The Will of Fire

36...Shift

Squad Two; led by Natsu, traveled alongside Squad Five which was led by Kaila. They all moved as cautious as they could, hoping rivals wouldn't ambush them.
"General Kaila, we're picking up on some strange sound waves up ahead." Azula said.
Azula and Lacey both wore what looked like wrist watches, but they were actually devices that could perform many helpful duties. Like picking up on sound waves throughout the air, sensing movements around them, and completely turning Lacey and Azula invisible by going into "Stealth Mode".  These were given to them by their teammate, Donatella. Donatella never goes on to the battlefield with The Kill Squad, she however provides things to them when in need, much like she did when The Kill Squad saved Luisa and Rei from Makaio by sending in a helicopter to retrieve them all when Kaila called for it.
"There's a lot of strange sound waves, General" said Lacey. "I am certain it is a rival group."
Kaila put a hand on her forehead, blocking out the sun to get a better view ahead. She saw figures of people marching forth in the near distance, but the waves from the beaming sun distorted them.
"What do you see, Kaila?" Asked Natsu, walking up beside her.
"Figures. Definitely people. But I'm slightly confused" Kaila said. "If they were rivals, they'd be rushing in. Unless they have the same idea of keeping low like we do."
"Everyone, prepare." Natsu ordered.
Squad Two followed their captain's orders immediately. Squad Five was ordered by Kaila to do the same.
"You ready?" Karui asked Tristin.
Tristin looked ahead with a face of stone.
"You bet I am." He answered.
Suddenly the figures that approached ahead had faded away.
"They're gone...just like that. Gone." Kaila said.
Azula and Lacey no longer picked up on the sound waves.
An ear piercing scream filled everyone's ears.
"Arashi!" screamed one of the members of Squad Five named Hebiichigo.
Arashi, another member of Squad Five was being burned in a intense flame. His screams continued as he rolled around in agony.
"What the hell is going on!?" shouted Kaila as she approached Arashi.
"Water! We need water!" Natsu shouted.
"Karui! Use your water!" Tristin shouted.
"I cant!" Said Karui. "My water is medicinal and can't be used for extinguishing fire!"
Unfortunately, no one in Squad Two or Squad Five were Water Types. Arashi's screaming became louder. In the matter of seconds, another scream filled the warriors' ears. This time it was a member of Squad Two who's name is Han. He too was now on fire, rolling and screaming. Everyone became frantic and extremely nervous. Natsu looked above him and noticed a woman who floated on a rock board was shooting a stream of thick flame from her mouth, aiming directly down at him.
"Everyone out of the way!" he shouted as he rolled out of the way dodging it.
The woman soared the air above them all, spraying more flames down at everyone. Everyone frantically ran around, dodging the flame.
"Who is that woman!?" Karui shouted while dodging with Tristin.
"No idea, she looks really familiar though! Look out!" Tristin shouted, snatching Karui closer to him which allowed the flame aimed towards her to go right by her instead.
Karui felt the heat from the flame as it roared by her face. She watched it ember the tree next to her.
"This woman. She's using Fire Type attacks while on a hover board made by rock. The same as I can create with my rock. There's either an Earth Type near, or this woman is both Fire and Earth Type." Natsu said to himself.
Natsu was then attacked from behind. He went flying forward after being blasted in the back.
"Natsu sensei!" Tristin shouted running over to him.
The hovering woman aimed for Tristin, and sprayed flames toward him. The flames almost reached him, until they were intercepted. The flames became covered in freezing hard ice and fell to the ground, shattering in pieces.
"Thank you for stopping that." Karui said.
A girl stood there with her hands held out in front of her. She had light blue-white hair and gray eyes.
"He's a comrade, of course. No need to thank me. We need to get that woman out of the air, now." the girl responded.
Karui nodded her head and ran to the left as the girl ran to the right. Kaila, Azula and Lacey were shooting bullets at the woman who dodged them all. Hebiichigo, who had just snapped out of the state of shock she was in after seeing Arashi and Han burned, looked around her. She noticed that more warriors had fallen. She covered her mouth in disbelief. She realized that flames didn't kill these teammates. But something else did. They all were on the ground, laying lifeless. Suddenly Hebiichigo was put into a choke hold from behind. She kicked and screamed and struggled free. Two female members of Squad Five, Sakiruru and Sachiruru ran over to help Hebiichigo. They then became wrapped in a structure of rock. The rock wrapped around their bodies, binding them. Their arms and legs were now immobilized.
"What's the meaning of this!?" Hebiichigo shouted, still struggling.
"Natsu sensei, you alright?" Tristin asked.
