Hyeon Bae and Kim Eun narrowly evaded blitzing strikes from a Valkyria wearing a large purple St. Nova letterman, her attacks a level too fast for Hyeon Bae and Kim Eun to consistently evade. The Valkyria targeted Hyeon Bae with a Wind God Fist, pulverizing Hyeon Bae's stomach with a body shot that blew her away with a force of wind.
Kim Eun hurried to catch Hyeon Bae, grunting as her back slammed against a wall as she caught Hyeon Bae's momentum. She panted softly and looked down at Hyeon Bae, wondering why she was at a disadvantage against their opponent.
"Ara ara..~ It seems the St. Goken Valkyrias truly can not contend with us still, and it's a shame. I was having a lot of fun with you both," The Valkyria said with a sigh, feigning disappointment then laughed at the two.
Kim Eun's eye twitched at the Valkyria's condescending tone then turned her attention back to Hyeon Bae. "Hey! Jeong-sin cha-reyo! We have a city to save A Rank!"
Hyeon Bae grunted softly as she held her head, the stitches in her head causing her to see multiple Spirits within the parking garage they were in. She gasped and stumbled backwards, her Delirium beginning to awaken due to her stress.
"Bad Spirits!" Hyeon Bae squeaked out, covering her eyes and dropping to her knees into a ball.
"Mwoyo..? Bad Spirits?" Kim Eun asked then suddenly remembered Hyeon Bae's Delirium, grunting softly and looking toward the Valkyria ahead. "Is she carrying them..?"
The Valkyria, whose name was Reiki, watched as Hyeon Bae retreated in fear from the supposed Bad Spirits she yelled out, her lips curling into a smirk with amusement. "This is your A Rank Valkyria? She's more F Rank if anything."
"My friend here just gets scared when she recognizes evil in front of her. Why haven't you touched the bomb yet to deactivate it?" Kim Eun asked, stepping forward to protect Hyeon Bae while she recollected herself.
Reiki placed her hands inside her jacket with a smirk, meeting Kim Eun's sharp gaze with a calculating hum then shifted her feet. "Because we're trying to win and save the city. This is a Hero Evaluation, but more over it is a competition! Great heroes are willing to take risks for the best possible outcome!"
"Even if it means risking a populater city? Saint Nova didn't die for this, Lady Anna of St. Nova Academy didn't die for this! They didn't teach risking human lives for a stunt that isn't guaranteed!" Kim Eun retorted, protesting against Reiki's ideology and reasoning.
"If you're not willing to play the game, you're simply not cut out for this. We will complete this task efficiently for Good and for Glory!" Reiki said, her eyes glowing faintly as the winds around her body began to grow into blue lightning.
Kim Eun generated her blue-green aura around her body, her blue-green highlights glowing with energy as well as she began powering up. "I won't sit aside and let you waste human lives for sport!"
Reiki taunted Kim Eun with a gesture, aggravating Kim Eun into blitzing forward with a right only for her attack to miss completely. Reiki immediately countered with an electrifying knee to Kim Eun's stomach, causing her to groan in pain and stumble back a few steps.
Reiki glid forward using her lightning into a roundhouse, but Kim Eun ducked under the attack then leaned up to narrowly evade Reiki's uppercut. Kim Eun began to go on the defensive foot, blocking and dodging each of Reiki's attacks as best as she could until she got clipped with a uppercut to the body.
Kim Eun grunted as she succumbed onto one knee from her pain, coughing lightly and placing a hand onto the ground. "What the hell..? How is she this strong..?"
"It's basically you by yourself...your leader is out of commission meaning you lose. It's over," Reiki said, generating lightning around her hand then thrusted her hand toward Kim Eun to defeat her.
Suddenly, a hand caught Reiki's fist and absorbed all of her lightning and L Cells from her body. Reiki grunted heavily as she physically felt the drain, her body weakening slightly then she glanced over to see The Echo standing between her and Kim Eun.
'Who is this guy..? I can barely see his face beneath his hooded cloak,' Reiki thought to herself, snatching her wrist away from The Echo's grip.
Kim Eun glanced up at The Echo, her eyes lighting up slightly as their gazes met. "Mr. Nox..."
The Echo turned his attention to Hyeon Bae then began making his way toward her until the swarm of Disembodied Spirits began flying toward him to stop him from reaching her. One Spirit rammed into his invisible barrier and imploded into energy, the sudden death of the Spirit causing the other two to halt.
