Green Life

* * *

Two hours earlier!

<━━━━━━━━━━━>

All of the girls disguised themselves in hoodies once they had secured a hidden passageway away from the angry crowd in order to blend in outside.

“I have one private jet that will take us away. But if we don't sneak back into my old lab, we won't be able to leave this country.” Lily told everyone her plan.

“Your former lab, though, won't that be the first place that the government seizes possession of?” Chloe asked.

“True, but they still don't realize that was only a cover to hide my real hideout.” Lily responded.

“Then, where is your real lab?” Rei curiously asked.

“Can't you guess?” Lily smirked at the curious girls while still looking at Rei. “It's at your school.”

“At Sakuru’s high school!? But how did you build it there without anyone knowing?” Rei’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Well, the principal of that school was dumb enough to not care about a certain area where they would throw away their trash. That's why I took this opportunity and made a secret room where I keep my most powerful weapons in case angels would try to invade this planet.”

“That's pretty smart for a human.” Akemi gave a fake surprised expression while walking through the dark alleys.

“Let's not get off the topic too much. Pay attention to me now.” Lily grabbed everyone’s attention once again. “Once we cross this alley, we’ll find ourselves back at the main streets. That's why we need to be careful in order to not reveal ourselves.”

“But aren't our clothes suspicious to begin with? How are we going to be careful?” Chloe asked after seeing how a group of girls could walk past a crowd looking for them.

“I thought about that as well. That's why we’ll be using this.” The small girl revealed several chokers that were specifically made for each of them.

“These are….” Chloe tried guessing.

“It has a strange feel to it…” Akemi commented.

“It smells weird.” Shiro also let out her thoughts, not understanding what those chokers were for.

“They are spy covers!” Hina exclaimed at the sight of the weird-looking checkers, causing the rest of the girls to look at her.

“SpyCovers?” Ichika asked.

“I remember when my father used to have one of these when he would try to escape danger from people that wanted him dead. I remember that these devices could actually make your body blend with its surroundings.” Hina explained. “While they are not that great, they helped my father get out of danger pretty quick.”

“I managed to steal a few of these things back at the lab I was working at and modified them into a more comfortable shape for each of us.” Lily explained as everyone began wearing the chokers.

After everyone got more comfortable with the new accessories on their neck, their bodies became transparent as if they weren't there. This tool wasn't flawless, though. Someone may tell there was someone there if they strained their eyes very closely and noticed a distinct pattern.

“Let's go. We don't have much time left.” The small sister informed everyone before heading out to the main street with everyone.

After taking off their cloaks to avoid looking suspicious, especially as numerous persons were looking for a group of girls, the girls all started to walk together.

But because they were using unique chokers that may render their bodies invisible, they chose locations where fewer people were present.

Or that's what they were hoping for before they found themselves in a busy area filled with thousands of people.

“We need to find a way out of here.” Chloe quietly said on her hidden chip connected to everyone’s earphones.

“I believe that this is the safest route to the academy grounds. The majority of the streets are equipped with cameras. Many of them have infrared detectors that could possibly pick up on us. But if we blend in with the crowd, none of the sensors will be able to pick us up as quickly. At least not until we reach the academy.” Lily explained to everyone.

While hundreds of people were going to their own works, at the main crossroad, a big screen was placed at the tallest building showing videos and photos of the girls that were accomplices to the destruction of the Underground City.

The one to notice that screen was Shiro who worriedly looked at her master going on a rampage at the video.

[ Master… ] Shiro called out her master in her own head. But due to the high number of people passing by, one of the passersby tripped over Shiro and fell down.

“Agh! What the hell!?” The man was spooked after seeing how he tripped over nothing. But after taking a closer look, the man noticed a girl with white hair that wasn't there some moment ago. “Where did you come from?”

“Eh?!” Shiro was also spooked after seeing that her choker was turned off due to the shockwave of falling to the ground.

Some of the other passersby who noticed this incident looked on the ground, seeing a familiar girl with white hair and different eye colors that stood out from the rest of the people.

“Hey, isn't that one of the wanted girls?!” One random guy from the crowd asked in shock.

“That's the same girl!”

“It's definitely her!!”

“Why haven't the police forces captured her yet!?”

“Is she escaping?!”

Shiro looked with anxiety around as many people were surrounding her. She was used to walking around but being watched by so many people at the same time scared her to the point where she wasn't thinking straight.

“Shiro let's go!” Chloe grabbed Shiro’s attention, also revealing herself to the crowd who was discussing with one another.

After seeing that two of the most wanted girls were found, many of the people looked as if these wanted girls were trying to find a way to escape their eyes. However, things were going to be as easy as they had thought.

“Hey, they are trying to get away!”

“Block the way!!”

“Don't let them get away!!”

“GET THEM!!!”

Many brave and angry people from the crowd shouted after seeing the nerve of these criminals getting away that easily.

“Shiro! Run!” Chloe shouted after seeing how some of the people around them were trying to capture them.

“Um!” Shiro nodded with a stern look.

However, after Shiro got hold of herself, she jumped over the crowd together with Chloe and ran away as far as they could.

“Everyone! Me and Shiro have been found! We’ll meet at our destination!” Chloe informed the rest of the girls through her device as she continued running with Shiro on her side.

“I understand! We’ll reunite there!” Lily responded back through the radio connection they had together. “Until then…. Be safe.”

“Same to you.”

Many selected people from the crowd began chasing the two girls who were increasing their distance through obstacles and cars that were passing by very quickly. However, even though they were gaining a great distance from the chasers, the girls had become a clear target to the security cameras and to the public eye.

* * *

Many of the monitors on the major central area of the city, where the primary security was keeping an eye on the public, were tracing the steps of two of the girls, who were soon located.

“Sir! We have identified two of the targets!” One of the observers informed as he continued keeping a look at the nearest cameras that had a clear view of the running duo.

The president, who had been patiently waiting the entire time, suddenly emerged from the shadows of the room and moved toward the light.

“Until the main forces show up, be sure to keep track of their whereabouts! Whether they are alive or dead, I want them to be captured.” The president ordered and kept watching with a stern look on his face.

“Yes sir!”

