Scrapper Scuttler emerged from the rubble in the middle of the street, rolling out his shoulders as he raised his oversized gun.

"Well, shit. Y'all sure know how to make an entrance, don't cha? Y'all shoulda been actors! I see you're missin' squidhead and the fella with eyeliner, though," Scrapper Scuttler grunted as the armored plates on his back opened up, firing another salvo of missiles at the two.

Stel— Elysia rushed over to Ichigo, her hands glowing as she reach down at Claw Strawberry's mangled legs.

"Watch our backs, Lux," Elysia muttered as her aura swirled, holding her hand over Claw Strawberry's wounds.

Braveheart Kitsune, meanwhile, stepped up to Braveheart Gryphon.

"Ready?" Gryphon grinned.

"You know it," Kitsune smirked, dropping into a crouch.

Kitsune suddenly uncorked a red gourd and chugged from it.

The fox-boy suddenly lit up with green light, and the aura of wind that was wrapped around his body suddenly grew more violent. He slammed the stopper in place and then dashed forward, his body a green streak racing to flank Scrapper Scuttler.

Gryphon charged in head-on.

His wings unfurled behind him and he burst forward with a ferocious gust of wind as he drew a blazing red sword out of thin air.

Scrapper Scuttler turned to them, raising his own sword as the two of them raced forward. Multiple compartments in the suit of power armor opened up and began to fire, bullets spraying the ground and kicking up dirt.

Gryphon's golden aura swirled, creating a protective shell of light around him.

Kitsune dashed forward on all fours like a fox, racing behind him. I saw him rear his head back and then spit out what appeared to be a stream of oil.

The oil coated the ground around the mercenary, and Braveheart Gryphon swung his sword, sending an arc of flame that lit the ground ablaze.

"Hah! Won't work on me this time!" Scrapper Scuttler shouted. "Been a minute since I had to fight yer little posse, but I've upgraded my kit!"

A series of panels opened on his shoulder and back. Several small rockets shot out of the panels directly at Gryphon. They were smaller than the ones that had hit the sushi place, but they still looked just as dangerous.

"Let's dance, boys! Yeehaw!"

The three clashed, a whirlwind of energy and a cacophony of sound rang out. I saw Scrapper Scuttler bullets and bursts of red energy from a gauntlet, and Braveheart Gryphon's flaming sword clashed against the mercenary's blade as it appeared in a flash of purple and blue.

Scrapper Scuttler's red eye began to glow as he raised the other arm. It fired several more missiles that Braveheart Kitsune dodged with incredible agility as they followed him around. Crackles of lightning and wind raced around him as he twisted and turned, before finally leaping forward with his hands crackling with power.

"Gryph!" Kitsune yelled, grabbing hold of the mercenary and unleashing a surge of electricity into the armor.

Scrapper Scuttler grunted as sparks raced around the suit. He swung at Kitsune, who jumped back and landed on the ground.

"Tch! I ain't gettin' paid near enough to fight these kids!"

Braveheart Gryphon was right on time, however, as his own blazing sword met with the mercenary's.

"I think you might need to call for help," Kitsune said with a smirk, a pair of kamas materializing in his hand as he dashed around to the side. He was so quick I barely caught his movement, even with my aura sense.

This was a fight on a different level.

Kitsune wasn't all that much faster than Stella, but he was so fluid, and his movements so practiced and precise. Even as I tried to track his movements with my aura sight, he seemed to disappear, his aura cloaking in a way that reminded me of Stella's own ability as Eris.

"That move..." Elysia's eyes widened in recognition, pausing for a long moment before she turned to finish her healing on Claw Strawberry. The girl's legs had stopped bleeding, but there was a lot of bruising, and they had some ugly wounds.

"I can walk now," Claw Strawberry growled. "Let me fight."

"Hang in there, Ichi... Claw Strawberry," Elysia replied, focused on the healing. "I'm not done with you just yet."

"Claw Strawberry," Black Star muttered. "How are you holding up?"

"I'll live, Enrico. Remind me. Who's the weird chick in the silver dress?" Claw Strawberry asked half-jokingly. "She's not bad. Kind of pretty."

Elysia chuckled, not answering, before narrowing her eyes in concentration.

"This is way above our pay grade. Except maybe Elysia," I commented as I turned back to Black Star. "Are you okay?"

Black Star was looking off into space.

"I think I'm in shock, Sparkle Princess," he replied, his voice flat. "My brain's not working. I'm kinda hungry too."

"What?" I answered flatly.

"Don't Forget. He didn't come alone. White Rose was fighting Arsenal, right? Where are they now?" Albert asked, glancing back at the burning building. "And who the fuck would want to hire these psychos?"

I gulped.

That was right. I hadn't forgotten, but... the fight was so overwhelming. I looked up to the rooftops and the street, but neither of them was anywhere to be seen.

Claw Currant cursed, jumping back from the battle and rushing to us, shaking his head. "No use for any of us to get involved. Those two are basically fighting as one unit, and we'll only get in the way."

