Vice President, Sensei is glaring again…" Yuuka whispered.

"Let him be. He is... still very confused, after all," Rin whispered back.

Their march unhindered as they continued on, through the raging fires across the war-torn city, the massive holes on the streets, the burning buildings, vehicles, and other debris and garbage set aflame by the gangers. They kept on moving forward even as explosions mixed with gunshots rang out from every direction.

This same feeling again.

"KRIEG! KRIEG! KRIEG! KRIEG!

Der Racheplan. Where every last strength of Millennium fell upon London with maddened grins driven by their own desire to cause endless war and to fight the greatest foe Millennium had ever faced since the mass setback of their project in 1944.

All thanks to him, the boy, and the organization. Everything fell apart.

The Knights Of Her Majesty.

The Hidden Monarchy.

The Hunters.

Hellsing.

KABOOM!

A nearby explosion stopped them in their tracks as a few gangers noticed them.

"Look there, the Vice President and some GSC bastards! Get her!" One of the masked sukeban girls shouted.

Twelve of them of all shapes and sizes ran out from various buildings with their signature masks poorly hiding their faces. "Get them!"

RATATATATATATATATATAT!

They immediately began firing at the crew, jumpstarting the firefight.

Rin ducked and hid behind cover, followed by Suzumi, Chinatsu, and Hasumi, although the raven jumped a few meters back to get a better angle for her weapon of choice.

As they got into cover, Yuuka foolishly stood in the middle of the firefight, continuing to run and gun towards the fire. Hans didn't know if it was bravery or pure idiocy, but his legs tensed as he prepared to jump and pull her back... until he saw a bullet strike her noggin.

The captain stopped in his tracks, closing his eyes. She was as good as dead. He sighed and reopened his eyelids expecting blood and brain matter to splatter on the streets.

But instead what he got was a loud scream of wrath and pain, followed the sound of something hitting a hard surface.

"ITAAAII!"

He saw not a bloodied corpse, but an angry treasurer who kept eating bullet after bullet as she continued blasting away more and more of the delinquents with her dual SMGs in her rage.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT YOU JERKS!"

Hans blinked to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Then… he shook his head at the sight in front of him.

Of course. Why would he be so worried?

Acting as their support, the captain pulled out his twin long-barreled Mausers and fired with the others. Standing next to Yuuka out in the open like a damn large target. The delinquents noticed, but just as they began to line up Sensei in their crosshairs, bullets met them head-on.

"Sensei! What are you doing?! Get to cover!" Rin shouted, staring at Hans who refused to heed her advice. Hans glanced at her and shook his head, keeping his focus towards the enemies as he kept on firing.

Bullet after bullet as it met their targets with a bang. One by one, the delinquents tumbled and fell as their halos blinked in and out before fading away.

Are they dead? Hans walked over to one of them and poked their leg. A twitch, the way their chest rose up and down, and the slow, trembling breaths coming from their lips allowed him safely come to a conclusion.

That they're knocked out.

As he took in the scenery, a certain elf walked to him with hot rage in her eyes.

"Sensei! Do you know how reckless you are?! You might get hurt!" Rin shouted at him, raising her index finger as he poked him in the chest. A surprised look came upon his blood-red eyes as he wondered the reason for her reprimand.

"Eh? Isn't it fine though? Wouldn't our halos protect us?" Yuuka tilted her head in confusion.

"Yes! But sensei doesn't have one!" Rin pointed out the obvious to the girls.

And then... it snapped, one by one, on their heads, causing them to stop dead in their tracks upon the late realization.

The adult in front of them is completely haloless.

He was fragile as an egg,

and a single bullet could've ended him right then.

Hans silently shook his head, causing Rin to tremble with the same burning rage until she let go. Releasing it to the winds. Thinking that maybe... maybe he was just that stupidly brave.

"You're lucky now, but next time… please get behind some cover!"

Hans thought for a moment before he nodded, considering their worry-filled faces to ease their concerns. Then, the captain glanced at Yuuka as he walked toward her, reaching out and cupping her cheeks without warning.

"F-Fweeh?! Sensei?! What are you doing?!" She trembled, a raging blush forming on her cheeks as she felt warm from his gentle yet firm touch. Her mind raced, spinning, and mixing together in an attempt to form coherent sentence, yet all that came out was mumbles.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to her predicament, Hans inspected her face—up and down, then to her neck as he studied them. There was no blood, no holes, no nothing. Just slight bruising here and there like she'd been hit by a small plastic pellet. Satisfied, he released her face, ignoring the fact that she is still blushing.

"Uuugh... um… sensei! T-They're using JHP rounds! T-That's cheating! Why do we have to be the ones fighting them anyway?!" Yuuka complained as she spoke to Hans, then glared at Rin while she rubbed her bruised body, quickly changing the embarrassing topic as Hans tilted his head.