“I won't allow any more casualties in my country. Not after managing to find an end to the destruction.” The president said with a quiet voice. [ Not after managing to be in control of the whole world. ] He continued his sentence in his mind.

“Sir! We lost them! They have entered a hidden spot!” The same person informed the president while using all of his monitors to find the location of the girls. 

 The president clenched his fists in annoyance. 

However, the heavy mood in the room didn't continue for long before a certain girl could be noticed walking in there.

“They are heading to the Sakuru academy.”

Hearing the confident voice revealing the target’s destination, the president looked around and recognized the girl coming toward him.

“What makes you say that?” The president inquired.

“A place filled with the most talented humans. That's the last place you were going to check. Right?” The girl walked towards the light and pointed her finger at the map over the screen. “They are undoubtedly traveling in this direction based on the route they are taking.”

“Mister president! I think she is right!” The guy over the computer said in realization. “The last place they were found was this street, which is a path that leads to the academy!”

“Keep an eye on the nearest cameras over the Sakuru academy. And you, notify the special army to head to the academy and surround the place!” After the president gave orders to different people rushing into the room, he turned back to the girl.

“I see that you weren't lying about not being a drag, but are you sure you want to be here?  Shouldn't you be staying with your boyfriend?” The president asked.

“He is still recovering, and I’m sure that Tatsuya would want this as well. After all, those cunts wandering around our world are a danger that must be eliminated!” Hanna clenched her fists without caring about behaving unprofessionally in front of the president. “That's why, please let me join the special force.”

The president gave a quick thought before looking back at the raging-looking girl in front of him. “Alright, you may join them.”

Hanna turned around with her nails piercing the palm of her hands. 

After making sure that girl was out of the room, a certain woman in a suit approached the president. “Are you sure it was a good idea to send a brat there?”

“I understand what you mean, but there’s no helping it. In one way or another, that girl was going to find a way to confront them on her own.” The president let out a troubled sigh.

“What do you mean?”

“Don't you know that she is holding a grudge against that group of girls?” The president walked a few steps forward towards the big screen in the room.

“Indeed, she did show signs of aggression when they were mentioned…” The woman in a suit thought for a bit as well. “But why? I don't think any of those girls were related to her…. except…”

“.......” The president looked back with a stern look at the worried woman. “Whatever the cause of the resentment, this must have all occurred when everyone traveled to the opposite side of the wormhole..”

“We know that they illegally participated in the tournament held by those angels, but is it really okay to attack them head-on?” The secretary-like woman inquired.

“In order to maintain world peace, a choice had to be done by any means necessary. Even if we had to use a bunch of brats as baits to bring that disaster down.”

* * *

“Shiro! Quickly, this way!” As they drew nearer to the Sakuru Academy grounds, Chloe gave advice. Surprisingly, they found it to be relatively vacant.

“Nya!” Shiro responded.

Both girls climbed one certain building and looked in a distance from there.

“This is weird…” Her assassin-like instincts were popping in before she could proceed to go any further together with the white-haired cat girl on her side.

“Big sister, what's wrong?” Shiro confusingly asked.

“We’ve been running for a while, and for some reasons…. The streets here have been suspiciously very quiet. There isn't a single person out here….” Chloe concluded.

Shiro tilted her head. “There are many humans around us though.”

“What?!” 

“They are hiding,” Shiro stated before pointing one of her fingers over the door that leads to the rooftop of the building they were currently staying on. “Like, there are some over ther–”

Before Shiro could manage to finish what she had to say, Chloe immediately brought out her dagger and threw it towards the door, blasting it to pieces and revealing many soldiers that were fully armed.

Now that they were found, the soldiers brought out their guns and showered their bullets on Shiro and Akemi who were on their guards.

“Zero-two! We’ve been found!” One of the soldiers shouted to his radio.

“Don't let them escape!”

Chloe used her daggers to deflect a great number of bullets, leaving her behind with a few scratches on her body from the ones she couldn't reach.

Shiro did the same, even though her body seemed to be slightly tired from usual.

[What's going on? Why does my body feel so weak? ] Chloe questioned herself. [ This isn't like me! ]

Seeing how she was being pushed back, she took one long leap and instantly cut the necks of the soldiers who were trying to bring them down. But despite taking out a great amount of them, there still could be seen forces coming from all directions. From some quiet helicopters that were trying to camouflage to the sky, to even drones that were controlled from afar.

“Shiro!”

“Nya!”

Chloe called out before both she and the white-haired girl jumped from the building in order to escape from the trap laid for them.

[ They knew that we were coming here! ] Chloe cursed under her breath. [ I need to inform Lily and the rest before they reach here! ]

And that's what she did as they carried on parkouring from place to place to get away from the approaching drones.

“Everyone! They knew we were coming here! Hello?! Can you hear me?!! Anyone?!!” 

However, despite many calls through her radio, no one gave any response. They thought it strange at first, but bewildered later, that they had never sent any more information since they had split up.

“Something must’ve happened. I'm getting no response from any of them.” Chloe concluded after finding another hidden spot.

“It's okay, they are strong!” Shiro confidently responded with a look that showed Chloe how much trust she had in her other sisters.

But whatever choice they were going to make next, it had to be done very quickly before any of the special forces could locate them.

* * *

Half an hour ago, right after Shiro and Chloe had to separate from the group, Lily with the rest of the girls continued their plan on heading toward the Academy’s grounds.

They still had to be cautious since despite being invisible with their chokers, there still was a chance that they could be found. Just like what happened to Shiro when someone accidentally bumped into her.

But none of the girls were worried since they knew that Shiro and Chloe were the best when it came to stealthy skills.

They were getting closer to their destination when suddenly, Akemi suddenly stopped and gave a quick glare at the top of a building that was some kilometers away from their current position.

“What's wrong?” Hina asked.

“We are being followed…” The dragon girl quietly said.

“What? That should be impossible.” Lily suddenly chimed in after Akemi stated that. “That is way too quick, and I ensured that would avoid all of the unnecessary cameras that could locate us.”

“Well, it seems like you weren't as careful as you thought would be.”

Lily clicked her tongue at Akemi’s comment. She was aware that it was her responsibility to lead everyone to safety, which is why it pissed her off knowing that they were found this quickly.

