Squad 7 and Squad 4 were scheduled to depart at midnight. Squad 7 had arranged four pickup trucks to transport their mbers to Ward 11, while Squad 4 would ride in the sa vehicle they had used in their previous mission. Miko even made extensive adjustnts, equipping it with a deep arsenal which most likely wouldn’t be necessary since they planned to reach the hideout on foot once they arrived.
With a few hours left before departure, Shin Amano instructed the mbers of Squad 7 to get familiar with Squad 4. The front area of Squad 4’s apartnt was filled with casual chatter, most of it revolving around Miko, who seed to attract attention effortlessly. Nearby, Sora and Kaela were engaged in conversation with a few of the girls from Squad 7, smiling and laughing as if they’d known each other for years.
anwhile, Seth and Ren sat quietly on the stairs just outside the apartnt as if hiding from the liveliness.
For Seth, this wasn’t unusual. He’d never been the talkative type and had no interest in socializing just for the sake of it. He stayed focused, calmly tuning his sniper rifle and two pistols. After all, the bitter taste of defeat still lingered in his tongue.
Ren, on the other hand, wanted to connect but didn’t quite know how. That being said, he sat beside Seth, arms crossed, fidgeting with his fingers while occasionally glancing at the others.
"Aren’t you gonna talk to them?" Ren finally asked, breaking the silence.
"I don’t need to," Seth replied flatly. "I’ve already analyzed their Drive abilities. There’s no need to talk. Green-haired guy right there can manipulate sand. The one with the buzz cut and nose piercing uses steel. That guy over there—"
"Okay, okay, I get it!" Ren interrupted.
A few seconds passed before Shin Amano suddenly approached them. His quiet but commanding presence caught Ren off guard.
Ren gulped, sitting up straight. Why’s he coming this way? Did I do sothing wrong? he thought nervously.
"So you’ve been assigned to Squad 4, huh? I really would’ve liked us to end up in the sa squad," Shin said with a casual smile toward Seth.
"Well, I’m glad I got placed away from you," Seth replied, eyes still locked on his sniper rifle. "I don’t want to be compared to a genius."
"Now now, don’t be so cold. I’m just happy I get to witness your skills again."
"I just got my ass handed to last ti. Not sure I’d call that skill."
"Hm... we’ll see about that," Shin replied, letting out a small chuckle.
Ren glanced between the two of them, trying to follow the conversation. A few seconds later, Shin gave a light wave and bowed politely to Ren before walking off.
"Wait, you guys know each other?" Ren asked.
"Yeah. We sparred back when we were recruited. I was fifteen. He was seventeen."
Oh... so Shin Amano’s nineteen now, Ren thought.
"Was he always that strong?" he asked.
"He was strong back then, probably twice your level now. And in just two years, he’s grown into soone almost on par with the Wardens."
Upon hearing that, Ren fully grasped just how terrifyingly strong Shin Amano was. To rise to such a level in only two years, nearly reaching the strength of the wardens was more than impressive. It was unreal. He understood why they called him ZEAL’s prodigy.
But even so, a fire lit within Ren. Instead of intimidation, he felt a thrill as a silent grin ford on his lips.
He wanted to test it.
But he quickly shook the thought away. Now wasn’t the ti to fixate on catching up to Shin Amano.
There was a barricade standing right in front of him. And he needs to face it in a few monts.
Skullhead Drake.
Monts later, Sora called Squad 4 to gather. At the sa ti, Shin Amano called his own squad.
Ren and his teammates closed in as Sora stood at the center.
"Alright, listen up. We got our asses handed to us by Drake last ti. But today, we’re paying that back double. Let’s show him what Squad 4 is really made of!"
The squad clenched their fists, their faces were clearly painted with determination.
They boarded their vehicle and Sora sat behind the wheel as always. Ahead of them was Shin Amano’s ride. He sat casually on the roof of the pickup like a total gangster, completely exposed to the world as if daring the enemy to spot him. To try him.
With a simple hand gesture, Shin signaled the advance.
And just like that, they drove out toward Ward 11. To a battle that will possibly reclaim the ward and bring peace.
A few monts later, they arrived at Ward 11. The smoky, graffiti covered streets greeted them once again like the very embodint of chaos. And to their surprise, the SkullFras were already waiting.
A sea of orange jackets stretched across the street, at least a hundred gang mbers, each one bearing the gang’s signature skull emblem embroidered on their backs. So held guns, others gripped batons, and others knives. A few stood with eerie stillness, their bodies faintly glowing, they were the Awakened Ones ready for combat.
At the front of the mob stood the dreadlocked man Ren and Seth had fought during their recon. He scread fueled with rage the mont he saw ZEAL’s forces, as it echoed across the ward.
But none of ZEAL’s mbers flinched. Not a trace of fear marked their faces. Instead they stood there with complete confidence and bravery.
"Oh? That guy’s still breathing?" Seth remarked.
Ren chuckled. "Can’t believe he lived through that kick."
Kaela, Miko, and Sora glanced between the two, instantly connecting the dots. Now they understood why Ren and Seth returned from recon battered and barely standing.
The three of them spoke in unison: "Ahh..."
Shin Amano stood up and leapt down from the roof of the pickup truck. The mont his feet touched the ground, several SkullFras mbers instinctively flinched. The sheer pressure he radiated was suffocating, an invisible force that says "none of you can win against ."
He walked forward slowly, calm and smiling, moving ahead of ZEAL’s forces without a hint of hesitation. The rest of the squad remained where they were, silent as if letting their vice captain handle it.
"If you surrender now and return our kidnapped mber," Shin spoke with authority, "then no blood needs to be spilled today."
A tense silence fell over the street. No one dared respond. All eyes were locked on him, stunned by the suffocating presence he emits.