"Because, from what I heard, Valkyrie's got their hands full." Suzumi answered as she reloaded her weapon, having recovered somewhat from the bold skinship their new teacher had shown as she cleared her mind from the sight before.

"You should've gotten to cover. Besides, hollow points aren't illegal, you know." Hasumi sighed.

"Well, they're illegal in my academy, starting now! It hurts, and it might leave a mark!"

Chinatsu followed behind with a small blush and inspected Yuuka as well. "U-Uhm. You're fine Miss Hayase. Just a little bruise on your forehead." Then from her bag, she took one of the syringes and injected the liquid right into Yuuka's arm.

"Yow! Oh! Oh... I feel... much better actually... thank you, um... Miss Hinomiya."

"No problem." Chinatsu smiled before she turned to Hans. "Um... Hans-sensei. Are you hurt anywhere? I don't see any wounds but…" Chinatsu asked, trying to be sure.

Hans shook his head and reloaded his twin Mausers.

"...Alright. Let's continue." Rin sighed and rubbed her temples as they continued their sprint towards SCHALE. Eager to just... continue on their journey.

Somewhere else, a masked terror chuckled to herself.

Marching with an army behind her, as they turned the city upside down.

Marching towards a single objective right in front of their eyes.

"…Ahh… so this is the building… hmm.. It doesn't look like much but if it's important to the General Student Council... hehehehe…."

She said sadistically. A mad grin forming beneath her mask.

"Haah… I can't wait~"

The captain marched alongside them as they reached a marketplace of some sort, trouble following right behind. Never leaving them and sticking

Some shooting here, some shooting there, and soon all the hostiles were down. This time, Hans had the liberty of moving and dodging. He doubted the bullets would do anything to him, but he wanted the girls not to worry too much about him. It was as if he were saying,

'I can take care of myself. Don't worry about me.'

As they fought more of the gangers and thugs alike, Hans took note of the fact that bullets could be considered non-lethal for the girls, but judging by the looks of it… they would still hurt like hell.

He wondered if they had some sort of weakness. Are they truly impervious to physical attacks only? What if they were chocked? Poisoned? Hit by an explosion? Or…

He shook his head, and changed his focus to somewhere else.

"OW! HEY!"

Again, the treasurer shouted in pain. Hans sighed at reckless nature, jumping directly into the line of fire and acting as their "tank" as she ate bullet after bullet. Considering her and the rest of the students' strange durability, he needn't worry much. Though, he would still push her or anyone else to cover when the situation called.

As she was confident in her resilience, just in case, she had some sort of a barrier technology.

It was a bit of a surprise to him the first time she pulled out the device. She punched in some numbers, and a blue, round barrier made of light and hexagons formed around her like a protective bubble.
Then, as always on their trek, the firefight ended fairly quickly.

But before they could continue,

KABOOM!

A loud explosion rang out close to them, followed by a scream.

"KYAAA!"

"Wait, I recognize that scream. Sensei, I think we should make a detour and check it out," Suzumi said, walking toward Hans with determination in her red eyes. Hans looked ahead and gave his approval with a nod. Suzumi nodded back, then ran ahead with Hans following closely behind.

"Wait! Suzumi! Sensei!" Rin shouted as the rest of the students paused for a moment before running to catch up.

The two continued forward until the sight of a burning building surrounded by thugs came into view, one of them holding a smoking M1 bazooka in her hands, confirming they were responsible for the explosion. They looked back in surprise, but before the thugs could fire, the duo shot first. Suzumi threw flashbangs while Hans fired at them with his twin Mausers.

"OUCH!"

"OW!"

"Bastards! Eat this- AHHH MY EYES!"

Then, in just a few clicks, they were all down for the count.

"You know, sensei, you're a good shot," Suzumi complimented with a small smile, to which he responded with a nod and she returned with a nod as well.

"A-Are you back up?! Wait! T-There's still more…!" A voice shouted from one of the floors of the building, but was interrupted by a rocket whirring towards her location.

KABOOM!

Another rocket rammed toward Suzumi and Hans, missing them entirely as Hans immediately pushed Suzumi behind cover.

"T-Thank you, sensei."

"T-THEY'VE GOT RPGs and snipers coming ahead!" The voice from inside the building shouted again. "I-I wish I could do more, but I'm out of ammo!"

"...Uuu… Oh, I should've taken the day off..." another voice muttered.

"S-Sensei! Don't run away that fast!" Yuuka shouted as she came into view with the others. Immediately, Hans gestured for them to take cover. Upon noticing the new gang of gangsters wearing motorcycle masks, they quickly complied, providing additional firepower to clear them out.

Hans then ran, or rather dashed to Hasumi, patting her on the shoulders and breaking her focus.

