A few hours after Reunion initiated their successful second wave of attack on Lungmen, an hour after the raiding operation in the warehouse to save Hoshiguma's former undermen, and a few minutes after they had entered the Reunion-controlled LGD headquarters. The battles in Ch'en's side were unwieldy and hard-fought. Even though they had casualties, they pushed on to reclaim the area the enemy had plundered.
She's been drained, but that's not gonna stop her from fighting.
"Madam Ch'en, something's wrong. Don't you think it's strange that we were able to enter the headquarters so easily?" An LGD agent reported. "There were so many Reunion forces outside so we braced ourselves for a hard fight, but it was as if they were sleepwalking."
Ch'en recalled some of the ... corrupted infected enemies.
"According to our scouts' intel, their equipment is practically damaged to the point of unusability. It's unlikely that they've seen much combat, and their degree of preparedness seems... it just... creeps me out."
"I've noticed it as well." Ch'en replied. "They don't even know we're here. At least they're not a threat right now. We'll follow the plan. Next, our non-combat squads will scout out the distribution of Reunion forces on each floor, and attempt to restart the security system that disabled earlier. Additionally, we'll need to be ready to hold off a possible Reunion encirclement. We must hold out until our plan is implemented smoothly."
"Understood." The agent bow salutes.
"Focus your attention on controlling the situation inside." She commands.
The rest of her squad promptly begins working, and so did she as they set up their gear and safe zone.
.
.
"According to our sources, Reunion's temporary command center is on the rooftop." The agent reported, confusing Ch'en.
"The rooftop? What kind of leader would put their command center on the rooftop?" She begins thinking of the enemy's plot and choice of zoning. "Hmm... there's a significant possibility of this being a trap."
"But we don't have a choice do we, Madam?"
"That's right. Taking back the rooftop would be like lighting Lungmen's signal beacon. We will let Reunion witness the moment when the LGD Headquarters returns to our hands. We ought to lead them all here." She puts her hand on her sword. "Get ready, there are still a few hours to go. Let the recon and engineer squads go first. The combat squads still have some time to rest up before the main operation begins. Don't waste even the smallest opportunity to create an advantage. Expect our enemies to fight to the death."
...
..
.
As they take the fire escape route up to the rooftop...
"You'll all control the top floor and use your vision advantage to cover me. I'll head directly to the rooftop and rejoin you after the situation is stabilized." Ch'en orders.
"Madam Ch'en, are you really going alone?" The agent looks at her bewildered. "Whatever the situation is, I'm sure we'll be able to help."
"I have full confidence in your abilities. However, I might have to go all out in this coming battle. The most you can do to help me is to clear Reunion out of this entire building, and make sure I have nothing else to worry about."
The agent looks at her and sees her assuring look. And without nothing left to do about it.
"In that case, we won't get in your way, Madam Ch'en. Lungmen is counting on you."
"Wrong. Lungmen is counting on us." She rebuts as she climbs the rest of the stairs.
"Yessir!"
.
.
Climbing the last set of stairs alone, she calms her nerves expecting a confrontation after she opens the door on the top. As she reaches the ominous door, she grips the hilt of her sword firmly and braces herself. Putting her hand on the door knob, she twists it around and pushes it forward, and sees the rooftop of the building.
Stepping outside, she sees a small figure in a distance as it turns back. His small stature with his small cane, paired with a twisted look, he snarls at Ch'en as he menacingly confronts her.
"Good evening, Madam." He coys at her. "You charged straight into my trap. Should I call you brave or just stupid?"
"You have nowhere to run, Reunion commander." She threatens him.
"Is that so?" Mephisto looked unfazed. "From my perspective, Madam, you are the one who has nowhere to run. My comrades shall devour you." He makes a hidden signal with his left hand.
"Talk is cheap. Show me what you've got. You should never have set foot here, Reunion!" She points her main sword at him and charges instantly.
Mephisto, not expecting the confident advance, instinctively uses his cane to block. Seeing his readable movement, she kicks the cane away and slashes at his shoulder, although on instinct Mephisto leaned out barely saving his arm from being cut off. Ch'en, not giving him any breath, kicked him straight in the stomach sending him flying far before impacting a wall.