“That doesn't matter anymore!” Ichika also chimed in as a way to calm down the sudden cold tense mood going on between the proud dragon and the small scientist.

“She is right, we have to move if we want to get out of this place.” Rei also tried calming everyone down by reminding them of their position.

While they were trying to find a way out of their sight, Akemi quickly moved her hand and created a barrier that prevented some bullets that would’ve paralyzed them on the spot.

“That girl is right.” Akemi agreed. 

“Yeah, but if we want to get out of this country safe, we need to arrive at Sakuru’s ground first without anyone spotting us.” Lily also agreed after seeing many other bullets trying to take them down.

“I’ll take care of those eyesores.” With another swing of her head, Akemi created several small spears the size of bullets and shot them at mach speed to where the snipers were aiming from.

Once Akemi dealt with the snipers, Lily removed her choker and threw it away in annoyance.
This confused some of the girls who were holding on to the chokers tight making them invisible. The feeling alone made them feel much safer.

“They can still see us.” Lily clicked her tongue once again in annoyance. 

“But h-how?” Ichika innocently asked.

“They were much faster to act than I had thought. They are aware that we are extraordinary people who took part in the angels’ tournament. That information is enough for this country to go overkill when dealing with us.” Lily explained.

“T-thats….” Ichika held the palm of her hand in front of her mouth, failing to hide her expression from everyone else.

The silence however didn't last any longer due to another attack which put everyone on their guard while having each other’s back.

“Seems like our chit-chatting has come to an end.” Lily softly announced.

“I know another shortcut if–”

“There’s no need for that anymore.”

Rei tried giving everyone an option before she was cut off by Akemi whose aura suddenly increased while creating a beam that opened up a path by destroying the whole houses that were nearby.

“I found another shortcut. ” Akemi smirked after showing off her destructive powers.

The whole place was blown to pieces thanks to the reckless thinking of a certain dragon, fully revealing not only their position but also that they had no intention of interrogating things out with the leaders of this country. The chances of sorting this out through communication were now gone, that is why all of the girls took a run for it in order to reach the academy as fast as they could.

“Keep an eye out for any sudden drones. They carry lethal poison which can either kill or neutralize us.” Lily warned everyone as Ichika was carrying her due to her lack of stamina to keep up with everyone's speed.

“Don't worry about any of those. Demonica and Angelica made a barrier in advance.” Hina said that while the twin sisters could be seen flying by her side. She knew that those sisters become weaker when creating powerful barriers for the rest of the group, that's why she had to keep an eye out in case anyone would strike those girls first.

While managing to dodge any unnecessary projectiles flying toward them, everyone came to a stop after a massive firewall quickly encircled them.

“Oh, this sure is interesting.” Akemi quietly expressed.

All of the girls stood at the center of the circle with their backs against one another in order to counter any hidden attacks from this area.

But after a few moments of hard waiting, a particular female flew inside the circle, revealing herself to the group of guarded girls who were prepared to defeat anyone.

“You are!” Hina reacted after recognizing the girl entering the ring of fire that surrounded everyone inside.

“Hanna?!” Rei looked with her trembling, yet sweet eyes who didn't want to see someone from her school coming in here.

Floating inside the wall of fire, was the same girl that was known to be the best partner of the strongest human in the world. However, this time, there was something different about her. Something that screamed to everyone’s minds, that she was no longer human…

“You…. have been absorbing life crystals, haven't you?” Akemi’s smile also faded away after she understood how one weak girl managed to grow this strong.

* * *

In the meantime, Shiro and Chloe were waiting for everyone else to arrive at Sakuru’s grounds where they would get the right method of transportation out of this country.

They believed that everything was going to be okay since Akemi was with them. But upon getting a bit of rest from their continuous run, a bolt-like vein was shot at them without any sound which almost caught them off guard. But due to their wild instincts, they were able to dodge that thunder before it could touch them.

“Eh… You managed to dodge that?” A creepy, dark voice through the smoke asked the girls.

“Who are you?!” Chloe inquired with a stern look on her face, ready to let herself loose from the creepy voice that put chills down her spine.

“Hm? You can’t remember me?” The boy asked before walking through the smoke, revealing himself to the girls who were ready to strike back. “Then what about now?”

“You are….” Chloe’s eyes were forced on him before recalling the face of this boy.

Who was in front of these two girls, was none other than Raiden. But something was different about him this time. Something that put the girls on their guard the whole time.

His whole body was releasing this shocking wave of electricity which not only changed his voice but also his aura the whole time.

“I gotta admit, that asshole Tatsuya was one motherfucker for hiding that much green stuff behind our backs the whole time. That explained everything on why he was so god damn strong despite being the same age as the rest of us.” Raiden clenched his fists, feeling his newly acquired powers through his body.

“How?! Life crystals can’t be absorbed by humans!” Chloe provoked Raiden, trying to get information on how other humans managed to harvest this kind of unimaginable power.

“I don't understand any of that kind of science stuff, but you seem to be underestimating the power we hold over here,” Raiden smirked. “You see, if you break that green rock into little pieces, you can manage to suck its energy through your veins without any problem. Tatsuya was the first subject of these kinds of experiments, but now that we have completely acquired them, there’s nothing that will stop ME! Anymore!”

From there, blue veins on Raiden's skin could be seen, giving off strange vibes.

“However, I am willing to spare you, if you become my woman.”

Chloe’s expression didn't change one bit at the offer that this guy was making, that's why she didn't move from her position and allowed Shiro to get a close distance towards the boy who was emitting a strong current from his body. The white-haired cat closed her distance from him and tried cutting him down from behind, using her sharp claws that immediately left marks all over the place where the boy once stood.

“I’ll take that as a no.” Raiden calmly said after managing to easily dodge the first attack.

With the bare negotiation that Raiden just attempted to make, he jumped from where he was, leaving a crack in the ground due to the powerful force of his legs. And within the second, he tried letting the girls know through physical language that he wasn't someone to mess with by endeavoring to land a quick kick on Chloe’s face.

Chloe, on the other hand, has spent virtually her entire life practicing close combat, causing the initial kick to narrowly miss her by slightly bending backward.

“W-wha?!” Or that's what she was expecting before feeling the current through Raiden’s wave that scratched her cheeks and cut off a bit of her hair.