"Eh?! Sensei?" Hasumi jumped in surprise as Hans tapped her rifle and pointed toward the backlines of those thugs.

"O-Oh! Got it."

He didn't notice at how close he was. Hasumi cleared her throat and calmed herself.

Then, as she aimed, a somewhat menacing aura radiated from her before her gun exploded with power, engulfing the bullet in thick black smoke as it struck one of the thugs right in the head. Sending her spinning before the thug collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Hans gave a satisfied nod as he reloaded and began firing again alongside the students. Just a few more minutes later, the area was littered with knocked-out troublemakers and bullet holes.

"Up there, are you alright?" Suzumi asked.

"Um…yeah! Wait, Suzumi?" A head popped up, revealing a girl wearing the traditional outfit of a Japanese police officer, colored white, with cool purple canisters and other accessories.

Her halo was a pale purple circle, with two Celtic knots going inside and outside the circle, intertwining with each other. Her long, white hair was twin-braided, and her ocean-blue eyes flashed with joy, filled with tears, while her lips formed a glad and cheery smile—Running down out into the open as she leaped and hugged Suzumi.

"Waah! I thought we're goners…!" The policewoman cried.

"Ooh… I really should've gone back home…" The second girl exits. A tired yawn left her lips as she rubbed the back of her head. She wore the same uniform as the first girl. But she wore it casually, and instead of purple her accessories were hot pink.

Her hair is blue and tied into two long twintails, and her halo is much the same design like the first one. Celtic knots formed pink hearts and a four-leafed clover instead of a circle and a crosshair.

"H-hweh?! I-is that the GSC vice prez?!" The lazy one exclaimed, with now fully open eyes. The white-haired one immediately shuddered in panic and released her hug from Suzumi.

"AAAH! U-um! Nakatsukasa Kirino of the Public Safety Bureau, reporting for duty!" She immediately composed herself and gave a salute like a proper officer.

"Ugh… how troublesome.. Nemugaki Fubuki. I'm the same as Kirino." Fubuki sighed and rubbed the back of her head, causing Rin to twitch an eye.

She really reminded her of Momoka.

Immediately, Kirino gave a light jab to her companion. "Fubuki!"

Fubuki just gave a shrug in which Kirino returned with pout and a sigh.

"At ease, Kirino, Fubuki. What happened? Are there any more Valkyrie Police Academy students with you?" Rin finally spoke up, adjusting her glasses.

"No, it's just me and Fubuki. W-We're on patrol! And… we've been tasked with apprehending… Kosaka Wakamo."

"Huh?! Wait, WAKAMO?! IT'S HER WHO BROKE OUT?! THE FOX OF CALAMITY?! A-and aren't you two just—you know?! Managing simple and harmless tasks?!" Yuuka pointed out, her voice full of fear.

"Yes! But… in this chaos, we are spread thin, and most of us are unavailable. E-Even Captain Kanna herself, who first wanted to join us, had her hands tied, a-and we couldn't reach SRT Academy…"

Rin sighed. "Because the GSC does not have the authority to do so. Believe me, if we could, we wouldn't be here in the first place. Do you know where she is heading?"

"She's um… heading toward a building north from here, a few kilometers away, with a large group for some reason…"

Rin bit her nail. "That's… ugh. Sensei, we should make haste." Then her eyes went to the two police officers. "Kirino, Fubuki, would you join us? We could use your help."

Fubuki frowned, and Kirino's eyes lit up.

"I-"

"WE WOULD GLADLY!" Kirino interrupted, cutting off Fubuki.

"H-Hey! We're out of bullets, remember?!" Fubuki complained, which made Kirino stop in her tracks.

"O-Oh… right…" Kirino's smile faded. She really wanted to help…

Hans looked around before walking over to the downed thugs. "Hm? Sensei?" Chinatsu asked as Hans started to scrounge around. Picking up a random sidearm, he inspected it, gathered the ammo, then walked over to Kirino and offered it to her. "E-Eh?! U-um… wh-who are you?"

"Kirino, Fubuki, this is Hans-sensei, and he will help us in the crisis," Rin pointed out with a strange look on her face.

"A teacher? I see… o-oh! Wait, s-sensei! I-I can't take this gun! I-I might be out… but I don't want to steal, you know?" Kirino looked sideways in shame. Taking notice of this, Hans set the looted sidearm down and instead offered her his own gun.

"B-but…"

"If that's the case, then I can't let you-"

"E-Eh?! No, no! I-um… okay. I really want to help you guys out." Kirino steeled herself with a determined look in her eyes as she took the pistol Hans offered. It was a little too long for her, but she could make it work. Or at least, she hoped she could.

Meanwhile, Fubuki sighed and 'borrowed' a magazine from a downed thug. "Eh… this will do."

"Fubuki?!" Kirino gasped.

"What? I'm just borrowing this."

