“Whew~! You really went all out, Momo.”

Miko said. He was looking at a huge crater that was created from Momo’s Solar Wrath. He walked to the edge of the crater with light steps.

“I still can’t believe he’s alive. His heart was destroyed.”

Jin said.

“I should thank him again for saving me.”

“You’ve already thanked him enough, Hana. He said so himself.”

Kaido said.

(I guess I owe him one too for Hana.)

They walked to the edge of the crater along with Miko.

“Oh, there people in this crater. I’m surprised that their bodies are whole much less survived. They must’ve used some kind of special armor or bodysuit to defend themselves.”

Miko said. He looked at Jin.

“You guys can do what you want with them.”

“….You don’t want revenge for them shooting you?”

“Nope. It’s not like I was their target or anything. I’m the one to be blamed for getting shot, not them.”

“That’s a strange way to look at it.”

“Really? I think it’s normal to me.”

Miko then turned around and walked towards the opposite direction.

“Where are you going?”

“After getting shot and nearly dying I’m no longer in the mood for all this, as such I’m retiring for the day.”

“….Alright.”

Miko waved goodbye with the girls following behind him.

“Is that alright, Jin? Aren’t you supposed to be watching him?”

Sapphire asked.

“Bloom said that this is more important so he’ll be monitored by others for the time being. Also…”

Jin looked at Hana.

“I can least do this much after what he did.”

Meanwhile Miko was walking with sweat covering his body.

“Are your symptoms acting up?”

Tia asked.

“Yeah. I need to get away from them before it gets out of control.”

“Miko, promise me that you won’t do something that dangerous again.”

Momo said with a painful expression on his face Miko shook his head.

“I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

He forced a smile through the pain he was feeling.

“Because I would do it again in a heartbeat if you were in danger.”

“………”

Momo said nothing but there was a small smile on her face.

**********

A few hours after Miko left, Kaido and Jin’s group had made contact with members of the coalition. There wasn’t even any time for dialogue, the coalition attacked them on sight. The coalition was mostly composite of ordinary thugs who couldn’t hope to put up a fight against a group like this, but they had something that could even the odds-

Technology.

*Bam!* *Bam!* *Bam!*

Explosions rung out as the group tried their best to avoid the attacks of the high powered weapons that were being used by the coalition.

“How many are there?! And how do they have that many weapons?!”

Kaido shouted. He leaped from place to place avoiding being swallowed by explosions. He jumped while turning around to scan the area with his eyes for a few seconds before turning to run again.

(Alright. The biggest problems are the two with the Tridents on the rooftops. The Tridents are in sniper mode which means that the range of their attacks are huge and they’re hard to detect unless you’re focused on them.)

The scene of Miko being “killed” by the same attacks flashed in his mind. He clenched his teeth and stopped.

“Releasing Fafnir Gear.”

Kaido could suddenly feel power surging through his body as his eyes became golden. He focused his power in his legs, and then-

*BOOM!*

He shot off the ground like a rocket and instantly traveled several miles and hundreds of feet in the air and arrived in front of the thugs with the snipers.

“I would say clench your teeth but nothing will be left of you after this.”

Kaido’s arm become more muscular and was surrounded by a golden glow.

“Golden Impact!”

He threw a punch at the building the men were on.

*BOOM!*

Half of the building was instantly blown away along with the men. Their fates were sealed.

“That should ease the pressure on them.”

Kaido started falling towards the earth.

“You’re up, cockroach.”

Jin who was on the ground saw what Kaido did and clicked his tongue.

“I can’t have that idiot showing me up.”

He stopped running and started to slowly walk towards the thugs that were firing at him. Three lasers rushed directly at him and then-

They passed him without hitting him.

“Huh?”

The thugs who fired at him looked at each other in confusion. They then fired at him again, only to get the same result.

“Why can’t we hit him?”

“You don’t think he avoided all of them, right?”

“Don’t be-”

“And you’re dead.”

“?!”

The thugs froze when they heard Jin’s voice coming from behind them. They turned their heads to move and they fell right off their bodies. The bodies soon hit the ground as well. Jin was now standing in front of several headless corpses. He looked at Kaido.

“Not everything is about power, idiot. Technique is more important.”

Kaido ignored him and landed on the ground and then started sprinting.

“I left Hana alone!”

Meanwhile, Hana and Sapphire were isolated by members of the coalition and was surrounded by them.

“The long range attacks have stopped; that must be Kaido and Jin.”

Sapphire drew closer to Hana.

“We might have to work together to get out of this one.”

She got no reply.

“Hana?”

She turned and saw a trouble expression on Hana’s face.

(I don’t think that she’s scared….Is what happened still on her mind?)

Sapphire had a serious look on her face.

“Don’t think of telling me to stand back and have you protect me.”

Hana suddenly said. Sapphire showed Hana a smile.

“I would never.”

“Good.”

Hana put her hand on the handle of the sword sheathed on her hips.

“Say, Sapphire. Why do you think Miko risked his life to protect me?”

“If I was to be honest, I believe that he did it because he sees you as a friend. However, I can’t deny he didn’t do it to get us to owe him one.”

“You thinks so too?”

Hana drew her sword from her sheath and reveal that it was a thin, light sharp-pointed sword, a rapier. On it were the words “Rose Thorn”.