The Echo crouched down toward Hyeon Bae and gently rubbed her hair, getting her to looking up at him then she gasped with relief and hugged hum. He held her in his arms, planting gentle pats upon her back. "Do not fear, Hyeon Bae...remember that I am always with you."
"Put your full faith in me, and I will carry you through the storms. Protect the city, right now...that is the way," The Echo said calmly, his voice carrying like a gentle wind in the air.
"Hey!" Reiki yelled out, her voice echoing throughout the garage then she stormed forward with a headkick which The Echo immediately caught. "What..?"
"Reiki Namora, I love you...but I hate the righteous spirit that you claim you have. That false righteousness you carry...it sickens me how easily plauged my lands are. You had the divine blueprint...and yet human error still brings failure," The Echo said, pushing Reiki away then stood up and turned around to face Reiki but look at the Spirit of Dark Light behind her.
Reiki's eye twitched with annoyance at his statement then she snarled lowly, taking on her stance with lightning surging around her body. "You don't know me at all! Who do you think you are?! You come in here and try to ruin the Meet then preach at me?!"
The Echo tilted his head to crack his neck, white lightning crackling around his body then he held up his hand in front of himself. "Before you formed in the womb, I knew you. I know everyone here...how? I Am."
Reiki sucked her teeth and locked onto him, blitzing forward with a Lightning God Fist but the Echo redirected her attack then launched a counter knee strike. Reiki froze up at his raw speed, but his attack did not connect, only stopping mere millimeters away from her body.
"You don't stand a chance, and that's the reality of the situation. I am the Echo of the Lord of Lords, you don't know who I am yet...but deep inside...you do know," The Echo said, glancing past Reiki and faced the Self-righteous Spirit behind Reiki.
The Spirit behind Reiki formed into a Dark Nun, letting out a giggle before splitting away from Reiki, causing her to pass out in front of the Echo. He caught Reiki in his arm, handing her over to Kim Eun who hesitantly grabbed her.
"Now, this is more of what I came here for," The Echo said, transforming into his Judge Form, golden chains emerging from his cloak. "This Meet has been compromised, but that shouldn't stop you all from saving the city."
"Hyeon Bae, while you're out there, you will see more Spirits, good and bad. Do not be afraid, the good Spirits are to be led back home to Aetherpoint. The bad ones must be exorcized. I give thee authority by the Lord of deliverance to accompany your Delirium," The Echo said, glancing back at Hyeon Bae with a light smile upon his face.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit,
Hyeon Bae heard Genesis's whispers once more, her soft tone speaking clearly inside her head. She grunted softly once more, her head beginning to throb due to her Delirium. She began scratching at her head lightly, unable to understand the feeling she was getting within but knew it was important.
"Okay, Echo. Be careful!" Hyeon Bae said with a determined smile, hurrying off to try to find her allies within the city.
Kim Eun followed behind with Reiki upon her back, groaning under her breath about having to save a self-righteous woman wrapped in her own world. Despite her complaints, she followed behind Hyeon Bae to find So-Yi and Jiahn.
"This is rather interesting...The carpenter's mimic actually decided to show up, just as Overseer Cho Jin-Hyan predicted," The Dark Nun chuckled, her nails sharpening into claws.
The Echo stared at the nun, his amber eyes glowing underneath his hood and his white lightning continuing to crackle around his body. "The games are wrapping up, and you're already out of time. You do not have the capacity, nor the arm length to box with the Echo of God or even God Himself."
"A~hahaha!~ Such a serious tone from Exzodia's Messiah, this shall be fun indeed! Hades has spoken a lot about you, and they also know your time is coming up..." The nun laughed, assuming her stance and grinned wickedly.
The nun roared as she charged toward him with a claw strike, but her attack missed miraculously despite the Echo not moving from my location. She slid forward then looked back in confusion, lunging toward him again with a high kick.
His golden chain blocked her kick then wrapped around her ankle, swing her around and sending her hurling into a pillar back first. She groaned out in pain before hitting the ground, grunting softly as she struggled onto her feet.
"Hurting already? We've only begun. You were just short of arm's reach," The Echo said then assumed his Ophiuchus Stance, Sephora unwrapping from around his body and hissing as she slithered around his feet.
The nun scoffed at him then leaped into the air, spreading her demon wings and launched herself toward the Echo with a kick, but he warped away into knee strike to her face into a kick into her stomach to send her hurling to the ground.
Before she could land on the ground, Sephora shifted into her human form then struck her with a straight to her jaw, sending her crashing into a car. She warped forward then vanished, causing the nun to panic and guard herself. Sephora appeared to her left then feinted a jab to open the nun's right for a Holy Impact against her jaw.