"B-But…"

"Officer Kirino, Officer Fubuki. Sorry, but we're on a tight schedule." Rin interrupted the exchange with a clap of her hand.

"Okay. Okay... I'll b-borrow your Mauser, sensei."

With that, the Valkyrie students joined the group as they ran toward the building alongside Hans and the others.

"Uuuwahhh! Where is Irohaa…?! Uwaaah!"

"Shh… Ibuki, we'll find her, okay?" Chinatsu cooed, shooting her own Mauser while trying to keep Ibuki from crying.

The younger child was called Ibuki as Chinatsu had said. A lovable mascot from Gehenna, with an oversized coat and cute blonde hair tied into twin tails. Giving the perfect image of a cute and funny student.

But Hans remained stoic, a frown forming on his lips as he blasted away thug after thug with his single trusty Mauser, stealing glances at the young demon girl.

This really brings up the memories of 1933… What's next? Giant banners displaying the logo of the school?

He wasn't going to think about it. No, he won't.

On the other side, Kirino was doing well... if she was in a missing contest. Her aim is terribly bad, even with that elongated barrel. The best thing she could do is to toss a few smoke grenades here, and even going for a hand to hand combat.

Now that he thought about it… his sidearms were indeed a little silly, just like that blonde Iscariot girl had said. Yet, they were his guns, he enjoyed them, and he didn't care to what that girl had said. So he kept using them. Firing bullet after bullet until he has to reload.

As the prolonged firefight continued, a stray rocket rushed towards him and Ibuki. Instinctively, Hans picked up the child, hoisting her onto his shoulders as he dashed quickly into an alley, leaving a trail of mist behind as it struck into a distant building. Lighting it up, and sending it down.

"Wooah… hehe! So high!" Ibuki yelped, then let out a small giggle, reaching out to cling to his neck. Ignorant of the near hit scenario she had just experienced.

"Hey… hey, sensei? Can I wear your hat?" Ibuki asked, but before waiting for an answer, she removed his field cap and replaced it with her smaller officer's cap. "Here, sensei! You can use mine! Hehe… it's so big!" She fiddled with it, letting the visor hide her eyes.

Hans gave a silent smile. At least she wasn't crying anymore.

Raising his free hand, he gently rubbed her hair, earning another fit of giggles.

The pup is a good kid.

The captain exited the alley, with a confident nod, he continued the firefight with even more caution alongside with the students. Ibuki acting as his trusty second pair of eyes just in case.

Then, a low rumble reached their ears—a sound both familiar and unfamiliar. It was a tank. Moments later, an explosion followed as its barrel fired.

KABOOM!

The shell directly hit and destroyed vehicles and debris, along with the thugs using them as makeshift barricades.

Their surprised and pained shouts echoed as they tumbled down the streets, their resolve fading away. Rumbling into view, his eyes widened for a moment—it was none other than the beloved and most iconic sight in the grand days of the war.

A shiny, well-maintained Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger rolling into the battlefield. Crushing anything under the terrifying rumble of steel.

"Ah! Look over there! Our beloved Panzer company is crushing them to bits with our brand new Ausführung H! Doesn't zis excite you, ja?

The grand war… our beloved war… is just starting…"

Hans shook the memory away.

"Iroha!" Ibuki waved as she continued to cling to the extremely confused captain.

"Ibuki!" A red-haired girl popped out of the Panzer and smiled.

"Wait! Iroha! Help us finish the troublemakers first!" Chinatsu shouted as some stragglers still fought feverishly. She stood behind the bruised treasurer and injected more of her personal mix into the girl.

"Yeouch!"

"...Chinatsu? Huh. Hold on." The red-haired girl, or rather Iroha, looked surprised for a moment before she nodded and popped back down into the tank, rotating its barrel… and,

KABOOM!

"AHH!"

"THAT TANK IS ON THEIR SIDE?!"

"RUN! RUNN!"

"HEY! DON'T RUN, YOU COWARDS! TAKE THIS!" Yuuka shouted, having recovered enough strength thanks to Chinatsu's special blend. She tossed her empty magazines aside before harshly slamming in fresh ones. With a pull of the trigger, her dual SMGs mowed down the fleeing gang members. Iroha's arrival had turned the tables dramatically, just with a few shots of the Panzer.

The skirmish ended as quickly as it had begun, leaving no further complications except for the incoming shortage for bullets if they keep on fighting like this.

"Ibuki, what did I tell you about going off on your own? And who's that adult with you?" Iroha demanded with a raised eyebrow at the enigmatic adult, wearing that large greatcoat that hid his body and half of his face.

Though even so, it doesn't matter.

Iroha can't read his blank lips. Just like everyone here who had tried to do the same. Only cold conviction remained in those bloody iris of his. An overwhelming presence that clouded the sun itself.