Surprised by the combination of attacks, Chloe took a few steps behind before looking at her opponent with a stern look on her face.

“Surprised aren’t you? I, myself, was surprised to see the difference in my power after injecting just a small amount of that stuff.” Raiden took his sweet time to explain after seeing how bewildered Chloe was just from one swing of his leg.

Chloe on the other hand kept her guard up while trying to maintain her calm composure in order to hide her emotions from her opponent.

[ Something doesn't feel right…. ] Chloe thought to herself. [ Even if he managed to consume a bit of life crystal, my senses are still screaming and telling me that I should run away. He is incredibly strong. That thought alone is strange enough because when I fought with Hatsuko before, I never felt this….. Weak? ]

“Why aren't you saying anything? Or did I perhaps startle you a bit too much?” Raiden smiled after revealing the overwhelming current that his body had.

“No… I’m simply waiting for the right moment.” Chloe stated before gripping both of her daggers very hard.

“Hm?” Raiden looked curious as to what the girl in front of him was talking about.

“The right moment for you to let your guard down!” 

And before Chloe was able to finish talking, Shiro jumped from his blind spot and swung her claws at Raiden’s face, almost missing every attack. Raiden was dodging all of them due to his high speed, but from all around his body, many scratches and injuries were visible due to the sharpness of the claws.

Even if Raiden was fast, his reaction time was still the same despite growing much stronger.

“You damn bitch!!!” He cursed as he was receiving that many slashes all over his body in a split second.

Chloe on the other hand closed her eyes for a moment and launched herself towards the boy with the intention of instantly finishing him.

Raiden’s face froze for a second after having a glimpse at the sharp blades reaching for his neck. For a moment there, his whole world was frozen in one place after realizing that this actually might be his end.

But was this going to be it? Was he going to die after finally managing to reach the top? Taking over his father’s criminal organization. Becoming one of the strongest humans. And also taking any women that he wanted?

“AS IF I'M GOING TO ALLOW THIS!!” He yelled at the top of his lungs, blasting away both of the girls with the thunder-like current running around his body.

“Ghk!!”

“NYA!!”

Slowly gaining back their composure, Shiro and Chloe looked up and saw the sudden transformation that their opponent had taken. His whole body was glowing blue due to the high current that his body was maintaining the whole time. Even though they were several meters away from him, they still could feel the current that his body was emitting from all metals that were around them.

“Shiro, stay away from him. If you fall inside his reach, your body will be immobilized!” Chloe tried warning before a bolt of thunder grazed her cheek, almost hitting her eye.

“I have to say, that you almost got me there.” Raiden said, his eyes glowing bright blue due to his rage holding inside. “But don't worry, I won't be holding back any longer.”

Raiden slightly moved his hand and shot another thunder towards the girls, causing them to trip from the shattered ground.

[ This asshole of a playboy is strong! ] Chloe thought to herself while trying to maintain a long proper distance from that boy. [ Each of his attacks has delayed sounds which puts me at a disadvantage. If we get too close to him, we’ll be as good as fried. But if we stay too far from him, we won't be able to detect any of his thunderbolts! ]

Using any sort of electricity around him, Raiden was growing stronger and stronger due to his close connection to all energy flowing in this city’s system.

[ We must find a way to deal with him before everyone else arrives here! ] Chloe concluded to herself while trying to analyze her opponent.

* * *

“Hanna? Why are you here?” After a moment of silence between the sudden reveal through the walls of fire, Rei tried to get an answer out of her classmate.

“Why I’m here? Isn't that obvious? To get rid of some nuisance.” Hanna responded with a cold tone revealing that she wasn't scared to deal with all of them at the same time.

“Oh? And you think you can do that?” Akemi proudly asked, also trying to see what this human had up her sleeves.

Hanna stared down at them, hinting only rage within her eyes while looking at everyone in front of her. “I can.”

And after showing that she didn't plan to negotiate, Akemi took her wings out from her human form and put the wall of fire 9out with a few claps of her wings.

“You stupid dragon!” Lily suddenly called out from a distance.

“Who are you calling stupid? You wanna die?” Akemi snapped back at the sudden nickname that was given to her at this unnecessary time.

“Our communication chips are being interfered with by a third party! So try not to separate from the group!” Lily advised the dragon to fly in the air.

“Haa… asking too much despite being such a small human.” Akemi said to herself before looking right in front of her. “Right?”

“....” The girl which seemed to be floating some meters away didn't give any sort of response. Her expression was enough alone to let Akemi know that she had no plan of having a conversation.

“Hey tell me. Why is there so much hate in your eyes? I don't remember doing anything to a human like you before. But if I remember correctly, you were that idiot’s partner.” 

“Don't you dare call Tatsuya an idiot!!!” Hanna glared with full hatred before launching herself toward Akemi using air and fire skills to burn her alive.

However, Akemi used another barrier and pushed the dumb impatient girl away with a move of her hand.

“It's not my fault that that human decided to go against my master. The results were clear right from the start. But I do wonder, you and master seemed to know each other. So why are you doing this? Is it perhaps revenge?” Akemi’s eyes started to glow as her aura of a dragon began to reveal itself to the whole city. “Or are you using us… as bait?”

Hanna remained silent in response to both Akemi's recent assertion and her own inability to resist being pushed away.

Right back on the ground where the rest of the group were, they were waiting for Lily’s next move that they needed to take.

“Shouldn't we help Akemi?” Hina asked after seeing the stern look on Lily’s face while looking at her own tablet.

“No. We have our own problems to deal with.” Lily said before looking to their side, where a group of humans wearing the same kind of uniform just landed from a high place.

Despite having changed appearances and clothes, Rei was quick to recognize each of them.

“Everyone….” Rei's breath was taken away when she noticed that the people who had given her nightmares were back.

Strongest students in the whole world. But this time, much stronger due to the effects given by the crystal of life.

They all knew that those people over there were not the same as they used to be. Not only their area but also their strength as a whole was putting everyone at the edge of their seats.

Despite being in the middle of a battlefield, the same students were much calmer as they were talking with one another.

“I never thought that I would be seeing those girls once again.”

