Chapter 128: Bring It


    April 1st, 2090


    Reijis POV


    After Minato suddenly sent me away to the apartment, I immediately ran to his ce. Unlike Akihabara the streets werepletely deserted, which allowed me to make good time as I sprinted. I barged into Minatos house, shed the pendant at Minatos parents before they could even get up and ask where he was, and then watched in surprise as it put them to sleep before whisking them away to an unknown location. Hikaris parents were in Korea on vacation, so I hauled ass over to my ce and repeated said process.


    After I was finished, I immediately tossed the pendent away. My intuition was correct, as I saw the pendent sh once before vanishing. Tch, Minato was trying to get me out of here too. I know that Im still a weak human, but I cant run away again. I want to help. I have to help. I dont know whether this need is born from guilt or not, but I dont care. I opened up my fathers safe, and withdrew his 9mm pistol. Sorry Minato, despite your best intentions, Im going to be doing something reckless.


    I ran back out into the street, with my new weapon hidden in my jacket. I looked towards downtown, and started running once more. Good thing Im in so much better shape now. I may not be able to help Minato and the others, but I can try and help evacuate people caught in the crossfire. I have Minatos defensive artifact with me, alongside a few other magic artifacts he entrusted to me, so I should be able to survive. It is frustrating that I cant do more, but thats okay. I am not a hero, but Ill do my best anyways.


    Kiras POV


    It has been only a few minutes at most since this invasion started, but as I ran towards my rematch with Susan I saw carnage and destruction that in some ways eclipsed the scenes I saw back home. Humans were blown to shreds with blood and gore everywhere, cars were burning, and the very ground was torn up to the point of being unrecognizable. It seems that humanitys science can destroy even better than it can create. The skies were thick with drones, gunships, and warnes. The defenders were fighting back fiercely in the sky, driven by their desire to protect their home. Shrapnel and scrap metal rained downed as the aerialbatants fought for supremacy.


    In order to bypass the crowds running in the streets, I was running in the air. I was using Farws as footholds, sending the throwing daggers ahead of me as I kept sprinting at full speed. I ignored the asional cry of shock from the crowd below as they saw me. Yes, yes, Im sure seeing a cat-kin for the first time is incredible, but do try and remember youre fleeing a battlefield! The civilians were not the only ones who noticed my skyward movements. Two drones broke off from a nearby dogfight to engage me. I jumped above the iing missiles, before flipping in midair and pushing off one of my daggers to dive beneath the subsequent gunfire. Inded with each foot on a Farw, and I maneuvered the des while I stood on them to fly between the two drones. The other 11 Farws followed, rending through the steel encased machines like a hot knife through butter.


    I kept going without looking back, drawing out Longfangs as I saw more aerial fighters inbound. Rather than waiting for another 5 drones to engage, I willed my des to expand to an extreme length and slice through the drones before they even got in range of their small-arm weaponry. Farws zoomed into the sky, intercepting, and destroying the inbound missiles that had been loosed by the drones before their demise. My throwing knives continued screening my advance, striking down many more drones and even an attack helicopter that were blocking my path.


    I soon entered the frost covered neighborhood that indicated the ice elementalist was nearby. There was no chaos or carnage here, even the skies were clear of fighting. But there was far more death here than before. Hundreds, no, thousands of people were frozen solid where they stood. Some were lying on the ground, others were frozen in mid-stride. These ice statues centered around one person who was still moving. She turned upon my approach, her silver-blue hair swaying gently with the motion. Her expressionless face seemed to indicate that she couldnt care less about my arrival, but I didnt need a cat-kins superior intuition to notice the uncontained hatred that she was directing towards me. I dropped from the sky,nding lightly onto the thinyer of snow in the area. My defensive artifact was glowing brightly, warding away the worst of the chill.


    We meet again. I have nothing to say to a hideous mongrel like yourself. Die. Susan waved a hand, causing a series ofrge icicles to erupt from the ground towards me. I noted a small opening in the spread of the icicles, allowing me to contort my body and pass through the attack unharmed. I charged forward, having no intention in allowing Susan to draw out the battle. She has altered the very environment to her advantage, and I dont want to wait to allow the cold to sap my strength. I struck with my twin butterfly swords at normal length, getting in close to Susan. She created a mace and round shield of ice, blocking my des as she countered with an overhead swing. I jumped backwards and dived sideways, dodging the initial strike and the st of frost that immediately followed.


    Susan took advantage of the new distance to shoot out snowke projectiles, which I avoided by taking cover behind one of the many frozen corpses in the area. The snowkes are apparently razor sharp, seeing how they sank all the way into the thick ice. I continued weaving in and out of the ice statues, circling around Susan for an opening as she continued with her snowke throwing stars. Farws was on automatic mode at the moment, repeatedly attacking Susan. She was forced to block with her shield, allowing me to dart back into closebat.


    Longfangs became softer at mymand, curling around the edge of her shield as she blocked my descending cross-cut. I managed to score a light cut on the side of her shield-bearing arm, causing her blue blood to stain my de. I deflected her mace with my other sword, determined to press my momentary advantage. My defensive artifact glowed brighter as Susans rage caused the surrounding temperatures to drop further. My breath crystallized in the air as I exchanged blows with Susan, neither of us giving ground. I was winning, as evidenced by the series of minor wounds that decorated Susans body.


    My intuition suddenly went off like a siren, causing me tosh Longfangs out like a grappling hook and thenmand it to retract in order to pull me far away from Susan. YOU FUCKING MANGY CAT!!!! ILL EVISCERATE YOUUUU!!!!!!! Susan howled, her impassive demeanor shattering like all the ice in the vicinity at the force of her deration. The many frozen statues slumped to the ground as their prisons broke, pale corpses hitting the concrete with a thud as the ice dust sparkled around them. Her pristine face became droopy and wrinkled as her hands elongated into white talons. She bulked up, tearing her kimono into pieces, with just barely enough remaining to protect her modesty. She becamepletely feral, snarling as she dropped to all fours.


    Well this sucks. Seems like I finally managed to get the emotionless yuki-onna topletely lose her shit. Oops. I recalled Farws to me, jumping on a pair of the daggers as I took to the sky. Susan was quick to follow as a massive mountain of ice burst through the ground, upending the nearby buildings as it rose upwards. Hmm. This scenario seems awfully simr to what happens in those video games that Reiji showed me with thest boss. Is this the final form? I flew between the relentless barrage of frozen shrapnel as I prepared to reengage. BRING IT!!! I roared as I flew back into the fray.