She could as well tremble… if she hadn't known the Head Prefect. Yet this… he's...

He is much more terrifying than her.

Iroha shudders to imagine what thoughts lie behind that veil of iron-clad silence and soul-piercing gaze.

What dreams of chronic and sustained cruelty?

"Um—hweh… what's your name again mister?" Ibuki asked the adult. Yet all she got as an answer is his silence.

"Ahem. This is Hans-sensei. Miss Natsume, Ibuki." Chinatsu cleared her throat and answered the question in his position. "A teacher sent by… the GSC President in her absence."

"What? She's gone missing? I guess that explains the sudden influx of thugs coming to Gehenna…" Iroha said thoughtfully before glancing at the adult who had remained silent all along. Still with Ibuki sitting on his shoulder. "...A teacher, huh?"

Iroha raised an eyebrow. Keeping her guard as once more she tried to see the man underneath the neck guard and cap.

Yet again, nothing.

Hans replied with a nod, before he reached up, and plucked Ibuki off from his shoulders—putting the girl down as gently as he could even if she had protested. His eyes kept on boring to Iroha. Studying her appearance and whatever it is he is looking at.

Iroha' had long, wavy crimson hair and her appearance closely matched Ibuki's style. The same oversized black coat and matching officer's cap.

Her halo is an indigo-blue circle with four evenly spaced spikes and a rhombus at the top that extends through the circle

"I see. Well, my name is Natsume Iroha of Gehenna's Pandemonium Society. And this is-"

"You know me! Ibuki! Nice to meet you, sensei! Ehehe!" Ibuki cut off Iroha, raising her hand high in greeting before she hugged the tall captain. Meanwhile, Iroha sighed and then shook head. "Ibuki… what did I tell you about keeping polite?"

Hans didn't react much except for a miniscule shrug, and small pats on Ibuki's back. In which she accepts gladly.

"What are you doing here in the first place?" Chinatsu asked Iroha, folding her arms.

Iroha shrugs lazily. "Ibuki wanted to see the chaos. Makoto and I tried to refuse her, but… well, you know we can't say no to her."

"I see." Chinatsu sighed at their antics before walking over to Kirino—who was busy rubbing her fresh bruises—and administered another syringe.

"Ow! Um… thanks, Miss Hinomiya." The young police officer smiled.

"Miss Natsume Iroha of the Pandemonium Society, correct?" Rin stepped forward and addressed her.

Iroha glanced at Rin, shock passing over her face before disappearing just as quickly. "Vice President Nanagami Rin… it's quite the sight seeing you here as well."

"The situation calls for it." Rin replied coolly. "I have… a favor to ask. The GSC will compensate you accordingly."

"What kind of favor?" Iroha asked, cautiously. Studying whatever words Rin will say.

Rin cleared her throat. "We need your firepower for the challenge we might face later. Specifically, we need you to escort us to a building just a few minutes up north."

Iroha raised an eyebrow. "...You're gathering quite the army, Miss Nanagami. Trinity, Millennium, Valkyrie, the teacher... and now you're gunning for me? What's so special about this building?"

Rin's gaze remained unyielding. "...For the relief of the crisis around us. It'll make sense soon, Miss Natsume. Please understand."

The tanker narrowed her eyes, her mind calculating—troubles and rewards, the potential compensation from the GSC. But…

If it means putting Ibuki in danger, it's not worth it.

"No can do. Sorry, Miss Nanagami. Ibuki, let's-"

But Ibuki had other plans. She tugged on Iroha's coat with a pout. "Iroha… but they kept me safe! And sensei even let me borrow his hat! Can we please help them?"

Iroha stood still for a moment, her resolve faltering. She really wanted to refuse again, to find any excuse to protect this damn cute and funny girl—for her own peace and loitering to remain undisturbed. In But… those damned puppy eyes...

"...Ugh, fine. But only for a little."

"Yay!"

Iroha sighed and held the blonde as they climbed back on the Panzer.

"Ooh! Ooh! Sensei, climb up here too!" Ibuki offered her tiny hands eagerly, but Hans shook his head.

"Sensei, go ahead. We're fine walking," Suzumi spoke up.

"Sensei… pleeease?" Ibuki's pleading voice was almost too much to resist.

He gave her a look before resignation came into his eyes—accepting her tiny hands, he let her carry him up into the pride of Germany. It had been a while since he'd last ridden one of these.

When had that been?

...Well, it doesn't matter.

"Lead the way, Vice President," Iroha sighed, her voice carrying the weight of her own will's defeat. "...and thank Ibuki instead of me. Come on.' Iroha motioned for the elf to stand on the tank.

"Of course."

A small smile tugged on the corners of the Vice President's lips as she climbed on, raising her hand towards their destination.