"*cough*, agh..." Mephisto winced from the pain.
"You're no match for me!"
"Heh, perhaps I must re-evaluate you're abilities, Madam." His annoying face hadn't faded still.
"That's enough." She walks to him to deliver a crushing blow.
"No, far from it. Faust, give her a shake-down." He breathes, tipping Ch'en off.
"Understood."
"..!"
From out of nowhere, a fast bolt of an arrow whizzed through the air with insane speeds heading towards Ch'en. Realizing her position, she jumps back and narrowly dodges as the bolt pierced the concrete ground. She looks up and sees a man who seemingly shot the arrow.
"Reunion's sniper..." She looks at Faust's cold eyes. 'I even made sure to prepare for ranged attacks, but how does he pack this much firepower?' She surmises as she glances at the arrow mostly lodged on the floor in front of her. "That's not enough to save your life. You'll die before your sniper can land a shot on me."
"He missed that shot on purpose, otherwise you would have been dead Madam. We'll spare your life this once, so take this as a gesture of kindness." Mephisto ticks her off. "Right now, the seeds of unrest have been sown within the LGD. It was your organization's corruption and negligence that gave him the chance to cooperate with us."
"...Reunion scum, you know nothing about this world."
"Were you trying to say something profound? Oh how cute." He pointed his hand at the dead Reunion members on the ground around them. "Come... my guards. Rise!"
As a small trace of white flowy smoke came out of Mephisto's hands, the stream of smoke shrouded the dead bodies around them as the said bodies began to tremble. As his arts circulate within their dead systems, they all start to convulse. In response, the malignant growth of originium crystals pierced through their skin and uniforms as their eyelid shot open, revealing their dead eyes.
One by one, each of the bodies began standing back up in a horrific fashion as they were now in full control of Mephisto's wicked arts. Ch'en could do nothing but stare in horror as the bodies of her enemies and comrades reanimate, looking like the living dead.
"Ugh... argh.... Ooaaarrrggh!!!" The reanimated individuals roared like animals.
"What did you do?!" Ch'en roared at the amused Mephisto. "The bits of originium on their bodies... are growing?"
"The originium will pierce through their bodies and become their new form. Behold, Officer. These are my guards, my immortal guards."
"GRAAAAAAAGHHH!!!"
"Take it all, my herd, my comrades..." This time, Mephisto released something strange.
"...powder?"
"My comrades need healing. They need me." Mephisto replied.
"Arts? It's a wide-range arts!"
"Don't worry, Madam, this does not concern you, as you are not my comrade."
Each of Mephisto's guards moan and groan like zombies as the powder enters their systems. With an insatiable amount of rage and pain, they roar as they're voices echo in the grudge of the battlefield. At this point, the other LGD agents rushed to the rooftop to aid Ch'en in this predicament.
"We're here to help Madam Ch'en!"
"Quiet now." Mephisto uttered, and in response, they all settled down from their howling.
"Madam Ch'en, it's looking bad..." The agent grimmed. "All the defeated Reunion members started to transform into hulking monstrosities after coming into contact with that powder! They could easily overwhelm our defense line!"
"How many of them have transformed?"
"All of them!" The agent replied in horror.
"Tch..."
"They are my herd, as well as my brethren. Now... attack!" Mephisto signaled as his reanimated guards started charging to LGD force.
"Don't let them near us! Spearhead formation! Cut through them!" Ch'en roared as the battle heats up even more.
...
..
.
On the other side of the war-faced Lungmen.
"We're here... Y/N-sama." Lana stated as they appeared from an alleyway leading to a destroyed road.
Arriving onto the scene of the broken streets of Lungmen were Vortex and his men. Their only goal was to deny Talulah's plan, and follow the one he made on his own which he had centered around one goal. A goal he wishes, no, he desperately wants to accomplish.
Looking at where they are, he notices something,
"...Lireo. Check out that trail." Vortex pointed out to the damp path in front of them.
"Right." He follows the order and promptly began inspecting the damp trail.
Putting his hand on the ground of inspection, he then began surmising who it belongs to. Later, he looked around the area and began confirming his suspicions.