“I know right? After refusing to work with us, they simply gave us the cold shoulder.”

“But who would’ve thought…”

“That they were actually related to the weakest mixer.”

“Maybe calling him a monster would be the right thing. He did destroy a whole city after all.”

“Who would’ve thought of that, right?”

* * *

Back at the biggest Academy of Sakuru, many claps of thunder could be heard in the distance while two girls were running around in order to avoid getting hit by those deadly bolts which were not only burning all the trees around but also destroying everything on its sight.

Both Shiro and Chloe were running in different directions to confuse their opponent. That's why when they found the right timing, both of them nodded to one another.

Raiden continued chasing Shiro while Chloe couldn't be seen anymore. But at the moment, Raiden only had his eyes on the while-haired girl who had given him a lot of scars on his face.

The chase continued for a while before Shiro finally came to a stop and waited for Raiden to reach him with his next thunder.

“Did you give up?” Raiden smirked after seeing the panting cat taking a breather. “But too bad. No matter how much you beg for forgiveness. I will make sure to return all of these scars back to you tenfold!”

Shiro continued panting as she watched Raiden take one deep breath while raising both of his arms in the air, causing the clouds around the area to turn gray and form thunder controlled by him.

“NOW BEHOLD MY TRUE POWER!!” Raiden yelled out before going all out on the tired-looking cat.

However, what happened in the next moment, took his breath away, making him lose all of his power at once.

“W-what?!” Raiden struggled to speak after finding himself unable to utter another word. But when he looked to his side, he saw Chloe covered in different rubber gloves attached to her body. And on his neck, a plastic sharp object that had not only destroyed his vocal cords but also killed him in the next moment from the shock and pain.

What Raiden experienced next, was one long second filled with pain and suffering from not being cut properly.

After making sure that Raiden was dead, Chloe fell down on her butt. 

“Big sister!!” Shiro rushed to her side after seeing how exhausted she was.

“I'm okay. I just need a rest from all the running I did.” She reassured the white-haired girl.

“How did you get close to him without touching the sparkling light?” Shiro innocently asked.

And to explain that question to her, Chloe told her how electricity couldn't flow through plastic and rubber, that's why after she separated from her, she ran all over the place in order to find a shop where rubber gloves and tools were sold. And through her experience of adapting to the terrain, Chloe covered her body in rubber gloves in order to approach Raiden and kill him when he least expected it.

Both Chloe and Shiro waited for a bit longer until from a distance, they saw this massive spherical explosion that destroyed one whole district in the distance.

“Huh?! That's Akemi’s skill!” Chloe said after seeing the destruction that her power caused. “Something must’ve happened if she is fighting! Shiro let's go!”

“Nya!”

Running in the direction where the explosion came from, Chloe and Shiro were praying that everyone was okay. That's why they ran as fast as they could in order to help everyone else.

Their communication chips were already useless and there were barely any updates on the other group, that's why they didn't waste any more time.

Finally arriving at the battlefield, Chloe and Shiro saw how this whole area was turned into ruins with continuous battles coming from every direction.

“Just what…. Is going on?” Chloe wondered while trying to see where everyone was.

After one good observation, she finally saw one of the sisters who was shooting fire arrows toward every drone that was flying all over the place. However, since Ichika was a long ranged fighter, she wasn't fast enough to notice one of the Sakuru students charging toward her.

But thanks to Chloe’s fast reaction, that particular student was kicked away.

“Ichika, are you okay?” 

“Y-yes! Thank you for the help. That was a close one.” Ichika continued shooting down the drones after seeing that backup had finally arrived.

“Where is everyone else?” Chloe worriedly asked.

“... I don't know.” 

Chloe’s eyes widened at the cold answer that Ichika just gave. But somehow, she understood that they all are doing their part by getting rid of all nuisances.

“I understand… I will try and gather everyone back again. I cleared up our way to the academy, so everything should be fine if we run away.” 

And as Chloe said that, Shiro stood behind Ichika in order to protect her in case anyone would try to attack her from close range. 

Chloe on the other hand jumped onto a higher place and saw where everyone else was. From there she could clearly see many of the special forces that were trying to surround everyone, and in the sky, one winged girl could be seen with many spears floating next to her. And thousands of meters away, another girl was using fire, water, earth, and even air abilities to protect herself from the overwhelming power of her opponent.

After taking out some soldiers trying to shoot her down, Chloe ran down from the pile of ruins.

Getting cornered at one pile of ruined buildings was Lily together with the twin sisters, and Hina on the ground who was bleeding a lot. Demonica was trying to heal her, while Angelica on the other hand had a barrier up so none of the attacks coming from the strongest students could reach them.

"Damn it! We were so close!! Only if those fuckers didn't mess with our chips, I could’ve taken control back of those drones!" Lily clenched her fists in frustration.

Their barrier wasn't going to last any longer and Lily knew how bad their situation was right now.

“Giving up already!?”

“Hahahhaha, Look at their faces!”

Two of the special students that were cornering the girls were kicked away within a moment without noticing who it was.

“Lily! Everyone! Are you alright?” The girl who saved everyone revealed herself to be Chloe.

“I messed up! I never expected them to be this over prepared! We need to run away from here!” Lily explained the situation to Chloe about everything that had happened to them and how this country had taken the upper hand. And what's worse, humans had managed to finally use the insane energy within the life crystals which was known to be impossible for humans to even absorb.

“I think I already figured that out. After all, we were attacked at the academy by one of them.” Chloe also explained everything to Lily and everything that happened to them after they were separated from the group.

“So I was right… they knew that we were coming here…”

“What should we do?” Chloe asked Lily after seeing the frustrated look on the small sister’s face.

“.....” 

There was a moment of silence as the small scientist was thinking very hard about this.

Since their enemy knew that they wanted to go to the academy, she was sure that there was some sort of trap waiting for them, and that is why their main plan was scratched.

“We’re taking down the barrier.” Lily finally came up with another plan after a moment of thinking to herself.

“Cough! Y-you mean this country’s barrier?” Suddenly from underneath, the voice of a trembling girl inquired after hearing Lily’s next plan.

Both of the girls looked down and saw that Hina had finally gotten conscious.

Chloe knelt down and supported her head in order to make her feel more comfortable and not reopen her wounds again.