"I'm fine." Natsu responded, now getting up.
Natsu was suddenly startled.
"Look! Over there by Hebiichigo, Sakiruru and Sachiruru!" He shouted while pointing.
Tristin noticed all of the dead bodies and also noticed the man holding Hebiichigo, and that Sakiruru and Sachiruru were being immobilized by the rock structure.
Tristin felt his throat grow a thickness that he tried to swallow. He looked angrily at who was holding Hebiichigo.
"That jerk..." Tristin said. "I never thought I'd see him again."
Tristin quickly took off running towards the enemy's direction as Natsu ran behind him.
Karui and the other girl desperately tried to knock the hovering woman out of the air. She soared around laughing evily, dodging every bullet from The Kill Squad. Karui jumped high into the air, covering her hands in the weapons made of her medicinal water known as "Water Scalpels." Water Scalpels is a technique only used by Water Types of the Medicinal Class. This medical technique forms one's medicinal light greenish-blue water into a small, sharp blade around their hands. This is often used for highly accurate incisions necessary for surgeries and anatomical dissections, but also serve as weapons for combat. Water Scalpels are one of the Medicinal Class warriors' most effective techniques. Karui drew her arm back, and was ready to strike the hovering woman with her Water Scalpel, when out of nowhere she was blasted out of the air. Blood shot from her shoulder as she plummeted down to the ground. The other girl who possessed the ice powers, desperately shot a beam of ice at the hovering woman, but missed her. Instead, the rock was hit, freezing it instantly. The woman slipped and fell off of the board, but she was caught in midair which broke her fall. The ice girl ran over to Karui, helping her up, as The Kill Squad followed.
"You alright? You're wounded." She said.
Karui looked at her shoulder and noticed there was a bloodied stab wound there.
"What in the hell caused this." Karui said.
"By the way. I'm Winter. Winter Tanaka. A Water Type of the Galciomancer Class."
"Really? I've heard of Glaciomancers" Karui responded. "But why didn't you put out the flames that Arashi and Han burned from?"
"I couldn't" responded Winter. "Us Glaciomancers have water inside of our bodies, but unlike other Water Types, we cannot harness it outside of out bodies. Inside, is water. Once brought outside, it is then ice. Had I tried to put out the flames with my ice, it would frozen them solid, risking their lives by exposing them to hypothermia."
Glaciomancers are warriors who can turn water into ice. They can also create forms of snow, hail, blizzards, slush, icicles, ice spikes and glaciers. They can also lower the temperature around them to a freezing capacity that only they can withstand. Though, that takes incredible expertise. The Tanaka Clan of Kujaku village in Japan are the only known warriors to ever be Glaciomancers.
"Well well well. We meet again." said a familiar voice.
Karui and Winter looked over and saw two girls standing there. One was the woman who hovered on the board of rock, and the other was a very familiar face to Karui.
"It's you again. Kîn Inoichi." Karui said scowling.
"You know this girl?" Winter asked Karui.
"I do. We've fought before. This is the girl who attacked me and Tristin in the hospital. Though, her hair was pink then" said Karui. "She uses some sort of Magic. So she's clearly a Magic Type. I am still unsure of the class she belongs to. I was certain my mother killed her though."
"Foolish girl. I can't stay down for too long. Let me tell you why" said Kîn. "You see, I am a Magic Type of the Illusion Arts Class."
"Illusion Arts Class...this isn't good." Said Winter.
"Why are you saying that?" Karui asked.
"Only the Inoichi clan has been successors of this class for generations. This allows them to create false images and false surroundings, tricking the opponent" Winter explained. "The effects of Illusion Arts are not real, but only effects those who fall victim to it. This is done if the caster looks the opponent in the eyes. However, Illusion Arts warriors can also create minor false images without looking them in the eye. I am pretty sure that we were tricked earlier when we all thought we saw people approaching in the distance. Illusion Arts warriors can also create weapons of any sort through a technique known as "Illusion Solidification." The warrior creates an illusion of a weapon, then using huge masses of power energy, solidifies it into reality. However, the weapon is usually a coalesce pink or red energy."
"That explains a lot...that explains why she was able to form a bow and arrow, and a mace back when I fought her" said Karui. "I'm sure that's what she just pierced my shoulder with..a bow and arrow made from her magic."
Kîn chuckled softly.
"Your mother thought she killed me. But you see, that pink haired version of me that your mother thought she killed, was just another version of me created by an illusion that you and your mother fell for." she said.
"What do you mean?" Karui asked, intrigued.