The nun groaned as she was sent flying out of the opening of the parking garage then took flight toward one of the skyscrapers. "Tch! This is ridiculous! The Ophiuchus Champion and Exzodia's Messiah..?! The oldest combination in Qutsade's history pinned against me by blind lu—"
Before she could finish her sentence, The Echo caught her with Orion's Arrow to both her wings, clipping them and causing her rapid descent. He warped toward her and launched his chains toward her, wrapping them around her wings then pulled himself toward her.
Slamming both feet against her back, he planted her against the ground a immense speeds with a Velocity Devastation, white lightning surging around Wayon Street, alarming all the citizens within the city. Each of the citizens within Wayon recognized The Echo and understood to leave the area as quickly as possible.
The Echo released the Dark Nun, walking off her and sensed her presence was no more. He dusted himself off and exhaled softly, closing his eyes. "Whatever you will to do, do it quickly. However, you will not get very far."
A Wrathful Spirit began marching down the streets with a massive claymore in hands, the Berserker's red eyes gleaming brightly as he roared at The Echo. The Echo turned around to face the Berserker, letting a smirk form upon his lips and rolled his shoulders.
"My Lord, do I have permission to use my Monsters for assistance?" The Echo asked my God, waiting for His confirmation as he watched the Berserker approach him.
The Berserker charged toward me with a roar, swinging his claymore down at me but was parried by Duran the Dullahan, a Holy Headless Knight wielding his shining great sword. He clashed blades with the Berserker, entering a surprisingly even blade lock against him and evened out the strength.
The Echo chuckled softly, shifting two of his Sovereign Butterflies into their true forms, massive silver butterflies with wing patterns shaped as eyes. The Berserker gasped at the Sovereign Butterflies, not knowing their true illustrious beauty until now and leaped backwards from them.
"You destroy Miss Nun, now Berserker kill Exzodian Savior!" The Berserker roared, his body glowing red as he shifted into his Goliath Mode.
"What the hell is that bro..?" Ro Kwang asked, pointing up at the red giant a block away from where his team was.
"Dawg, you're asking the wrong people...but all I know is...shit just got real so fast. Babe, protect me," Ramud said, cowering behind his Alpha Wolf.
"What?! You're the Dragon, I'm just a Wolf! What can I do to that?! Woo-Chi—" Tae protested, looking over at Woo-Chi to see she had already dissociated from the moment.
"I'm not David, and I'm not fighting that Goliath. This city...might actually be doomed even if we stop the bombs..." Woo-Chi said dully, looking up at the Berserker as well and sighed. "God, we had a good run.."
The Echo began walking toward the Berserker, tapping his index finger against his thumb in 3/4 Time, setting a rhythm before dashing toward him and leaping in the air with a strike to his large legs, the attack barely damaging him. The Berserker laughed as he watched him flash step around him with rapid attacks, each attack merely tickling him.
He swung his massive sword down toward the Echo, his sword cleaving through a building in the process. A Sovereign Butterfly flew to The Echo's aid, parrying his slash with its wing then launched a powerful beam at his torso to push him backwards.
"Look out!" A woman cried out, pointing toward the Berserker and running off with her husband.
"Everyone run!" The husband warned, rushing off with his wife to safety.
The Echo bellowed with power, stacking his Super Form on top of his Judge Form then propelled toward The Berserker and struck his body in rhythms of 3/4s. Each strike sent an extra three blows through his body, each attack growing stronger with each successful blow.
Rush...
Rush...
Rush...
Rush!
Rush!
The Echo roared as he swarmed around the Berserker at holy speeds, each movement leaving behind a speed mirage of himself as he rushed the Berserker with an onslaught of attacks. The Berserker roared, using his wrathful aura to push him away then thrusted his blade forward to impale the Echo.
The Echo split into a mirage then his mirage chopped his claymore in two, the broken blade landing on the ground with the blade piercing the crust. The Echo formed a large ball of stone in the palm of his hand then threw it in the air, Sephora leaping forward and stretched both her arms out to grapple buildings.
"Go! Strike him down!" The Echo roared, his voice echoing throughout the skies.
Sephora bellowed as she slingshot herself forward, rapidly twirling in the air then crescent kicked the stone toward the Berserker, the stone flying toward his head and piercing through his skull like a lightspeed bullet. The Berserker fell to his knees, his body dispersing into energy particles.