"Vor... Y/N-sama, they've been here, the Yeti squadron." He reports. "The path we are on is the path they took just about an hour ago. Judging from the dampness that I felt on the ground, I'm certain that it was due to melted snow, or better, snow arts. Regular snow would have evaporated and condensed a long time ago, and it's not even the winter season if we're to take the topography into account. So that could only mean that they've been here. But I'm not sure of the exact location they went to next."
"What, that can't be." Vortex widens his eyes, confusion seeps into his mind. "The path here doesn't lead to the nomadic docks... no, she wouldn't... Nino."
"What is it?" The lupo tilts her head.
"Can you find a specific trail of scent from here?"
"Be more specific Y/N. We're here in the slums, there are a plethora of scents here that I can pick up. And they mostly stink!"
"Then I'll need you to focus on a certain scent... have you ever smelled spicy candy before?"
"What, spicy candy?" She was muddled at the statement. "What are you trying to make me find?"
"Trust me." He assured with a stern expression. "Just pick out the scent that smells closely like a sharp twang of chili pepper."
"I can do that, but, why?" She looks on to him, but Vortex merely stared back at her. "Fine, if that's what you really want me to pick up."
She closes her eyes and began sniffing the air around her. With her lupo instincts, it didn't even take five seconds to have a wave of different assortments of odors ravage her nose. The smell of sewage, metal, garbage, cotton, fire, gunpowder, blood, clothes, and all the other whiffs around the slums, she tracks them all. This amount of scents would have made her lose her mind over the multitudes of horrible and assorted smells, but Nino's already used to the horrific deed. Especially taking in the smell of putrid and decayed blood.
Then, she smells a certain scent of something. It's a somewhat aromatic smell, slightly musty odor, and it's sharp and volatile.
"I picked up the scent you asked Y/N." She mentions with her eyes closed, focusing on the scent.
"Where's it originating? What direction?" He breathlessly asked.
"It's coming from... the east... going... underground?" She looked confused.
"East... underground?" He looked even more distraught over this.
Why was he looking horrified, what did that information mean to him? East? Underground? What does it all mean?
"East, and underground... isn't that the entrance to the Lungmen's underground support structure?" Garu surmised.
"Wait a minute, that's where Talulah planned us to head to!" Ami yelped.
"She's... not following the plan..." Vortex said with wide eyes and mouth agape under his mask. "What the heck are you thinking Yelena?!"
He cursed himself at this miscalculation. He relied so much on the fact that she had promised him one thing. And that's to listen out to his request. But he had failed to take into account her stubborn nature.
Things were not working out his way, much to his deep dismay.
"What do we do, Papa?" Hina tugged on his sleeve?
The situation they're now in is desperate. The operation had just started, and things aren't working out as he intended. If this keeps up, all the mistakes will come hitting him back like a truck.
He's already shown minuscule signs of fading hope.
"Dammit, we're gonna have to follow the scent. Nino, lead the-"
*boom*
A large resounding boom echoed from a distance catching them off-guard.
"What the hell was that noise?!" Ami screamed.
"Look!" Garu pointed up as they all look in his direction.
In a distance, where the explosion originated from, a smoke cloud formed over one of the tallest buildings in Lungmen. On the very top was a trail of slivers of red sparks as well as some smoke coming from the other side of the roof. From the sight of it, they already knew that the building they were looking at was the LGD headquarters.
"Wonder what happened there that caused that explosion." Nino comments
"That's not good," Lana said, causing the others to look at her. "If I recall correctly, that's where Faust and Mephisto are. That's where they were stationed for the relay."
"From the look of things up there, they aren't holding too great. Such blasphemy." Lireo sighed.
Unbeknownst to them, Vortex looked back to the building and remembered the redstreak that occurred moments after the explosion.
"...was that... Chi Xiao?" He remembered the dragon-slaying sword from an encounter he had all those years ago. "That means..." His eyes sunk as it fell into worry over the speculation. "...Ch'en?"
*bzzt*
From Garu's hip, his radio buzzed in signaling an oncoming transmission. Wasting no time, he grabs the radio and answers the buzzer.
"Speak."
'This voice... is that, Garu from the Vortex squad?!' The voice on the other side of the radio sounded panicked.
