Kiana and Mei exchanged one last bewildered glance before deciding that standing around was probably not the best idea.
They had a city to save, after all.
The two girls hurried through the corridors, heading toward the exit. However, the farther they went, the more horrifying the aftermath of their summoned warriors' rampage became.
Destroyed mechas littered the hallways.
Some had been sliced into several pieces, their severed components scattered across the floor. Others had been smashed so thoroughly that it was difficult to recognize what kind of machines they had originally been.
The guards were even worse off.
Several lay sprawled across the floor, their arms and legs twisted at unnatural angles. Others had been sent flying through walls, while a few were literally embedded in the concrete, leaving human-shaped craters around their battered armor.
Yet, somehow, they were all still alive.
Groans and pained breathing could be heard from the unfortunate survivors.
Kiana stared at the destruction.
Mei stared at it, too.
Neither girl said anything.
Kiana had specifically told her summoned warriors not to kill anyone.
Technically, the warriors had obeyed.
That somehow made the situation even more concerning.
The two continued forward, doing their best to ignore the carnage surrounding them.
Then—
BANG!
A door beside them suddenly burst open.
A guard crawled out of the room, dragging his battered body across the floor. He had barely made it into the corridor when he abruptly stopped.
Something had caught his legs.
The guard looked down.
Then he slowly turned his helmeted head toward the two girls.
Guard: "HELP ME."
Those were his last words before he was violently dragged backward into the room.
Guard: "AAAAAAAHHHHHH—!!"
His scream echoed through the corridor as he disappeared behind the doorway.
Kiana froze.
Mei froze.
For a moment, the two girls simply stared at the open door.
They had seen plenty of terrifying things in their lives.
But this?
This felt like something straight out of a horror movie.
Kiana cautiously leaned toward the doorway.
Mei followed, equally wary.
Inside the room, they witnessed a scene that made both of them regret their curiosity.
Kamen Rider Zeztz Catastrom had seized two unfortunate guards.
And he was using one of them as a hammer.
SLAM!
One guard was smashed against the floor.
SLAM!
Then again.
And again.
Zeztz continued the horrifying demonstration, repeatedly swinging one unfortunate person into the other as though he were driving a nail into a board.
The two guards' screams filled the room.
Kiana's mouth fell open.
Mei's expression twitched.
Mei immediately leaned toward Kiana and whispered urgently.
Mei: "Kiana, i think we should desummon them for now."
Kiana nodded so quickly that her ponytail swayed.
Without another word, both girls reached for their crystal necklaces.
They focused their will on recalling their summoned warriors.
Zeztz Catastrom finally stopped his assault.
His body dissolved into streams of fire-colored particles, which swept through the doorway and returned to Kiana's necklace.
A few seconds later, more fire-colored particles began converging on the crystal from different parts of the building.
One by one, the remaining warriors summoned through Kiana's necklace were recalled.
Violet particles followed soon afterward, streaming in from distant corridors and returning to Mei's crystal.
Before long, all eight warriors had been reabsorbed.
The building finally fell quiet.
Kiana and Mei looked at each other.
They silently agreed never to discuss what they had just witnessed.
The two girls finally emerged from the building.
Cool air washed over their faces, a welcome relief after the oppressive atmosphere of the underground laboratory.
Kiana took a deep breath before turning toward Mei.
Her expression quickly grew serious.
Kiana: "In the lab, that dog face mentioned their plans. Besides making a vaccine to wake up the Stigmata in peoples' bodies…"
She clenched her fists.
Kiana: "…They're also creating a Honkai disaster that will affect the entire city to completely activate those Stigmata!"
Mei's expression darkened.
Mei: "No more details about the time and location? Even if we destroy this place, there's no way to stop their plan."
Suddenly, a familiar voice interrupted them.
Rita: "I know where it is."
Mei immediately moved in front of Kiana, drawing her katana halfway from its scabbard.
Rita was sitting casually on a nearby wall.
Unlike the last time they had met, she was now wearing her Argent Knight: Artemis battlesuit. Its elegant armor gleamed beneath the light, and her scythe rested within easy reach.
She regarded the two girls with a faint smile.
Rita: "Looks like Miss Kaslana has been well. I'm relieved."
Mei tightened her grip on her katana.
Mei: "Don't even think about taking her away from me!"
Rita raised one hand in a placating gesture.
Rita: "Calm down, Miss Raiden. I told you, we're on the same team in this city."
She jumped down from the wall and landed lightly in front of them.
Her expression turned serious.
Rita: "About the World Serpent's plan to create Honkai disasters here… I think I know what the rest of the plan is."
She glanced toward the distant city skyline.