The Echo warped away then reappeared on the top of the highest skyscraper then looked up at the two blimps at the sky, his eyes glowing brightly. "The true mission of this meet...is to destroy those two. A Powerful Demon and a Fast Demon, Strength and Speed. However...those bombs, they interest me."
"How so?" Sephora asked as she landed next to me, her cloak carrying her down to the rooftop safety.
"They will blow up and destroy the city if even one is destroyed, but if that's the case...what's the point of infesting the city in demons and spirits if they want to blow the city up? It's unless those bombs contain something within that will cause the destruction of the city," The Echo answered, looking back down at the city grounds and exhaled softly.
"And the enemy is using the St. Nova Students for their dirty work. Only one bomb remains activated, but I think they are bluffing. I'm confident they aren't real, and they are just containers...the real bombs are what's inside them," He added, his eyes catching notice to Selene and Sayu making their way through a system of alleys to escape a legion of imps harassing them.
The city is beyond saving...
The Lord has commanded the cup of wrath,
To tilt upon the City of Dongchon and be filled
With judging flames and brimstones.
"Is it so that a once beautiful city fall so far, yet the deceptions can no longer coexist with what humanity once accepted. However, if there are at least 50 righteous people here, will you shift your stance?" The Echo asked, glancing at the sky.
If I find fifty righteous people within the City of Dongchon, I will spare the place for their sake...
The Echo spoke up once again, "Though I am nothing but dust and a reverberating voice, I have been bold to speak, but what about less than fifty? 12 righteous people?"
For the sake of twelve outside of the Students of Bulan, Grushia, and St. Arcania, I will spare it.
"What about 10?" The Echo asked.
I will not destroy it if I find 10 there.
"How about one person? Will you spare Dongchon if there is at least one righteous person within the city?" The Echo asked, glancing at the sky with curiosity and waited for a while.
For the sake of the one, I will grant Dongchon Mercy...
---------------------------
Selene and Sayu cut through multiple corners to escape the remaining imps chasing them and ran into Hyeon Bae and Kim Eun, who were escaping a swarm of monstrous locusts, the four locking eyes then facing their targets. Surrounded, they knew one thing was true, they had to fight and endure.
"On your left!" Hyeon Bae called out, striking an Imp with a Gentle Blow to protect Selene, the Imp imploding due to the slight Iridescent Energy flowing through her body.
Selene glanced back at Hyeon Bae with awe and intrigue then noticed a locust flying toward Hyeon Bae quickly then pulled her behind herself, holding her hand out to catch the large bug. She smiled sweetly at the monster before releasing a Scarlet Repulse, wiping out a small wave of locusts.
Kim Eun grunted softly at Selene's power, adjusting Reiki on her back then looked behind herself, barely dodging an Imp's attack then let out a groan as she clobbered him with a headbutt. While he was dazed, she let out a yell to release blasts of wind from her mouth then coughed lightly.
"Whoa, this chick's hardcore! Whoop!!~" Sayu exclaimed as she dodged multiple strikes from Imps and locusts acrobatically then flipped backwards next to Selene and Hyeon Bae. "By the way, I'm Sayu..~ I've seen your work, Bae Bae~"
Hyeon Bae blushed at Sayu's comment and smiled bashfully at her. "O-Oh, thank you...My group are still up and coming idols and Valkyrias so we don't have much experience like you all..."
"Lord, save the formalities when we aren't in danger! If you haven't noticed, I'm carrying literal dead weight!" Kim Eun called out, dodging another Imp attack and grunted as she slipped over some rubble.
Selene quickly rushed toward Kim Eun and saved her fall by pulling her back onto her feet then snapped her fingers at charging locusts, a column of thunderbolts striking down upon them to wipe them out. "Are you okay? Is your friend alright?"
"She's not my friend, and we're fine. Let's just find a safe place to regroup, we can go back to the parking garage. That place has been cleared and there's still one unchecked bomb," Kim Eun said, looking away from Stella's right eye, Scarlet Kuroana.
Selene smiled at Kim Eun then nodded, focusing her attention on the remaining demons around them then exhaled softly. "Alright, let's go."
The swarm of demons screeched and roared as they charged toward the four girls, Selene and Hyeon Bae taking the frontlines to clear a path, leaving the walls painted in the demons' black blood. The four raced through the empty alleys and roads, all of their adrenalines bursting through their bodies as more came to torment them.