Then, finally, the dreadlocked man shook himself free from the shackles of fear. His pride was louder than his survival instincts. With a growl, he stomped the ground, sending pebbles flying, and wrapped both his fists in solid rock.
"I’ll crush you! Boulder Pound!"
He charged, launching a wild haymaker toward Shin.
But before the strike could connect, a surge of violet aura exploded downward. In an instant, the man was slamd into the pavent as the force crushed him a full two feet into the concrete.
"Argh! What is this?! I can’t move!" the dreadlocked man shouted.
"You stepped into my domain carelessly," Shin replied with a casual tone. "Well, you didn’t know so I’ll let you have another chance. Consider it a blessing."
With that, the violet aura binding the man disappeared. He stumbled back up in an instant as anger replaced his fear. With a roar, he threw a boulder of rock straight at Shin.
Shin didn’t flinch. He simply extended his right hand and the massive chunk of earth shattered into dust mid-air.
But the SkullFra mber had already vanished from view.
The dreadlocked man reappeared behind Shin, his right leg coated in sharp stone shards, aiming for a devastating axe kick directly at Shin’s head.
Shin turned his head lazily toward him and smiled.
In one fluid motion, he caught the descending leg, gripping it with enough force to crack the stone armor. Then, with his right hand, he grabbed the man by the throat and slamd him hard into the ground. A loud crack echoed throughout the area as the floor split beneath the impact.
The place was filled with absolute silence.
ZEAL’s squad 7 watched without surprise, their faces neutral, as if they had expected no less. Squad 4, however, stood wide-eyed, their jaws dropping to the ground except for Seth.
The SkullFras didn’t even blink. They stood frozen, trying to process the overwhelming display they had just witnessed.
"W-What was that?!" Ren finally spoke. His eyes locked on Shin Amano’s calm, smiling face. "He slamd that guy like he was a toy!"
"That’s his broken Drive Art," Seth said. "Gravitation Bind. He manipulates gravity in a controlled radius. You step in and you’re already at a disadvantage."
"Gravity?" Ren whispered. "How do you even fight against that?"
"No one really knows," Seth answered. "Only the Wardens can go against him inside ZEAL. And outside? He’s undefeated."
After a few tense monts of silence, the SkullFras finally snapped out of their daze then unleashed a storm of bullets like a flood crashing down on ZEAL’s front line.
But before the rounds could reach them, they froze mid-air.
Shin Amano raised his hand, and with a shimr of violet wall aura around him that extended like a huge wall, the bullets halted in place for a second then clattered harmlessly to the ground.
"Why are we even here?" one mber of Squad 7 muttered.
"I know, right?" another one remarked.
Shin glanced back at the ZEAL forces with a calm smile.
"Don’t slack off now, yeah? Attack!" he called out.
With that, the other ZEAL mbers surged forward, charging into chaos. Drive abilities exploded across the battlefield, blasts of energy, elental surges, and shockwaves lighting up the battlefield as the two gangs clashed in full force.
Amid the destruction, Shin subtly gestured toward Squad 4 and Alen.
They understood at once. Despite the SkullFras being mostly low-tier grunts, ZEAL was still heavily outnumbered. Taking the high ground was their best shot at reaching Drake without using much of their energy.
Without a word, Squad 4 and Alen broke off from the front lines, climbing the rooftops and moving quickly as each step brought them closer to Drake’s hideout.
On their way toward the abandoned police station, several SkullFra mbers attempted to block their path. But they were no match as Seth quickly eliminated them. His serpent-like bullets twisted through the air and curved around walls, eliminating three enemies on their right with precise, silent shots from his pistols.
Just as things seed to be going smoothly, their montum was halted.
A thin, drunken-looking man wearing a bone-white mask stepped into their path, staggering slightly, wielding twin revolvers. Without warning, he fired two rounds that cut through the air and struck the nearby walls, instantly blowing massive holes into the concrete.
"Exploding bullets, huh?" Seth muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Let handle him—"
But Alen stepped forward, raising a hand to stop him. "No. You guys keep moving to the hideout. I’ll take care of him."
As he spoke, steel-like threads ca out from his fingertips, glowing underneath the moonlight.
Squad 4 nodded in unison before moving forward.
"Take care!" Ren called out while looking back at Alen engaging in combat with the guy.
Minutes later, they arrived at the abandoned police station but imdiately, they felt that sothing was off.
No guards. No scouts. Just an eerie, suffocating silence.
"This doesn’t feel right," Sora said, eyes narrowing. "For soone whose hideout was just discovered, it’s way too quiet."
The others nodded. It’s too easy, like walking straight into a trap.
"Miko, scan the building," Sora ordered.
Miko imdiately deployed two drones, which flew forward and scanned the premises. They picked up traces of faint drive signatures scattered throughout the structure, but at the center, there was sothing else.
A single, massive energy reading emanating from the underground floor.
The drone flew closer, trying to identify the source. But the mont it crossed the 10 ter radius near the building....
Boom!
The drone exploded mid-air, vanishing in a burst of static and fla.
"I think that’s Drake," Miko said as his fingers moved over his control pad. "The second it got close, the whole thing blew. It might be his Drive Core Release. War Mine Dominion."
He turned to face the others. "The place is surrounded by particles of explosive drive energy. I’d estimate a 10 to 15-ter radius of detonation if anything moves too close."
"What’s a Drive Core Release?" Ren asked.
"Did you not read the intel? It’s an advanced technique," Seth explained. "It temporarily removes the limitations of a Drive Core’s ability within a set domain. Only highly skilled users who’ve fully mastered their Drive Core can pull it off. This confirms it. Drake’s power is no joke."
Sora clenched her fists.
He knew we were coming. But how?
Reviews
All reviews (0)