"Depends on who's asking." He replied gruffly.
'P-Please! We need help now! I'm one of the Phantom Crossbowmen with Faust and Mephisto! We're at the rooftop of the LGD building, and the LGD's superintendent is going nuts!'
"We're more than kilometers away from your location." He bluntly replied. "We can't reach there in time."
'But Vortex is with you right?! He should be more than enough to help afterward! The superintendent is tired out, and we almost have the chance to kill her! We can't let this chance slip away!'
'Ch'en is...'
"Listen here, we're on another-"
"We're going." Vortex cuts Garu off.
"Huh?"
"Let me handle the superintendent. I'm more than enough, just as he said."
But in his mind.
'I can't let Ch'en get hurt. She's tough, but I doubt she can withstand anymore of Faust's cheap shots.' He was thinking about his beloved's safety. 'I'll have to ease her in somehow when I get there... but that means that Yelena will... she'll...'
'T-Thank you! We'll stall her as much as we can until you get here!' The transmission ends afterward.
"But, Y/N, your priority." Garu looks at him befuddled.
"I'll handle it, we have the time. As much as I would hate to say this, but letting Faust and Mephisto die would leave a bad taste in my mouth." He explained. "So with that, you and the rest will follow the scent and report to me once you find her. I'll shortly rendezvous with you after I deal with LGD's superintendent. Make sure that she doesn't act recklessly when you find her. Intervene if you must, but you must absolutely make sure that she doesn't die." He then began started heading towards the building.
*pat*
"Huh?"
"I'm coming with you," Lana stated as she retracts her hand from his shoulder.
"I said that I'm more than enough."
"And I said that I'm coming with you." Her expression wasn't fazed. "I'm not gonna let our leader act alone after so long. And I'm sure that the rest of the guys feel the same as well. So let me come with."
Looking back to everyone, they all nod in assurance implying that they'll make sure to find Frostnova and keep her out of harm's way. Looking back at Lana, he saw that her expression was determined. He knew that if she makes up her mind, he can't do anything about it. So...
"Try to keep up." He said as he disappeared from everyone's sight.
Lana turns around.
"Don't let the Yeti Princess die. We promised him."
"Who do you think we are?" Garu smiles.
"Of course we aren't going to let him down. We'll fulfill his request!" Lireo pumped and so did the rest.
"...then I'll leave you all to it." Lana finally said as she also disappears.
Now.
"Alright, we gotta find the princess quick. Follow me." Nino leads the way as the others quickly follow.
...
..
.
Back to the rooftop.
"Chi Xiao - Unsheath!" With another swipe of the dragon-slaying blade, Ch'en cuts down another horde of Mepthisto's infected.
"EEAAAAARGHHHH!" They all scream from the pain as they were torn in half.
However.
*burn*
"Ugh!" She drops onto one knee from the unexpected backlash. 'N-No! I lost control of Chi Xiao? Why now of all times?!' She grits her teeth.
Seeing the opening.
"Faust, now!"
"Command, fire." Faust, as well as the other Phantom Crossbowmen shoot at the downed Ch'en and the rest of the LGD."
*boom* *strike*
"Damn it... scatter!"
*slice*
She forced control onto Chi Xia once again as she blocks five bolts of arrows as well as beheading three undead infected.
"What a terrifying weapon. Just the dispersion of your blade and Arts was powerful enough to block all the bolts, as well as disabling three of my guards." Mephisto was distraught. "But you were still hit by the blast weren't you?"
"Ugh... Gahh..." Ch'en pants from being burned from the blast. 'One rib, no, two are broken? I can endure it. But this firepower... There's no way I can take another...'
"It's just like our leader said. Madam, it's not that you don't want to kill me. You cannot fully control and unsheathe that sword."
"What did you say? Who told you that?" She questions with a dark aura.
"You should know this name, Madam Ch'en. As you said, this sword was not meant to be used against someone like me. Your recklessness disrupted its intended mechanism. If we seized the opportunity to attack you while you were defenseless, you would have already been turned to dust. She already knows all your weaknesses."
"You waste your breath."
"We will destroy this world as it currently is. If we allow this rampant corruption to grow, the world will rot away. Only if we destroy it can it be reborn."