Rita: "This city has been closely monitoring Honkai energy usage. Anything that may cause large-scale Honkai reactions shouldn't be found… except for those that could pass the inspection and enter this city legally."
Rita paused for emphasis.
Rita: "Especially those giant vehicles powered by Honkai energy. Our EOS is a perfect choice."
Kiana's eyes widened as she began to understand.
Kiana: "So they…"
Rita: "They took the EOS' engine and placed it on top of the signal tower in the center of the city for max effect."
Rita gestured toward the heart of Arc City.
Rita: "Remove the protective cover, have the engine run in overload for a while, and then… BOOM!"
She spread her hands.
Rita: "A bomb that releases the massive Honkai energy made by our engine… No way we can get out of this investigation."
Kiana immediately turned toward the city.
Kiana: "We can't stay here any longer!"
Rita: "You're right. But it looks like they're not going to let us leave."
A massive shadow slowly crept across the ground.
The light around the three women dimmed.
Something enormous was approaching, blocking their path and gradually obscuring their view.
Kiana's body stiffened.
She recognized that presence.
A gigantic purple beast emerged into view.
It was the same monster Agito Burning Form had seemingly obliterated inside the underground laboratory.
Its translucent shell shimmered ominously as it raised its enormous claws.
Kiana: "…How come?! It should be dead!"
The strange purple beast shook its body, its shell rattling as it prepared to attack.
Rita looked toward Kiana.
Rita: "Miss Kaslana, remember what you said to me?"
She recalled their earlier conversation.
Rita: ""Making an escape is nothing compared to saving a city"."
Rita stepped forward and raised her scythe.
Rita: "I'll distract it. You go stop the bomb."
Kiana hesitated for a moment.
The monster's shadow loomed over them.
Then she nodded.
Kiana: "…Okay."
Mei grabbed Kiana's hand.
Together, they hurried toward the city center, leaving Rita behind to face the enormous beast.
Rita watched them go.
For a brief moment, her expression softened.
Rita: "Thank you for saving me at that time."
She tightened her grip on her scythe.
Rita: "And that evens our score."
The monster roared.
Rita spun her scythe into a ready position.
SHING!
With a burst of speed, she charged forward.
The Battle Against the Purple Beast
The monster struck first.
Its enormous claw swept toward Rita, tearing through the air with enough force to shatter the ground beneath it.
Rita twisted aside.
WHOOSH!
The claw missed her by a hair's breadth.
She counterattacked with a sweeping strike from her scythe, forcing the beast to retreat.
But the monster abruptly vanished.
Rita's eyes narrowed.
Rita: "Teleportation… How troublesome."
A distortion appeared behind her.
The monster reappeared and swung its other claw.
Rita barely managed to turn around in time to block.
CLANG!
The impact sent her skidding backward.
Her boots scraped across the ground as she struggled to maintain her balance.
The serum had weakened her body, and she was still far from fully recovered.
A prolonged battle would be dangerous.
She needed to end this quickly.
Rita adjusted her stance.
Cold air began to gather around her battlesuit.
Frost spread across the ground, and a pale mist curled around her legs.
The Argent Knight: Artemis battlesuit responded to her movements, releasing waves of frigid air that gradually slowed the monster's advance.
The beast teleported again.
This time, however, Rita was ready.
She pivoted as the monster materialized, bringing her scythe around in a powerful defensive arc.
CLANG!
The blade caught its claw before it could strike.
Rita immediately followed with a counterattack.
SLASH!
Her scythe carved across the beast's translucent shell.
The monster roared and disappeared once more, attempting to attack from another direction.
But Rita had already begun to anticipate its movements.
She turned, blocked its next strike, and swept her scythe toward its legs.
The beast staggered.
Cold mist spread around its limbs, slowing its movements further.
Rita pressed her advantage.
One strike forced it back.
Another opened a gap in its defenses.
Then she leaped forward, gathering all the strength she could muster for a final attack.
Her scythe flashed.
SHIIIIING!
The blade cut through the beast's weakened defenses.
Its enormous body convulsed before collapsing.
The translucent shell cracked apart, and its monstrous form dissolved into fragments that scattered across the ground.
At last, the battlefield fell silent.
Carcasses of slain beasts covered the surrounding area.
Rita lowered her scythe and panted.
Her body had not yet fully recovered from the serum, and the battle had taken more out of her than she wanted to admit.
She steadied herself and glanced toward the distant city center.
The mission was not over.
Her communicator suddenly buzzed.
A familiar voice came through.
Rita listened for a moment before letting out a tired sigh.
Rita: "She took her sweet time…"
She looked toward the road leading into the city.
Rita: "…I won't be around if Master Durandal arrives to take you away."