As expected, her help had been a gift from heaven. The panzer was an invaluable asset, bulldozing through troubles both literal and figurative without breaking a sweat. For all they knew, the rest of the journey to SCHALE was going to be a breeze.

No ganger no nothing would interrupt them on this long sprint. Just a few more minutes left, a few steps, just a little bit more with Iroha's tank leading the way.

The clock ticked on as meters after meters flew by, and eventually... their eyes met the building.

But, as they had feared, it was not going to be as simple as just walking in. They had lost the race, and someone else was already waiting standing right in front of the building.

A modified crusader tank loomed, flanked by an army of delinquents from every corner of the city's gangs. A megaphone suddenly crackled to life, and a woman in a fox mask and black furisode emerged from the building's entrance.

She leaped effortlessly onto the tank's turret, her figure both striking and unsettling.

Floating gently above her head was a halo—a black cherry blossom encircling a sniper's sight and an anarchy symbol.

Hans squinted, narrowing his gaze.

Are those fox ears?

The cannon spun toward them as firearms clicked and aimed.

"Ah—ah, ah ah… testing… testing…" The woman's voice was sultry and flirtatious, laced with her feverish obsession with chaos. "Hehe, finally, we meet face to face with the General Student Council~!"

Her tone hung in the air, dripping with menace as the tension thickened around them. The gangers, their eyes burning with a certain gleam of madness, shining with the joy of the fight and chaos, readied themselves for the inevitable fight.

After all, not just anyone follows the Fox of Calamity.

On the other hand, the students didn't hesitate to respond with equal resolve the gangers show.

Suzumi readied her flashbangs, a dark scowl forming on her lips.

Yuuka slammed fresh magazines into her SMGs, checking her device with a sharp focus.

Rin's fingers inched toward her sidearm, her eyes locked in a deadly glare at the fox.

Chinatsu tightened her grip on her bag, taking deep breaths to steady her racing heart.

Hasumi steadied her rifle, her wings spreading wide as she took on the image of a harbinger of justice.

Kirino gripped the borrowed Mauser tighter than ever before, cold sweat trickling down her neck and collar—at the same time, she dragged the terrified Fubuki into position.

Iroha clenched her fists, sweat streaming down her face as she aimed the Panzer's barrel directly at the gangers.

And in the background… there was Ibuki.

Grinning and giggling, blissfully ignorant of the tension mounting around her as she played with the captain field cap.

Oblivious to the rising storm of conflict, where two factions prepared for war over the heritage left behind by the missing president.

"...Ooh, I should've slacked off and called in sick today..."

Fubuki groaned, her voice barely a whisper from her dread.

Lastly, there was Hans.

Standing in the middle of it with the same emotionless expression he had from the start of their journey, to this very second.

An image, a pure manifestation of focus and strength forged into a single person.

The woman's voice broke through the silence again, dripping with honeyed malice. "Hehe… I don't know what's inside that building, but you don't mind if I destroy it, right~? Hm? What's that? You don't?"

With a smirk hidden underneath her mask, she raised her rifle, the barrel now directly aimed at them.

"Hehe... then do try to stop me~"

With a spin, the fox tapped the tank with the butt of her rifle, as the chambers locked, munitions loaded…

And an iron tipped fireball exploded out from the barrel of the machine of war, followed not soon after by the deafening gunshots of a thousand firearms.

KABOOM!

RATATATATATAT!

"TAKE COVER!" Rin shouted as the students immediately ran towards any kind of cover they could find. Behind cars, behind walls, trashcans, Iroha's tank, and anything else as the bullets made holes and ricocheted.

The two sides fired at each other. Deafening and burning the image of a peaceful Kivotos they all had known, as the two groups continue their exchange.

There is only anarchy.

A shell struck Iroha's Panzer, shaking it violently from the direct hit. "Tch!" Iroha clicked her tongue before quickly returning fire.

Hans leapt to her side, tapping her shoulder and pointing to the mass of gangers on the backlines. Snipers and a few armed with heavy miniguns.

"Heh, got it," Iroha nodded and raised her Walther P38K. Firing it to the air as fire and iron erupted from the Panzer, striking the backline with a mighty explosion. Sending the unlucky gangers flying and crashing to the pavement with a sickening thud.

"Nice shot!" Yuuka shouted with excitement. Leaping out from the cover, emptying her magazine in a rapid burst. Her blue shield shimmered, blocking incoming bullets coming to her side. "It's not over yet!"

The captain leapt down from the Panzer and tapped Suzumi on the shoulder, pointing ahead toward the rushing gangers with shotguns trying to flank them. Suzumi nodded in confirmation, tossing a flashbang into their feet as it exploded with a deafening pop.

"AHHH!"

The disoriented gangers were left open for Hasumi to finish off. Round after round, bullet after bullet, spent casings flew from her rifle as she took those thugs down one by one.