*slash*
"Out of my way..." Ch'en beheads another infected.
"Come, you know how rotten Lungmen is. Reunion welcomes you just as she is. There's no reason to bow your head is there?"
"I have my duties... and I have someone who's important to me." She stated gallantly.
"Ho? Someone like you has loved someone else? Quite surprising." He mocks. "Still, your duties pertain to see the infected here continue to be mistreated? Just give me a sign, then I'll call off the attack immediately. Come. Join us." He held his hand out.
*spits*
"This mouthful of blood is the only sign you can get. Your babbling is nonsensical *profanity*."
"I see... how disappointing. We have nothing more to talk about then." He motions his hand to Faust. "Goodbye Madam Ch'en. Kill her, Faust."
"Tch!"
Faust reels back another bolt, ready to fire. Ch'en can only keep her stance firm as she takes on another of those endless bolts.
"Command, fir-"
"WHAT'RE YOU LOOKING SO WEAK FOR HUH?!" Just then, a loud voice erupted.
As they all heard a loud voice, they look up.
"What's that?" Mephisto pointed out.
"A helicopter? No, that doesn't look like one." Ch'en looked up.
"What's that? Someone's jumping down?!" An LGD agent exclaimed.
"As terror rises, her eyes become blind..." The falling figure muttered.
"Damn, Rhodes Island? From above?!" Mephisto gasped. "These black lines... Wait, is that you..."
"As the tears dry, she weeps silently..."
Then.
"UGHHHHHAAAAAA." Mephisto's guards then started screaming.
"Why are they all screaming, my Arts should have wiped out all their emotions...no... Is that you?!! Damn you!! The rabbit of Rhodes Island!!!"
"Command, fire!" Faust shot a volley of bolts.
"Don't underestimate us!" A small voice echoed.
*swish*
"...My bolts were diverted by the wind? How could this..."
Then, as the figures reached the ground of the roof, a huge explosion occurred stunning everyone on top. As if planned, the explosion tore a huge chunk of the roof, and Mephisto's herd fell through the ground. He, Ch'en, and everyone else were shocked at the entire occurrence.
As the explosion stopped, the smoke started clearing and then revealed the two figures.
"Safe landing!" The feline exclaimed.
"Blaze, you can put me down." Amiya yelped.
"You... you guys..." Ch'en looked at the two in awe. "Amiya!"
"Sorry, it took us so long to get here Madam Ch'en. In accordance with our agreement, Rhodes Island will now assist you."
"You're here too..." Ch'en looked at Blaze, unenthusiastically.
"Be grateful at least!" Blaze argued.
"Why are there more peons appearing?! What the hell is Frostnova doing? What's with her anyway? Has she passed out again or did she die this time?!" Mephisto stomped the ground in irritation.
"This has to stop Mephisto. We'll be putting an end to your madness." Amiya threatened.
"That's right, plus I still have another personal mission to attend to. So let's make this quick." Blaze revved up her chainsaw.
"Ready for my orders, Rhodes Island!"
From behind Amiya and Blaze appeared another figure. With her hood on and her hair flowing from her shoulders, it was none other than Dr. Fumi.
"Are you alright Madam Ch'en?" Dr. Fumi helped Ch'en up from the ground.
"No need to spare your help on me, I'm fine." She bluntly replied. "Regardless of what I have said before, I am grateful for the assistance. I'm willing to trust you, Doctor of Rhodes Island."
"Right."
Dr. Fumi heads backward in position as she was now ready to command the rest of the support squad who had just arrived. Standing side by side with each other, Ch'en, Amiya, and Blaze confront Mephisto and Faust.
"You have nowhere left to run." Ch'en hissed.
"...Damn you!" Mephisto cursed at his situation.
"Now where do you think you're going?" Blazed looked on to Faust.
"Ngh."
"Put your hands up where I can see them. I've seen through your tricks you know, kid with scales!" She then used her blood to spray some of it to certain areas of the roof.
Much to Faust's dismay, the blood started disrupting his camouflage arts, revealing the location of the Phantom Crossbowmen.
"Damn. Faust..." One of them looked at him.
"Command, retreat." Faust ordered.