"You've got a point," Albert admitted, looking at the two Bravehearts critically as they swarmed Scrapper Scuttler.

"So," Claw Currant turned to us, looking down. "The hell is going on? Strawberry sent some weird texts about being attacked. And then she didn't respond after telling me everything was fine and that the sushi was good. What happened?"

He looked at us, his gaze intense. His aura was sharp and dangerous, like a sword, but tightly wrapped and contained around his own body.

"We were ambushed," Albert explained. "Someone cursed us or something without anyone here noticing, making us think nothing was wrong. Nobody even knew what was wrong until Elysia scanned us."

Claw Currant narrowed his eyes. "That shouldn't be happen to a knight, even to low level cadets like us."

Elysia nodded. "Yeah, it's weird. But Lux figured it out and dispelled the effect on all of us. It was some complicated work, like a lattice around our origins."

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Claw Currant raised an eyebrow at me in surprise. "You don't say?"

"What's up, Currant?" I asked.

He shook his head looked up to the fight, where Scrapper Scuttler and Braveheart Gryphon were engaged in an intense back and forth, exchanging blows as they danced around each other across the street.

Gryphon was definitely faster, but every time Scrapper Scuttler landed a strike on him, Braveheart Gryphon was pushed back.

"We were at the indoor training facility, and then I got Strawberry's messages. They came off as weird to me so we came to check on her and saw the explosions. These two were showing me the ropes so they insisted on helping me get here faster," Claw Currant explained. "Strawberry and I have a location sharing app, so I knew she'd be here."

"Thank fucking god for siblings, huh?" Claw Strawberry laughed weakly, getting to her feet.

"Can you move?" Albert asked, concern in her eyes.

"I can, but... holy hell, look at them go."

Kitsune dashed around the mercenary and Braveheart Gryphon. His aura flared and he began to move even faster.

Kitsune suddenly disappeared into thin air. Braveheart Gryphon grunted as he swung his flaming blade, parrying another strike from the mercenary's own glowing sword, before jumping backwards and spreading his wings.

A blast of wind was unleashed as he flapped his wings once, sending the mercenary tumbling back through the air.

Braveheart Gryphon landed in a crouch, and then a burst of wind launched him back into the air, his blade raised high as his own red aura flared, wrapping around him and condensing into flames. He flew forward like a blazing comet, slamming into the mercenary's sword.

Scrapper Scuttler was pushed backwards, his blade sparking against the burning aura.

"Fuck, that's cool," Claw Strawberry said. "That might hit even harder than my meteor dive."

"Gryphon is really good," Albert agreed. "But Scrapper Scuttler's power armor seems to be keeping him ahead."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she nodded, flexing her hands. "But Gryphon's got this. I'd say that suit is a problem, but the kid's way above our level with Kitsune supporting him."

"No," Elysia interjected, her voice calm and serious as she stood next to us. "It may look so, but Scuttler's adapting and he's used to this kind of fighting."

"Are you sure?"

Elysia narrowed her eyes.

"Look closer," she pointed.

I turned my attention to the two.

Braveheart Gryphon had been pushed back by Scrapper Scuttler and he was panting heavily.

"You ain't got the combined strength needed without the rest of your posse, boy!" Scrapper Scuttler taunted.

Gryphon grinned with bravado.

"'Tis not a matter of strength, but of technique! For a knight must hone his skill with a blade to fight through even the toughest of trials! We shall prevail!"

Braveheart Gryphon spread out his wings and raised his sword high above his head.

"Now!"

Kitsune reappeared in a flash of light and slammed into Scrapper Scuttler with the force of an eighteen wheeler truck. Lightning crackled over the mercenary's armor as he planted his legs and cocked his arm back.

"Aero Art: Gale Strike!" he yelled, a blast of wind swirling around his body as he blasted the mercenary point-blank with a magically enhanced palm strike.

But he failed to even stagger the mercenary.

"What?!"

"Nice try," Scrapper Scuttler growled.

His red eye began to glow and he fired several missiles from his shoulders at point blank range. Kitsune barely reacted fast enough, jumping back in a flash of green, but not fast enough to escape the explosions entirely.

Kitsune flew backwards and landed on the ground hard, groaning. His left arm was covered in scrapes and mild burns, while his legs had more severe injuries.

"Dammit," Braveheart Kitsune groaned, struggling to stand.

Gryphon dashed towards his injured comrade.

Kitsune gritted his teeth and stood up straight, his entire body crackling with green electricity.

"That move. Do you recognize it?" I turned to Elysia who was staring at the fight with a quiet intensity.

"Lightning Overdrive. That was Storm Vixen's personal trademark technique," Elysia whispered in my ear.

My eyes widened in shock as I turned to Elysia. "That's... isn't that?"

"Yeah. I used it, remember? When we fought the first time, I used it kinda drop kick you," Elysia replied with a slight nod. "It isn't complicated in theory, but it takes a lot of fine mana control. It also takes a toll on the user and depends a lot on their physical conditioning, and Kitsune's been slowing down every passing minute. I don't think he's mastered it yet, not to the extent Storm Vixen had, and not for sustained combat like this."