Hyeon Bae grunted as a Stigmata upon her right hand began to shine, a Warrior Angel manifesting in front of her to slice a flying bus headed toward them in two. Hyeon Bae gasped as she looked up at the angel, recognizing him nearly immediately and smiled brightly toward him.
"Micah! You're here!" Hyeon Bae beamed with happiness, her smile widening as Micah turned around to look at Hyeon Bae with a nod.
Selene glanced between Micah, Oriel, Gimatet-Hey, and Hyeon Bae, becoming increasingly curious about how she had so many guardian angels with her. Before her question could be spoken, a loud roar shook the ground beneath them followed by a beastly growl.
"Well done Valkyrias and Heroes! Only one bomb remains, but the city is still in danger! How will you deal with the Wolf of the Underworld, Fenrir?" The ominous voice asked, his voice amplified by the blimps in the air.
Fenrir walked toward the four girls, his massive size making them look like fodder to him. He let out a monstrous howl, the power of his voice causing building around him to tremble and crumble under his pressure.
"You can't be serious with this," Kim Eun said, glancing back at the still unconscious Reiki on her back then faced forward to Fenrir. "I'm not going to be much help here."
"That's fine, we've got you covered! Just go ahead and we'll catch up!" Selene said, looking back at Kim Eun with a reassuring smile.
Kim Eun saw the confidence in her eyes then exhaled through her nose, nodding at her then took a detour to the parking garage to avoid Fafnir. "Be careful!"
Selene nodded back then focused on the massive wolf in front of her, her spatial aura forming around her body. "We will, and we will win!"
Sayu fixed her hair then summoned her battlesuit upon her body, Ignis Star manifesting as a red assassin's attire with a fiery waist cape and blazing wings to accompany her. She got down into a running start then propelled herself toward Fenrir, flying toward him with a Burning Star Crash.
Fenrir struck Sayu with a claw strike before she could fully charge her attack, slamming her down onto the ground under her palm but her clone disappeared into white smoke. While he was in the midst of his confusion, Sayu crashed down onto his neck with a falling dropkick, staggering him lightly.
"Right on, Sayu! Let's keep up the momentum!" Selene praised, charging into battle and summoned her sword and leaped forward to Fenrir.
Fenrir recovered quickly enough to swipe his tail, blocking Selene's slash then sidestepped to avoid her overhead slash. Selene shifted into a High Ward stance and slashed diagonally, but Fenrir clashed with her using his claws then followed with a snap of his jaws.
Selene caught both sides of his mouth, grunting softly as she tried to overpower his biting force, but his jaws began closing down upon her. She began to chuckle, her persona slowly shifting into something darker, more ancient as her life was in danger.
"You all have my full interest now...Kuroana, blast him down his throat!" Selene commanded with a dark laugh, her right eye shining brightly and gathering energy faster than anyone had seen before.
As Fenrir closed his jaws down, a scarlet beam of energy fired down his throat with violent force, causing him to glow brightly then detonated into a massive scarlet explosion. Hyeon Bae grunted softly as she guarded herself from the smoke and debris flying across the streets.
Fenrir howled in pain as one of his cores were destroyed, stumbling backwards writhing in agony then roared at Selene, firing a beam of energy from his mouth. Selene's right eye flashed brightly, a void vaccum generating to suck in Fenrir's beam into her right eye and nullified his attack completely.
"That was cute...and you can have it back via my Ayiresh!" Selene bellowed, returning Fenrir's beam of energy at double the strength and landing a direct hit.
"This woman is insane..! Her power is unlike any Valkyria I've known...even Daemo Kaguya.." Hyeon Bae said with slight disbelief, watching the smoke clear to see Fenrir standing even stronger than before.
Sayu landed beside Hyeon Bae and grabbed her arm gently, retreating from the area in a hurry. "Come on, you don't wanna stick around when Big Sis is in Empress State."
"Empress State? Is that why she just went berserk? What happened to her?" Hyeon Bae asked with confusion, squeaking as another explosion set off behind her and lost her footing.
Sayu held Hyeon Bae up and pressed forward without missing a single step, keeping Hyeon Bae's hand in hers tightly. "Empress State turns her into Empress Stella essentially, she becomes ruthless, calculated, merciless. Empress State brings her into a state of pure judgement, and it's S Rank in terms of functionality."
"Whoa! S Rank? Wow, she's even stronger than I could've imagined. I wasn't even able to command my guardian angels to help, I froze up again..." Hyeon Bae said disheartened, letting out a soft whine and sighed.