“Try not to move too much.” Chloe suggested while the twin sisters continued healing her. 

“Yes, that's the only way we can get out of this place.” Lily gave her answer to the injured girl.

“What?! How are we going to take down Sakuru’s barrier?!” Chloe questioned, perplexed about this absurd task.

She knew that Sakuru’s barrier was strong enough to even survive the collision between an angel and demon when the disaster occurred. So she was well aware that destroying such a barrier was going to take strong enough power that would exceed an angel's power. Even if Akemi tried using all of her powers, she wasn't sure if that was going to be enough to leave a hole big enough for everyone to get out.

After the girls had made up their minds, a loud explosion was heard in the distance getting everyone’s attention. They knew that whatever that explosion was, it wasn't going to be something good.
However after a moment of silence, from the sky, Akemi finally flew down to where everyone else was. She had her wings, tail, and horns out which seemed to be slightly burned from the fight which was occurring the whole time.

“Akemi, are you okay?” Chloe asked in a bit of worry.

“These damn humans sure know how to piss me off.” Akemi clicked her tongue while cleaning herself up from all of the burnt parts of her body.

“There’s no more time to waste. Akemi, transform back to your dragon form and take us all to the location I’m going to show you.” Lily quickly grabbed Akemi’s attention, changing her pissed expression into a smirk that knew what was about to happen next.

* * *

Back at where the first battle stood out, there were hundreds of special soldiers who were killed trying to capture the wanted girls. Many buildings were turned to ruins, transforming the whole place into a whole wasteland where there couldn't be any signs of humans.

However, someplace near the ruins were several students from the academy who had fallen back from the first interaction with the girls on the wanted list.

“If it wasn't for your lazy head, we could’ve caught them by now!” One of the students snapped at the guy beside him.

“Ha?! What the fuck are you talking about! It was thanks to your punny threats that they managed to get away from us. We got too confident and forgot that our backs were wide fucking open.” He stood up and faced the guy who blamed him.

“So you’re putting this on me?!”

“Yes, it's on you!! What you gonna do about it?!”

However, the two of the students became quiet once a certain girl from the sky flew down with a pissed look on her face. And to everyone’s surprise, her bare skin was visible due to her clothes being either torn or burned down.

“So?” Hanna asked once she got close enough to her team.

“T-they got away….” One of the students replied with a slightly embarrassed and ashamed voice due to their failures, but also to the seductive cleavage and bare legs that were in full view to everyone. 

“But it's not our fault! We suddenly got jumped from behind by one of the targets!!” A grumbling voice was heard from the back.

“So you're basically stating that a group of girls kicked your ass?” Hanna inquired after getting brief information about what happened while she was dealing with Akemi.

No one said a word as a special group of people arrived in order to fix Hanna’s burnt clothes. A new piece of clothing resembling a swimsuit was instantly formed in front of everyone with the help of one bracelet that was given to her.

All of the male students there were making a lot of effort to hide the fact that they were admiring the features of her body.

After a few more minutes of waiting, Hanna received new information through the communication device that the team provided for her.

“I understand. I’m heading there.” Hanna stated before closing the connection with the radio. 

“What are we going to do now?” One of the students asked.

Hanna thought for a moment before turning around to the team that was assigned to her. Since she was Tatsuya’s partner, it was a given that she was going to take command next. But that didn't seem to be the only reason….

“They are trying to reach the main district in order to take down the barrier.” Hanna quickly explained.

“W-what?! They can't be serious!” 

“That should be impossible!”

Some of the students reacted. 

However, orders are orders, and no one dared to defy what Hanna had to say. They were well aware that she had gained access to certain influential individuals in order to obtain that position. That was one of the reasons why no one wanted to challenge or say anything unnecessary to her.

“They can't possibly take down the barrier! That is what is defending this nation!”

Hanna took a quick look at the one who said that before responding. “That's why we are going there. So we can kill them before they can do anything.”

Hanna’s expression became somber while thinking to herself. [ That way I can finally get my revenge on him for doing that to Tatsuya. ] 

* * *

Through the cloudy sky of Sakuru, a silver dragon could be seen flying at a constant speed while carrying a couple of girls. 

The entire area where the battle had started was vacant, preventing any people from being involved in the pursuit of the sought-after girls by the Sakuru special forces.

And to deal with the dragon's unexpected appearance, numerous rockets had already been fired into the sky. The country had already dealt with many monsters all around the world, that's why they already knew the procedure in order to take down a massive monster like that.
In fact, the sudden appearance of the dragon felt more like source material to them rather than a threat that could potentially kill an entire country.

But now that Akemi, the silver dragon, had somewhat recovered from being drained by angels, she wasn't going to let herself be slaughtered by those puny humans. Not after finding the person who would eventually become her life partner.

“Is everyone okay back there?” Akemi worriedly asked after sensing that something was wrong. Another reason for her sluggish flight was to ensure that none of the females would be injured by the speed force.

And she was right… many of the girls could be seen lying down, doing their hardest to stay awake despite having exhausted looks on their faces.

“Something doesn't feel right….” Chloe said after looking around her and discovering that everyone else had similar symptoms.

“It's as if my strength is being drained away…” Ichika also described her current situation while trying to feel her own power.

“So they finally released the chemicals….” Lily expressed in annoyance.

“You mean…” Hina tried guessing.

“Yes, the ability suppressor….” The small scientists said. “In order to absorb and stop anyone from using their inner power, which enables any being to use their special abilities, they have discharged electromagnetic energies via the clouds and fog.”

“So that was the reason why I can't feel any of my skills…” Akemi quietly said, also making everyone anxious about this.

“We’ll have to rely solely on our pure strength if we want to get out of here. That's why I prepared this in case they would be using that.” Lily said to everyone before giving them back the physical weapons that they used combined with their own abilities.

While they weren't going to be able to use their powers to the fullest, this was the least they could do in order to get out of this mess.

“Even if they sealed our skills, I can still crush them with my–” Akemi tried giving courage and a feeling of safety to everyone before she was interrupted by a missile coming towards her.

“Kya!”

“Agh!”

“Hold onto something!”

“Be careful!”