This much is nothing.

"Yow!" Fubuki yelped as a bullet grazed her head.

"W-watch out!" Kirino shouted, tossing a smoke grenade to cover their retreat. Chinatsu immediately rushed to Fubuki's side, pressing a small ice pack to the groaning policewoman's forehead.

"Uwah… I want a day off…!"

Fubuki shouted.

Meanwhile, The Fox of Calamity clicked her tongue in annoyance. This was getting tedious. These thugs she gathered were useless.

Looks like she'd have to lend these bums a hand.

There, the treasurer and the flashbang maniac were leading the charge toward victory.

Too bad.

A black cherry blossom bloomed above them, its petals swirling through the air... coming down and down to gather around the duo.

"What the…?" Yuuka looked around, her gaze narrowing as the petals surrounded them, accumulating into a swirling mass.

And then, she realized what was happening.

"Suzum-!"

KABOOM!

The duo screamed as they were caught in the blast of a powerful explosion as the petals scattered.

Yuuka's shield broke apart, tossing her a few meters and Suzumi coughed, choking on dust and debris as she fell on her knees.

"...Dammit!" Yuuka cursed. Rising slowly, wincing from the new bruises on her body.

"Tch…" Suzumi muttered under her breath.

But that wasn't the end of their troubles.

A whirring sound echoed as the crusader tank aimed at them. Yuuka's eyes widened in horror, mirrored by the frustration on Suzumi's face.

There is no escape.

With a loud bang, The tank fired its shell.

Inching towards them as the explosion seemed to overtake every other sound in the vicinity.

"Suzumi? This sucks," Yuuka muttered, her voice strained as the iron inched closer and closer.

"Mm," Suzumi agreed with a sigh.

Both of them braced for impact, expecting nothing but a world of hurt. Preparing themselves to wake up tomorrow with bruises. Yuuka clicked her tongue, knowing full well she was gonna miss her meeting, and Suzumi sighed about her breaking her personal patrol streak.

Yet, the pain never came.

Instead, a force suddenly gripped them around their abdomens and hurled them away from the incoming shell. Yuuka's vision spun, her body thrown to the asphalt with a thud as the deafening explosion erupted where they had just been a few milliseconds before.

In the chaos, Yuuka saw him—his greatcoat fluttering in the rush of wind before it was consumed by the blast.

In a fireball of debris and gunpowder.

Sensei.

"SENSEI?! SENSEI!"

Chinatsu screamed, her eyes wide with disbelief and absolute horror as her heart seemed to stop.

"SENSEI!"

Rin cried out in horror.

Her blood drained from her face as she dropped her sidearm down to sprint towards the debris until she collapsed down to her knees. Stumbling a few meters before clutching her mouth, the sound of her breath ragged with panic.

The others mirrored Rin's expression. They stood frozen, forgetting that they're in a gunfight as their faces were stricken with the same grim realization.

Of the fragility of a man without a halo caught in the explosion.

Death.

They kept staring into the smoke and dust.

" No... no! NO! That idiot! Oh, the divine... Oh God, oh God—" Rin muttered as she felt bile rising in her throat the longer she stared into the dust.

Nausea and vertigo surged through her mind, threatening to consume her entire body. The world around her seemed to spin as her chest suddenly felt so tight. Everything. All of it. Is this all for naught?

Is her last hope nothing more but a sham? Is this their fate? Is there really nothing they can do?

The last part of her hope had died until-

A figure leapt from the smoke.

Through it, they saw him.

The man in the center of it all.

His greatcoat was scorched and torn, leaving his chest bare as the leftover ripped tatters in his waist swirled with his harsh movement. His hair was white as snow, lips set in an expressionless line. Uncaring, stone cold, and utterly unfazed by the combat happening below him.

Even with the pathetic state of his coat, his tanned skin remained unharmed, flawless without a single mark defiling his body.

It was him.
It was none other than him.

Their fragile haloless man.

Sensei.

The captain leaped high to the sky with unflinching will as he spun—raising his leg in a blur, and then came crashing down on the tank like a meteorite.

KABOOM!

Tearing through metal like paper mache as the hull caved from the sheer impossible force he had until it couldn't take it anymore and it exploded in a deafening inferno.

Sending flames and shrapnel blasting outward in all directions, followed by a shockwave—and sending anyone unlucky enough to be caught in its radius flying, their bodies flung a fair distance away, their screams lost in the mighty fire that consumed the tank.

The sheer power of it, the impossible speed and force, left both sides paralyzed and stopped their exchange of bullets.

Every eye turned toward the wreckage of the crusader tank. Holding their breath of what will happen next.

For the party, it was like they were in a strange emotional roller coaster. One moment, they were terrified for his life—and the next, he had single-handedly obliterated a tank with nothing but his bare hands.

Fine and dandy.