“However, I feel horrible that I would question the person who saved my life. It makes me feel weak. The reason why I was targeted by the snipers must be because they also thought I was weak.”

Hana lifted the blade at the side of her head and lowered her center gravity.

“Tell me, Sapphire. Do you think I’m weak?”

Sapphire looked at Hana who was surrounded by an oppressive green aura. She had an intense and focused look on her face which caused Sapphire to gulp.

“N-No, You’re pretty strong.”

“Is that so?”

(Woah, Hana is actually pissed off. Now that’s rare.)

Sapphire made a single hand prayer gesture towards them.

“Rest in peace.”

The people who surrounded them were all wearing some kind of robotic suits that looked like they were built for close combat.

“Are you two done with your chat? If so, then-”

One of the thug’s speech was cut off by Hana sprinting towards him.

“So fast. If it wasn’t for this suit I wouldn’t be able to track her movements. But I can track them, and that’s a fact!”

He timed Hana and threw a punch at her head. That’s when his vision blurred and he lost sight of Hana.

*BAM!*

He looked down after feeling a powerful hit and saw Hana’s rapier causing his robotic suit to become dent. Before he could react he felt a even more powerful force blow him back and sent him crashing into a building. His comrades looked and saw a flower-shaped impression on his suit. They then saw cracks spreading from that impression before the suit crumbled to pieces. The man was left naked and embedded in the wall with a flower mark on his body.

“I’m not a weak princess in need of being protected.”

Hana spoke with a rare rough tone.

“I’ll make that known today.”

In that instant, Hana disappeared again leaving being a single flower petal.

*Bam!*

A few seconds later, she appeared again and immediately after nearly a dozen thugs were floating in the air with their robotic suits breaking apart and flower marks on their bodies.

“The Dance of Flora. Hana’s self-taught swordplay. She barely uses it because of Kaido but when she does you just have to remember that every Rose has its thorns.”

Sapphire said. She saw Hana moved with lightning speed once again leaving behind flower petals in her path before clashing with the enemy with a thrust of her blade. The moment her rapier touches the enemy the illusion of a flower blossoming behind them appears. It was beautiful to watch but horrifying to experience.

“Ah, I got distracted for a second.”

Sapphire’s skin started to change texture. She now looked a statue made out of beautiful gems. She slammed her fists together with a grin on her face.

“I need to do some work as well.”

Several people in the robotic suits charge at her from all sides.

(These suits most likely increase the user’s physical abilities beyond what they were capable of before.)

She analyzed the situation before making her move. She leaped towards the furthest attacker who didn’t expect for her to aim at him, and slammed her fist in his face.

“Then I just need to crush them with overwhelming power before they can use those suits!”

Her punch smashed opened her attacker’s helmet and destroyed his face in an instant. She then avoided an attack from behind by jumping in the air and then crushed the attacker with a stomp from above.

“Damn, she packs a lot power. Try to keep your distance when she moves! Use the numbers to overwhelm her!”

One of the thugs shouted. Sapphire swung her hand to the side and a gem spike pierced through his helmet and killed him.

“I have long range attacks too, idiot.”

Sapphire stomped the ground and gem spikes burst from the ground and pierced through the men and hung them in the air like flags. Their blood drained down the blue gems and stained the ground.

“Time to help, Hana…?”

Sapphire turned around and saw Hana standing in the middle of dozens of naked dead people with flower marks on their bodies.

“Damn, Kaido really need to let you fight more often.”

Sapphire returned to her normal form and walked towards Hana.

“Not happening.”

Kaido was seen walking towards them.

“I’m here sword, after all.”

“Wow. I’m surprised you can say that with a straight face. That was painful.”

Jin came up from behind and said. Kaido ignored him and walked up to hana.

“So what do we do now? Attack their base?”

Sapphire asked Jin.

“We have no choice. I wanted to confirm the information that we got from those who shot Miko but these guys were out to kill us the moment they saw us. For now, let’s go the location we were given and act from there.”

(What still bothers me is the fact that those we interrogated said that no one knows where they got their weapons and who organized the coalition. Especially since all the original members who would know are dead and new people are running things now.)

Jin thought to himself.

“Hey, cockroach. We’re going to leave you being.”

Kaido said while walking away with Hana.

“Tsk. I’ll kill you one day, you damn lizard.”

***********

They headed to where the information they got said the current base of the coalition was located. However, when they got there they were greeted with a scene of carnage and destruction. Countless corpses and body parts were flung about and the building that should’ve served as the base was in shambles.

“What happened here? Someone already attacked this place?”

They approached with caution.

“Oh? So this time you guys were sent?”

They heard a voice and turned around to see someone sitting on a burning rock, covered head to toe in blood.

“?!”

When they saw who the voice belonged to the four of them all stepped back on reflex. Jin gritted his teeth as he spoke.

“Why are you here, Natasa Kingsley?!”

The person showed a savage smile.

**********

Meanwhile, Miko who had left hours earlier was now back at his hotel and had finally calm down after almost drinking his weight in alcohol. He was sitting in his chair looking at the guest who was directly in front of him.

“So what can I do for you, er…”

“My name is Edward.”

The person smiled.

“But you can call me Code Breaker.”