"You can't completely conceal your tracks or make sudden movements without compromising the effect of your arts. Am I correct?" Blaze looks at him.
"...you're quite smart."
"It's all because of our great intel. Now that you know the gig's up, you should surrender." Blaze concludes. "If you want to continue fighting. I'll make you pay for the deaths of Ace and Scout. Hmph, I don't care if you weren't involved, kid. Besides, I need to pay a visit to your Vortex. He knows something that I really want to get my hands on. And I'm not gonna be light about it." The last sentence of hers sounded darker, which was noticed by Ch'en.
"Faust, what do we do?" A Phantom Crossbowman asked him. "We still have ammunition. We can hold them off and stall them long enough till he gets here?"
"He?" Both Mephisto and Faust tilted their heads in confusion.
"Don't worry, I called for backup. And the one coming to us is surely gonna wipe them out."
"Who do you mean?" Mephisto incited.
"Vortex."
*swoosh*
Out of nowhere, a large gust of wind came affecting everyone on the roof except Reunion. The wind was so strong as they were pushed back from the force, although not entirely.
"What the?! Brace yourself!" Blaze yelled out as the wind comes and goes. "How did...! Watch out!" Sensing the danger, she grabs Ch'en and Amiya as she jumps back, and in her previous place was a few steel arrows lodged into the ground.
Landing, Ch'en stumbled and looked forward to see what was happening. And there, in the middle of the two opposing forces, were two people. A white-haired sankta with a bow, and a hooded and masked man with double short swords.
"Keep away." A sankta threatened and pointed her bow with five readied arrows to Ch'en and the others.
"Reunion has backup as well?" Ch'en surmised as she looks on to the two.
"...this is bad... crap, why now..."
Ch'en hears Blaze curse, so she looks to her side and sees the feline display an irritated but feared expression. Which, in turn, disoriented her.
"Hehe.... Hahaha.... HAHAHAHAHA."
From afar, Mephisto started cackling maniacally, amused at the circumstances and the sudden switch of the tide. Not only he but also the others felf very indifferent to the anomaly that appeared. Amiya straigthened her gaze to the man beside the sankta. Blaze kept her intense gaze on him. And Ch'en was bewildered to see the heavy presence of the hooded and masked man.
"V-Vortex?!" Dr. Fumi yelped, causing a great wave of anxiety to shower onto the LGD and Rhodes Island.
He was there, and that could only mean one thing. They were at the mercy of his hands.
'Vortex?! He's here? H-How...' Ch'en gripped her sword tight, wary of the man before her.
'Another encounter this soon, I won't let you get away like last time. I'll make you talk this time!' Blaze was determined.
'...Dr. Kal'tsit was right. He would appear sooner or later...' Amiya gulped.
As Mephisto laughed on, he now stood straight up and stretched his arms sideward like a showman.
"Death now awaits all of you! Standing before you is the amalgamation of Reunion's strength! The banner that paved the way to Chernobog's destruction! The harbinger of your demise! There is no hope for you to win now that he's here! Please help me welcome, the ender of your lives! Reunion's very own! VOORTEEEX!!!"
With a shout of his name, they all trembled as Vortex let out a malicious aura so dark, it almost feels like they were starting to suffocate. They couldn't freely move. They felt like that if they did, they would get their head lobbed off in an instant. The level of danger he was instilling was comparable to the terror of a catastrophe. It was immense nonetheless.
"H-He's dangerous!" Ch'en grumbled from the intensity.
Meanwhile.
"What now, Vortex-sama? Should we?" Lana inquired, her sights still pointed to Amiya and the others.
Within the dark aura he was giving off, inside the hood and the mask, he thought...
'Crap... this has gotten complicated real quick... what the *profanity* do I do now...'
He didn't know that the *profanity* to do.
'Amiya, Blaze, Dr. Fumi and the rest of Rhodes Island are here as well?! I didn't expect this development! D-Dammit! What now?!'
Vortex, Tempest, or Y/N, has now involved himself into a situation he never expected. Despite the grimace that he poses, he himself is panicked despite of it.
He can't make any careless moves now.
▌│█║▌║▌║ To be continued... ║▌║▌║█│▌