I remembered back to the photo I'd found on Emberline's desk. Storm Vixen was a legendary magical girl who'd been the sole member of Arcadia Vox's original team to stay with her until the end. She was remembered fondly for her hyperactive nature and tough, uplifting spirit, and for being the fastest woman alive.

I turned back to the fight. Braveheart Gryphon had reached Kitsune's side and the two had backed away from Scrapper Scuttler. They stood shoulder to shoulder as Scrapper Scuttler stalked forward.

"Well, this has certainly been fun, but I got a bounty to collect," he said, his armored hand clenching as he turned his head briefly toward our direction. "You kids put up a heck of a fight."

Black Star took a step back as if to run, but he hesitated when Albert grabbed his arm.

"White Rose is out there. And who knows if he's got even more help waiting in the wings," Albert whispered. "If you run off, we'll be right back to where we were when this whole shitshow started. Except with a different VIP this time."

"Shitshow's right," Claw Strawberry muttered, looking around. Her tail and cat ears twitched as she looked around, but her expression was grim.

Kitsune and Gryphon nodded to each other. Gryphon held his sword out and it burst into flame as the wind began to gather around him. Kitsune's legs and left arm sparked with electricity as he braced himself.

"Strawberry. Can you fight?" Currant asked.

Strawberry grinned, her eyes sparkling with intensity. "You betcha. I'm a bit banged up, but I can move and that's all I need."

"We would only get in the way now, but without Kraken and Sphinx, the Bravehearts will lose if they get worn down. We have reinforcements on the way," Currant explained.

Albert nodded. "We just need to hold out."

I turned to Scrapper Scuttler, who was still stalking towards them. His red eye was glowing and a compartment on his wrist opened to reveal a large missile.

Braveheart Gryphon spread his wings, and then, without warning, he launched himself into the air like a bolt of lightning, the wind whipping around him as he raced forward. He swung his sword and a massive blast of flame shot out towards Scrapper Scuttler, who raised his gauntleted hand to fire the missile.

There was an explosion as the two attacks collided.

Kitsune disappeared from sight, his body shimmering in the light.

Scrapper Scuttler took a step forward and raised his arm again, firing several shots at Gryphon. He blocked one and two with his blade and then raised his sword to deflect the third. The first wave of missiles exploded behind him, unleashing a cluster of smaller missiles that looped around him, before arcing back and homing in.

Gryphon was surrounded in a whirlwind of flames that protected him from the missiles. He then burst through the inferno, flying straight for the armored mercenary with his sword held high above his head.

Scuttler cracked his neck nonchalantly, before raising his hand and shooting a missile from his palm directly at Gryphon.

"Gryph!" Kitsune shouted as he reappeared on the mercenary's other side. A series of glowing wind spears formed and then shot forward at Scrapper Scuttler, before he turned and blocked the attack with a simple wave of his gauntlet.

A panel on his back opened, releasing several more missiles at Gryphon.

Braveheart Gryphon flapped his wings and soared higher, dodging the incoming missiles. He spiraled around the barrage and charged forward with a blast of fire and wind surrounding him.

The two clashed again and the air around us seemed to shake from the impact. Their swords clashed in a shower of sparks.

"Shit," Claw Currant cursed. "They won't win at this rate."

"Should we...?" Strawberry asked.

"Best we can do is relieve them if they need a breather. If he starts to get serious we're toast."

"The Bravehearts are strong, but..." I muttered.

Scrapper Scuttler laughed, throwing his head back as he blocked another strike from Braveheart Gryphon. He swung his fist and a blade extended from his wrist, which he swung at Gryphon. The knight barely blocked the swing, but was forced back as Scrapper Scuttler pressed forward, slamming the muscled boy with his shoulder.

Gryphon's golden aura wrapped around him protectively as the armored man struck him, but the impact was powerful, and he was knocked to the side. Scrapper Scuttler then grabbed him by the throat with a gauntleted fist and raised his other fist, which was charged with a blast of crimson and purple energy, and swung down hard at his face.

"Brother!" Braveheart Kitsune reappeared, grabbing Gryphon by the waist and rolling with the momentum just as the blow connected, barely avoiding a blow that would have knocked his head clean off. Both boys skid and bounced across the street as Kitsune's winds fanned out, breaking the momentum and landing in a heap several blocks away in a deafening crash.

Scrapper Scuttler looked over at me, his gaze intense, and my blood ran cold. I could feel the heat of his red eye and the intensity of his gaze as he focused on us.

"Well, shit," he said, turning to look at the dust cloud where the two had gone flying. "Looks like I got a little too into it. Can't let those kids have all the fun, huh?"

Scrapper Scuttler cracked his neck again before stalking towards us.

"I was hired to bring the kid in alive. But the contract didn't mention the rest of you, and you're in the way of me getting paid, so I guess it's time for me to take this a little more seriously."

My heart sank into the pit of my stomach as the mercenary stopped, standing before us. He looked down at me and grinned.

"I'm gonna enjoy this," he growled, his single eye flashing red.