"Everything your friend there just told you is absolutely correct. But what she forgot to mention is that skilled Illusion Arts warriors can change their appearance as well. You see, my hair isn't naturally pink. I now have blonde hair but, it isn't even naturally blonde. Or is it? You may never know." Kîn said laughing.
"Damn! It was a cloned copy of herself back then!" Karui thought told herself.
"Oh, how rude of me" said Kîn. "Allow me to introduce my friend to you all who unleashed the fiery onslaught earlier, killing two of your comrades. Meet Layla Velencé. A Fire Type of The Flame Runner Class, hailing from Brazil, but now is a loyal member of The Sîwáng and a new resident of China."
The other girl stood next to Kîn with a hand on her hip, smirking evilly.
"Layla, huh? A Flame Runner. I thought she looked familiar. She participated in the tournament" Karui said. "She killed a contestant with a single kick to the neck, breaking it instantly. Her first move was her last."
"So her leg power is incredible I'm assuming." Said Winter.
"You all will die here. King Kang and Queen Kokoro will rule over Japan and claim it as theirs. We are here to make sure of that." Said Layla.
"That rock you hovered on earlier...how did you do that? You are an Earth Type too?" Winter asked Layla.
Layla pointed, signaling Karui, Winter and The Kill Squad to look behind them. When they did, they saw the scattered bodies covered in blood and mud. Then spotted Hebiichigo, being held from behind by a mysterious young man with gray hair, as Tristin and Natsu confronted him. Sakiruru and Sachiruru were still binded.
"What the hell?" Kaila said.
"Your friends Tristin and  Natsu isn't the only Earth Types present here." Layla said.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to grumble and shake. This startled the warriors of Japan.
"What's going on!?" Azula screamed.
The ground began to crumble as everyone scurried closer to each other. Kîn and Layla laughed almost satisfyingly.
"Brace yourselves!" shouted Kaila as Lacey and Azula grabbed onto her.
Karui and Winter grasped onto each other, keeping balance as the earth beneath them shifted violently.
When it all ceased, Karui turned around and saw that she was far from Tristin, Natsu, Hebiichigo, Sakiruru and Sachiruru. She began to run towards them, but nearly plummeted to her death. Karui didn't notice that there was a huge pitfall between her and Tristin now.
"What the hell just happened!?" Lacey said.
"Looks like Xiba has made his move." Kîn said while chuckling.
"Tristin!" Karui shouted from across the other side.
The gap between them was huge.
"Who caused this..." Karui asked, slowly turning and facing Kîn and Layla.
"Our good friend Xiba. A new member of the Sîwáng, and a loyal comrade to China." Said Layla.
"He has started the operation." Said Kîn.
"The operation? What operation?" Kaila asked.
"Operation: SEPERATION." Kîn replied.
Karui and the others looked around, realizing that they had been separated from Tristin and the others.
Kîn quickly pointed in the direction of Tristin and the others. A large pink coalesce wall like structure shot up from the pitfall and stretched high into the sky. It was large in width and height.
"That barrier is made from my magic and will keep any of you from crossing over there, and any of them from crossing over here. If that barrier is touched, you will suffer its consequences." Kîn said.
Karui swallowed hard.
"So its me, Winter, Kaila, Lacey and Azula over here with Kîn and Layla...then there's Tristin, Natsu, Hebiichigo, Saki and Sachi over there with that man...then who is this Xiba guy? Where is he?" Karui thought to herself.
Suddenly Tristin's scream echoed the air. Karui spun around and saw that Tristin was being pinned to a large pillar of rock by another mysterious man, as Natsu lay unconscious on the ground.
"Tristin, no!" Karui said, starting to run in his direction.
Kaila quickly grabbed Karui's arm, pulling her back.
"Karui, don't! Remember the barrier!" Kaila said.
"What!? Let go! I don't care about that damned barrier!" Karui said.
Kaila began whispering in Karui's ear.
"Listen. It could all be a trick" Said Kaila. "Think about this. We all have met eyes with Kîn. Therefore everything around is could be an illusion. She may be tricking our minds to think Tristin is being harmed. She may have tricked our minds that that barrier is real. But since we don't know for sure, we play it smart. Understood?" Said Kaila.
"But I am on Squad Two! Natsu is Squad Two captain, and Tristin...well Tristin..."
"I know, Tristin means a lot to you. And he's a member of Squad Two, i get it" Kaila interrupted. "But right now you're over here with me, captain of Squad Five. It is my duty to look after you all.",
Karui looked back at the choking Tristin at the hands of the mystery man. Hebiichigo, still in the other guys clutches. Sakiruru and Sachiruru, still binded by the rock structure around their bodies. Pure anxiety in her heart, and tears in her eyes...