"Don't worry, when I saw the look in Selene's eyes, I froze up as well. You're not the only one here who's kinda scared of her," Sayu said with a light laugh, lightening up the tension in the air around them.
Hyeon Bae looked at Sayu, seeing how she was always joyful and light spirited even in the midst of danger. It was like she knew how to have peace even in the midst of adversity while, even having free access to The Echo and Ascea, Hyeon Bae couldn't feel true peace at all in the moment.
As the girls escaped to the parking garage, the explosions continued behind the two between Selene and Fenrir, the chaotic dance causing the winds to roar and the ground to weep underneath them. Selene clashed with Fenrir once more with her sword, grunting softly under his increasing pressure.
Selene phased through his attack then warped backwards to create distance, assuming a low stance then exhaled softly. "You're stronger than I initially expected. This is draining my energy quite a lot..."
Fenrir growled lowly at Selene, his tail swaying from side to side then he moved one paw forward into a pouncing stance. Clawing at the ground, Fenrir charged forward with a claw swipe, clashing with Selene's bracing slash and knocked her backwards. She stuck her blade into the ground as she slid backwards, huffing softly yet remaining on her feet.
She glanced around at the city around her, seeing the destruction caused by the raiding spirits was more than whatever bombs were planted. Her heart began to break as it reminded her of her old village that burned down, the anger in her heart carrying the same heat as the flames that had slain her village.
"Was this why I was called here..? To die amongst this fallen city..? Facing against a beast from below..? Whoever called me here, show yourself before I fall at least! My brother, my advisor, my little sister are all in danger and you remain silent!" Selene called out with desperation, stomping her foot down and clenched her fist.
While Selene cried out, Fenrir took this moment to strike with a deadly claw swipe but his attack was miraculously diverted away from Selene by a gust of wind. He grunted as he fell on his side then got up quickly and glanced around, he looked over at Selene who was simply watching then swiped his tail at her.
Before his large tail could make contact, a flash of light flickered in front of Selene and deflected his attack once again. He howled and fired a beam of energy at her at point blank range, but the beam struck an invisible barrier, never to reach her body.
Selene witnessing each miracle began to soften, reverting back to normal from her Empress State then glanced around the avenue she stood on. "Who are you? Where are you? Why are you protecting me now?"
"Selene, no one else could have called you here except for one person," The Echo said, becoming visible in front of Selene with his hand holding back the chaotic beam by Fenrir.
Selene gasped and stumbled back then fell onto her knees, her entire body trembling as she covered her mouth. She stared at him with light reverence and awe, her mind filled with countless questions that couldn't be answered now. "You're...The Echo..."
"Be not afraid, Selene Arcania. Yes, I am The Echo...but I am also Exzodia's Second Chance. I called you here because there is something you must do. The message...it's not meant for Dongchon, but for the one behind this mess," The Echo said, repelling Fenrir away and turned around to face Selene.
"St. Nova has been compromised, and I want to save them as well even though they have fell for the institutionalized trap. Right now, Bulan's students are too afraid to help, Grushia's students are focused on delivering citizens out the city, so it comes down to you and me," The Echo said, glancing up at the sky.
"What's going on..? Why is the city going into ruins?" Selene asked, staring up at The Echo with a gentle gaze.
"This city has fallen into their sin and is owned by Manaport. After Bulan, Grushia, and St. Nova Students leave, only five righteous people remain. Once you finish your mission, one righteous person remains...and I'm gonna find him and save him," The Echo explained, holding his hand out toward the Empress.
Selene hesitantly held her hand out toward him, grabbing it and standing up onto her feet. "So, who's the targets?"
----------------------------------
Kim Eun made it back to the parking garage, climbing up the various stories quickly with Reiki still on her back and finally made it back to the top floor of the garage. She panted heavily, setting Reiki down upon the wall of the garage then turned around to look at the unactivated bomb behind her.
Kim Eun began to make her way toward the bomb, ready to end the Meet by deactivating it, but as she grew closer to the bomb, a figure emerged from the shadows and took her down to the ground. Kim Eun grunted as she looked up, noticing someone had mounted atop of her.
"How lucky for me to have found you here..." The man said with dark chuckles, wrestling with Kim Eun to pin her down.
Kim Eun grunted as she fought with the man, kicking and swinging to overpower the man. "Michin! Why are you here, get off of me!"
"This is where I live after all, it's just unfortunate that this city is under siege. I've had my fair share of chaos, but I think I'll end this off on one final act!" Michin growled, pinning Kim Eun's hands over her head with one hand while trying to unbutton her blazer with the other.