Among the chaos, the Fox of Calamity groaned from the ground, struggling to lift herself up. She had been right at ground zero of the explosion, and the damage was visible.

She was bruised, singed, and her clothes torn and smoldering. "Ugh…!" With a groan she pushed herself up with shaky hands, a grimace on her face as she tried to gather her strength.

At that moment, everything became clear. Rin finally understood why he was chosen by HER.

Even without his firearms, that just means that he had lost his way of holding himself back. Because the true powerful weapon he has was his own body.

What the hell happened? What was that? Wakamo thought to herself. Her head still spun from the powerful impact she experienced. What the hell happened? Maybe that was a missile? A rocket?

She tried to make sense of it. A powerful superweapon. A… something. Yet, the cause of it was much more simpler.

It was an adult.

The very same adult she didn't until now.

He walked out of the burning wreckage of the tank unharmed and without a single care in the world. As if the magnificent inferno was nothing more but a gentle breeze in the morning. His already burnt greatcoat was utterly destroyed, revealing his tanned skin and the same unsettling cold silence in his lip for everyone to see.

"...e-eh… uh… um… eh…?" Wakamo tried to form her sentences, yet all that she could muster was mere thoughtless stutters. She trembled. Everything seemed to shake and spin even more as she tried to pick up her favored rifle laying a few meters away.

But she couldn't look away.

Her eyes, unwillingly drawn to him, laser focused on the man who seemed to defy all logic and caught her unflinching… unwavering eyes. H-He was… terrifying… b-but… she just…

It was like he was the most intoxicating drug as he left the flames into the open. She was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. She just couldn't stop. She doesn't want to stop staring like she was hypnotized merely by the way he walked.

The way he took his confident calm steps. The way his gloved hands curled into fists… and the way his muscular frame seemed to light a fire burning inside of her. A beauty seemed so terrifying yet… so attractive for the fox.

She tried to pull away for the nth time, yet all that's done is merely pushing her deeper into the hole she's been digging.

Oh God his eyes.

His dreamy blood-red eyes that could hold the strength of entire worlds.

That is when her breath grows labored. Not in horror... but in something else. Her body shudders, her knees weak, her tail wags up and down, and she felt her ears twitch at the something that came to her so suddenly.

She felt this rush that made her heart race for a million miles.

Then with one last footstep, he stood in front of her. Staring down at her with those eyes of his boring into her own.

Her tail wags faster and faster as her heart was just about to leapt from her chest. Then a bead of sweat trickled down from his forehead and down inches from her face… she finally broke.

…And there it is.

"E-EEH?! U-UM-" Wakamo yelped as her face lit up like a burning christmas tree in summer behind her mask.

"E-EXCUSE—EXCUSE MEE, EXCUSEEEEE MEEE!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs. Her voice rose to a pitch she had never let out in her life as she immediately rose from the ground, seemingly forgetting her own exhaustion. She grabbed her weapon, turned away, and sprinted out of view.

One hand clutched her chest, while the other was pressed between her thighs, as if trying to hide the burning embarrassment she had just experienced.

Hans tilted his head at the strange reaction the fox had just shown. It wasn't terror—no, it was something else. Something alien for him for a long… long time.

Hans sniffed the air before he finally understood. Oh… oh.

The captain's lips tried to break his amusement, yet he killed it with a shake of his head. Instead he kept his focus on the present. At the silent, confused, and terrified ragtag gangers. With a swift motion, he raised his arm high, pointing toward them before dashing forward towards them.

Sending them down for the count by punches and kicks.

"...W-what… w- ugh! L-Let's go!" Yuuka was the first to move. Winching still from her bruises as she sprinted ahead uncaring of her rising embarrassment on her face.

"...H-holy macaroni," Fubuki groaned and collapsed onto the asphalt with a sigh.

"F-Fubuki?! Hey! L-Let's go!" Kirino shook her head to clear her head, grabbed her friend and hurried after Yuuka. Ignoring Fubuki's protests again.

"...Wow." Suzumi murmured as she followed suit. Swallowing a pit in her throat, and keeping her brave expression.

"...Haah…" Iroha sighed and looked away as her face lit up for a second, while Ibuki cheered. "WOOW! SO COOL!" Then, the panzer moved on.

The group left behind were Hasumi, Rin, and Chinatsu, who exchanged uncertain glances as they watched the one-sided combat unfold before them and the…the topless state t-the adult was in.

"...I-I'll join them, a-and patch up any i-injuries…" Chinatsu said, her blush barely hidden as she rushed ahead.

"W-Wait! Um, let's go, Vice President," Hasumi sprinted after her as well, hiding the same blush on her cheeks.

This left Rin standing silent, her eyes lingering on the scene ahead, lost in thought. Her own embarrassment lied forgotten.

What the hell was that?