Everyone reacted as Akemi was taking quick turns in order to avoid the missiles coming toward her.

The number of projectiles coming towards them was increasing in number, leaving Akemi with no other choice but to increase her speed. The missiles, which were automatically controlled and could reverse course if the target was missed, had been aimed at the dragon the entire time, making it harder for her to escape from there.

But Akemi didn't anticipate that another rocket would suddenly pierce the sky and strike her in the head.

*Boooom!*

[ Damn it!! I can’t use my skill to sense blind attacks! ] While falling and doing her best to use her body as a cushion for the girls who were on her back, Akemi cursed in her head.

Her eyes were blurred from the smoke of the explosion, so even that wasn't enough. The girls had all dispersed from her back.

Once she fell into a skyscraper, she tried getting back her vision by squinting her eyes very hard.

[ Where am I? ] Akemi questioned herself in order to understand the current situation she was in.

She was sure that even if everyone had fallen off the back, Lily would’ve ensured that everyone would have at least fallen safely to the ground due to their suits provided by the smart scientists.

Akemi looked around at the building she just ruined with her body falling down and noticed that one of her wings was completely burned from the missiles that hit her.

[ Those puny humans! So that was the reason that I lost balance! ] Akemi cursed in her mind after seeing the results of countless missiles aimed at her.

She was once more stripped of all her abilities, unable to erect any of her defenses, treat any of her wounds, or discern the source of any of the modern attacks.

“I need to find everyone else!” She said to herself before launching herself away from where she was. Even if she was unable to change back into a human, she still needed to stay hidden from the humans who were trying to kill her. She wouldn't allow herself to get killed by any of them!

…

Right after Akemi was shot by some missiles, all of the girls could be seen screaming as they were falling down to their death. But since they all were wearing the suits that Lily had provided for them, an emergency parachute-shaped bird attached to their limbs was immediately formed the moment they were falling down.

But thanks to this, everyone was separated into different groups with no other form of communication on their side.

Hina had found herself with Ichika. Shiro was with the twin sisters. And Lily was with Rei who seemed shocked from all of the events that had happened just to catch everyone.

“Ugh… fuck!” Lily cursed as she struggled to move.

“A-are you okay?” Rei asked after seeing the injured little girl that was moaning in agony.

“Agh…”

“Don’t move, I’ll try and–” Rei placed both her hands over the little girl and tried healing her with her powers. But to her sudden realization, she wasn't able to use any of her powers.

“It's okay.” Lily said to the startled girl who almost forgot that she couldn’t use their abilities. The small girl took out a syringe and injected it into where her broken leg was, almost healing the broken bone that could be seen with bare eyes.

“This won't completely heal me, but it will save me some time until we get out of here.” Lily reassured the worried and frustrated healer that understood that she was no longer useful to anyone.

"I'm sorry for being a drag to everyone…" Rei apologized.

"No need for unnecessary apologies. Although I would love to chat with you more about your lack of confidence and the fact that you haven't done anything wrong, it appears that we don't have the time at the moment." Lily softly spoke before she noticed several forces coming their way.

Rei and Lily were not the only ones that countless soldiers and special forces were surrounding. Everyone else that was separated was in dire situations while trying their best to survive the number of opponents while having no skills to their advantage.

Sakuru was gaining the upper hand, and the majority of the girls were unsure of how else they could take control of the situation.The only thing they could do at this point was to hope for blessings that would enable them to leave this dreadful land, which had made them all targets.

Akemi understood that in order to locate the other girls before their abilities were all lost to the recently discovered technology, she would need to go quickly and make large leaps.

[ They can't be that far away. ] She thought to herself while slapping with her long tail any bug that would bother her. But that didn't completely fix her problems, since her thick skin was the only thing that was protecting her from the projectiles. Meaning that she was feeling intense pain every time she was shot by bullets and smaller missiles which gave her annoyance and confusion for mere seconds. But the anger alone made her feel confident that she was going to push forward even if she had to kill millions of puny humans using brute force, which is something that she had never resorted to when being pushed back.

[ Master….. Where are you… ] Akemi called on her mind while continuing to leap in one direction with the hope that Hatsuko would arrive and help everyone out of this situation.

But no matter how dire the situation, her master, Hatsuko, seemed to be nowhere to be found.

Akemi continued moving forward until a 5-meter fireball came flying toward her face which immediately made her body stop.

“Who dares challenge me?” Akemi angrily inquired after cutting in half the fireball with her tail.

Along with a few other special forces who were prepared to kill their target, the dragon also saw the same girl who had challenged her through the smoke.

“We had some suspicion about you not being a human, but to think that you were actually a massive lizard?” Hanna confidently mocked. “That's some development.”

“A human insulting a dragon? That's a first.” The dragon angrily looked at the group of humans. “Then don’t regret this if I accidentally kill you! ”

Then before any more words could be exchanged, Akemi jumped towards the flying girl and tried chopping her to pieces with her razor-looking teeth which immediately killed some of the special soldiers. However, much to Akemi’s predictions, Hanna managed to dodge the certain death from the massive dragon teeth.

“You’ll think I’ll let you go that easily?” Akemi snapped back as she was using every single limb in her body in order to easily kill and destroy everything in her path. That was enough to easily destroy an entire neighborhood and there didn't seem to be any stop to Akemi’s destruction. Many soldiers were either squashed or simply torn to pieces by each of the dragon’s powerful moves.

And after a few more minutes of destruction, Akemi came to a stop after feeling her body much weaker than before.

[ What is happening? ] She questioned herself after finding this condition similar to when she was drained by an angel in the past.

“What's wrong? Did you perhaps get tired from the rampage?” Hanna smiled from above at the confused dragon.

Akemi didn't respond. She continued looking all over her body until she noticed a small arrow that had managed to pierce inside her stomach. That device was slightly bigger than usual so she wouldn't notice, but after going all out, she soon noticed that that small arrow had weakened her even more.

Without wasting any more time, she used her tail and immediately broke the arrow which was causing her discomfort, but for some reason, the dizziness wasn’t gone.

“Hahahaha! That was a dumb move!” Hanna laughed. “You simply left the poison inside your body because of what you did there.”