As the two fought upon the ground, Reiki grunted softly at the sounds of the commotion, opening her eyes and looking ahead. Through her blurry vision, she could see the sight of two people on the ground, yet it was not a good sight.
Her vision coming back clear, she noticed Kim Eun fighting for her life upon the ground against an obsessive Michin, the act causing her to act quickly. Without a second thought, Reiki pushed herself onto her feet using the wall as support and grunted lightly.
'My body is so weak...so heavy...but I can't just let her get taken advantage of..!' Reiki thought to herself, gritting her teeth tightly then pushed herself off the wall with a sprint toward Michin.
She bellowed as she struck his cheek with a Wind God Fist, the windy blow sending him flying off Kim Eun and sliding against the ground. Kim Eun quickly sat up on the ground, covering herself with her blazer with heavy, terrified breaths.
"Are you okay? Who the heck is that guy?" Reiki asked, looking down at Kim Eun with deep confusion.
Kim Eun took a moment to answer, focused on recollecting herself and stood up on her feet, taking a few steps behind Reiki. "His name is Michin Haeteo, a vile and disgusting pig! He has been a thorn in my side since forever, and I've had enough of it!"
Michin stood up from the ground, holding his cheek and grunted softly as he looked at the reawakened Reiki. He sucked his lips, fixing his open beach top and his hair then sighed lowly. "If you had just waited your turn, I would've initiated you into the Viking Wonderland as well."
Reiki scoffed at Michin and took on her stance, a graceful wind blowing around her body. "No thanks, I don't intend on joining lowly dogs like you. Mutts like you belong outside, in a small house meant for dogs!"
Michin laughed at Reiki's comment, exhaling softly and dodging Reiki's charging straight then blocked her high kick. She went in for a shovel hook, but overcommitted and allowed Michin to curl around it into a devastating right hook. Reiki grunted as she stumbled to the side, using her hands to stop herself from hitting the ground and launched a reverse crescent kick against Michin's jaw.
Michin grunted as she landed a heavy blow, causing him to stumble around then she vanished into a Wind God Fist against his stomach, staggering him. She grappled onto him, swinging him around in a circle before launching him away but he quickly recovered onto a car. Michin stood upon the trunk of a car, fixing his top once again.
"Well, I can say things are getting rather interesting. A Valkyria that's finally worth a damn of my time. Ugh, Cho Jin-Hyan did say high ranking Valkyrias all around Exzodia would be here. You only have thirty minutes left," Michin said, taking out a pocket watch from his pocket.
Kim Eun glanced backwards at the bomb behind her, her mind telling her to go deactivate it yet something in her Spirit said don't do it. She glanced back at Michin, noticing he wasn't focused on her at the moment which felt strange at the moment.
"What are you waiting for? I'll hold him off, you deactivate the bomb! Hurry now!" Reiki commanded, looking over at Kim Eun then paused as she noticed her calculated gaze.
"No, something here is very wrong. Almost wickedly wrong...he said something that alarmed me. Overseer...Cho Jin-Hyan is behind this..?" Kim Eun asked in a slightly hesitant tone, her mind filled with deep confusion over what she heard.
"Come on, I don't have all day! Move toward the bomb!" Michin commanded Kim Eun, dangling his watch in front of himself then the watch began to glow brightly.
"Close your eyes! Don't look at his watch!" Kim Eun warned, closing her eyes and grunted tightly.
Reiki covered her eyes as well, unaware of what Michin was planning but trusted Kim Eun. "What is his ability? Does it have to do with his watch?"
"His ability is called Crazy Hatter, it's hypnosis and mind control. I've been his mental puppet for four years now since I was a freshman, I've been everyone's puppet! Even now, I'm still attached to these damn strings!" Kim Eun bellowed, green lightning beginning to crackle around her body as her frustration rose.
Michin glanced over at Kim Eun with a smirk, hopping off the car then began walking toward her. "You still are a puppet. You've been made into my Alice, and that deal you made still stands until you graduate remember? Your father sold you away to the Haeteo Clan, what would he do if I tell him you disobey?"
Kim Eun grunted softly as he brought up her father, flashes of her memories with her father flashing through her mind, none of them being good. She grit her teeth, opening her eyes to look at Michin with anger and pain. She just watched as Michin smirked at her, feeling him yanking upon the invisible chain collar upon her neck.