“You puny humans! I’ll make sure to kill every single one of you then rescue everyone else!” Akemi threatened before she could throw herself toward the cocky girl.

“What are you talking about? Two of the girls have already been captured by us. What we're doing right now is just simple meat hunting with your dragon head as a trophy”

However, what was said next, froze her whole body. She knew that everyone had their powers taken away from her, but if Lily was with all of them, she must’ve done at least something to not be captured.

Akemi was aware that this was not a sudden change. She was aware of her status as the girls' leader and felt accountable if Hanna's allegations were accurate.

Inside her heart she could already feel the rage and anger after hearing of her sisters being captured by other puny humans, that's why she no longer held back anymore.

By using the power inside her own spiritual energy, she unleashed all of her powers, despite destroying the very core of her body. She no longer cared anymore. 

If any of her sisters were captured and injured, she wouldn't forgive herself anymore. She already lost her family once and wouldn't allow herself to lose it again.

“RAAAAWWWWRRRR!!!!!” Her growl vibrated the whole district as her whole body unleashed what was left inside her own body. She knew that this would kill her, but if it meant helping her sisters, she was willing to sacrifice herself. Even if it meant going against the annoying little humans.

“So you’re finally showing your true self?” Hanna quietly said while looking at the dragon as it was turning the whole place into wastelands in order to find everyone else.

Most of the other soldiers that were equipped with weapons were scared to even approach the disaster in their sight. However, it didn't appear that the same applied to the special forces, who were given exclusive privileges and extraordinary powers by this nation, rendering the ability suppressor useless to them.

It was only a matter of choice by the president of who could have a special ability and who couldn't.

That was his plan the whole time by creating this kind of power. He developed this electromagnetic across the barrier to be able to suppress everyone's core in their bodies, preventing them from using their special abilities, in order to maintain control of the entire planet without anyone defying him.

Back in the same safe room where the president was watching the whole fight, his eyes remained the same as his plan was going smoothly. He knew that the moment he got the trust of many citizens all around the world, everything else would be a piece of cake for him.

“Mister president, four of our targets have been captured.” One of the watchers said to the president after getting confirmation from the special forces. “How should we proceed next?”

“I want them all caught no matter what.” The president ordered with a stern look on his face.

“What about the dragon?” The guy in front of the computer asked.

“I give permission to kill it if necessary. It would undoubtedly provide our staff with a great source of material from a renowned beast.” The president added without care.

But what was the president thinking right now? Why would he want to capture these girls if they weren't to blame for one certain human that destroyed an entire city? Why was he trying to accuse the girls of the destruction of a single monster? 

That's what the secretary next to the president was thinking the whole time while keeping an eye on him.

The president however seemed to be in a good mood from the good news that was received just now even though he was trying to hide it.

[ With those girls as bait, that boy will surely reveal itself to us. ] The president was thinking to himself. [ if we manage to capture him. That monster will undoubtedly serve as my ultimate weapon with the aid of a few medications. ]

The president smirked. [ No one will be able to defy me anymore. ]

* * *

Several minutes later, the whole district where the fight occurred, eventually returned to being completely silent. There couldn't be seen single person outside with the exception of many functional hidden cameras that were all over the place.

However, through one of the cameras, a certain boy with a green aura surrounding him was suddenly caught trying to jump over the buildings.

He had normal-looking clothes, brown hair, and green glowing eyes that were analyzing the whole terrain. And from the looks of it, this certain boy seemed to be looking for something important.

[ What happened to this place? ] Hatsuko thought to himself in worry. [ I was sure that no danger will be brought from heaven or hell in here. ]

He was simultaneously considering a number of scenarios, none of which had a positive outcome.

[ I must find everyone! ] He said to himself after seeing the terrible shape of the main district of Sakuru.

However, the more he continued exploring the more he realized that all of these attacks were done by none other than Akemi and everyone else.

His heart was beginning to beat very fast as many thoughts were going through his mind. But after his eyes found traces of life energy, he landed in open ruins with many buildings and roads completely destroyed.

With his expression completely hidden by the sudden aura, he calmly began walking forward with light steps.

His breathing was calm, his hands were lightly moving the same way as his legs. But for some reason…. His heart started to race even faster to the point where it could even be heard if someone was close to him.

Hatsuko continued walking forward until green veins could be seen forming slowly from his hands until they quickly reached the top of his neck. Even his aura was starting to expand, causing the ground to crack with every step he took forward.

But after finally reaching a certain point, he finally came to a stop…..

“Hatsuko!” The voice of a girl called out to him, making the whole field all around him gone as if it was never there. Just the voice of this particular girl brought warmth to Hatsuko’s heart.

Who was in front of him was none after Rei…

“You finally found me.” The girls suddenly said.

Hatsuko was bewildered by what she was saying.

“I hope that you finished what you had to do, back to the other worlds.” Rei’s eyes were reflecting Hatsuko’s face as she was clenching her own hands together. 

“....”

“Huh? Are you asking why I’m acting this way?” Rei asked. “I don't know why…. But I feel like I had to tell you something.

You were different compared to everyone else. You always had the will to grow stronger, despite being thrown away. I believed that you could even manage to get what you want as long as you kept trying harder. That's why I wanted to follow you. Just like when we were younger back then/”

Rei giggled and relaxed her hands while looking at Hatsuko. But if looked closely, tears could be seen rolling down her cheeks.

What was happening? Why was Rei crying all of the sudden?

Those were the same questions that he kept asking himself the whole time.

“I'm sorry that I wasn't able to help you achieve what you wanted…. I'm sorry that I wasn't with you when you needed me.” 

The whole world around Hatsuko continued glowing white as his whole attention was focused on the crying girl in front of him.

“I'm sorry that I won't be able to be with you anymore….. Goodbye….” 

And as the last drop of tears fell on the group, Hatsuko’s vision grew blurry to the point where it was becoming harder to see.

“I love you…” Rei’s voice echoed in Hatsuko’s ears as the voice continued to grow fainter.

“Rei….” His quiet and deep voice called out.

But the white, colorful world around him was nothing more than an illusion that his brain had concocted in order to avoid reality. His eyes had been deceiving him the entire time.

Because what was in front of him… was nothing more than a massacre where all of his loved ones were savagely murdered.

.

.

.