"Michin...I swear I will kill you. You've ruined my life! My own father ruined my life! It's because of you I turned the way I did! I should've never met you! If I could go back, I would've jumped off that building if I knew it would end like this..." Kim Eun said, tears welling up in her eyes as she felt her body moving on its own toward the bomb because she looked at his watch.
"Kim Eun! Nani?! What are you doing?!" Reiki called out, watching as she walked toward the bomb then glanced at Michin then launched herself toward him. "Kim Eun! Don't touch that bomb, I'll stop him!"
"It's too late for that!" Michin laughed, swinging his arm widely and smacking Reiki's cheek with the back of his fist, sending her flying into a large truck.
Reiki groaned and fell onto the ground, her vision becoming slightly blurry for a second due to her hitting the back of her head. She grunted softly as she felt Michin grab her hair and pull upon it to make her look up at him, her winds gradually evolving into lightning.
"It's over for you all...you lose and there's nothing you can do about it. With The Echo in the city as well, once they are released...he will have no choice but to die protecting you all. But do not worry, he is a False Messiah in your eyes...not Exzodia's true savior," Michin said with a cold chuckle, glancing back at Kim Eun and watched as she neared the bomb reluctantly.
Reiki reached up slowly and grabbed Michin's wrist, surging lightning through his body violently to electrocute him, Michin groaning in pain and dropping his watch in the process. As Michin dropped his watch, his spell upon Kim Eun ended with her falling onto her knees with relief and exhaustion.
"You bit—" Michin began, grunting heavily in pain as he bit his own tongue from Reiki's Roaring Lightning Upper, her lightning fist slamming upon his chin.
Reiki bellowed as she rose up onto her feet and delivered an Raijin God Fist upon his stomach then another as an uppercut, following it with a sweep to knock him off balance. She used a burst of wind at his feet to knock him airborne then grabbed his ankle, slamming him down against the ground with all her might, his groan echoing in the garage.
Kim Eun panted softly, looking ahead at the bomb and grit her teeth, forming an orb of wind in her hand then screamed as she launched it toward the bomb. The orb struck the bomb and detonated into an explosion upon impact, destroying the bomb and revealing it to being a empty capsule.
Kim Eun stood up quickly as she looked at the capsule with wide eyes, unable to believe the reality in front of her. "What..? It's fake..?"
"I should have mentioned, two of the four bombs are fake, but since all the remaining bombs have been deactivated...The real Strength and Speed test can start! Ingris and Pamon, awaken and find Exzodia's Lord!" The ominous tone commanded, the final message to appear from the man before disappearing.
Michin laughed with victory, clapping his hands with high amusement then stood up on his feet. "Did you think it would be that easy? This is a Manaport owned city, why would we blow up our own land?"
"You're sick! You are all sick! Everyone who supports Manaport and Manaport themselves are sick! All of this for what? What is the end goal?" Kim Eun asked with frustration, turning around to look at Michin with tears in her eyes.
"To take down Exzodia's Lord of course, so that the real hero of this land, Merin Tsu can truly take the throne and set us free. We have the fruits of knowledge already, what more of a need for a God when we know so much?" Michin answered with a grin, glancing over at Kim Eun with a devious gaze.
"I hope you've truly had fun, but your lifeline is about to die tonight. Ingris and Pamon are our current strongest demons on standby, and once they kill The Echo, that original voice soon shall fade," He added, looking ahead at Reiki and smirked at her.
Reiki glared at Michin then launched herself toward him with a flying roundhouse kick, but his illusion had vanished already. She grunted as she landed on the ground, looking around for Michin. "Show yourself! This isn't over! This is not over, Michin!"
'They're gonna kill Mr. Nox..? Why? He's done nothing wrong! We have to stop this!' Kim Eun thought to herself in distress, gripping her hair and closing her eyes tightly.
Flee...
Escape the city...
And do not look back...
All of you students...
Flee...
Kim Eun and Reiki heard Genesis's warning and looked around, feeling the ground shaking and rumbling beneath them. Hyeon Bae and Sayu also heard the warning, growing concerned by Genesis's words to them, the two of them stopping in their paths to listen.
The remaining righteous ones that were known began to see my butterflies leading them away from the city, the tugs upon their spirits too powerful to deny. The only ones who remained within the city were the St. Arcania students and me, the five of us sitting inside a city hall to plan the last steps.
While Selene planned with her team, I stood on the sidelines and stared out the window to try to find the one righteous person, but each time I looked with hopeful eyes, my butterfly only led me to my own reflection. After Selene and her team leaves Dongchon, only one righteous person remains in the city...and I had to find a way to save him.
Myself.