April 13, 2056

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A shell flies over my head and explodes as it makes contact on the top part of the wall. In the plains ahead of me, countless tanks and armored cars are approaching fast towards the gate with infantry charging right behind them.

I aim in and take down several soldiers, and then several more but it's no use. No matter how many I take down, more just take their place.

What is going on? This is the Federation attacking us, right? Why? The night raid was one thing, but this is on a completely different scale! This is a declaration of war!

And that Flag Bearer... that Enhancement was something I've never seen before. The sheer power that explosion wielded was unimaginable.

An AT missile being fired next to me pulls me out of my thoughts as I watch the missile glide through the air and land on a tank, setting it ablaze as its turret goes airborne.

Another volley of shells is unleashed from the row of tanks, prompting me to drop low to the ground. The explosions are deafening as dirt is thrown into the air causing some of the Tyranians to panic.

"Vi måste härifrån!" One yells as they begin crawl out of the trench.

"Don't! Get back in here!" I call out to them, but they're soon blown to bits by an explosion.

I turn back to the battlefield to reengage and that's when I hear it. Over the gunfire, a small thumping noise comes over from the tree line, becoming louder and louder by the second.

"What the-"

"Incoming Helis!"

The first helicopter appears and then several more behind it. They fly over the infantry before changing altitude to fly in low.

Behind me, a whizzing sound starts to approach and then appears ahead of me. One of the birds' bursts into flames and then another but the others make it through unscathed and start firing upon our trench.

I duck down again as a volley of bullets covers our position. Soldiers left and right of me fall to the ground in a mess of blood. The helicopters fly over, and I spot an object fall from one of their bellies behind the wall, followed by a large explosion.

"Fuck! Throw smoke we need to move!" Carl says as he helps his sister up and moves to help me and Alice but before he reaches us, a BTR rolls over the trench in front of him. The BTR stops and the back ramp flings open with troops pouring out.

"Divine Scattershot!" He casts as the numerous small orbs penetrate the soldiers and ricochet within the interior of the vehicle, leaving most of the people inside either dead or in the process of dying.

He turns again to us, but he's forced to pull back as more vehicles pull up firing upon him. Without any other choice, the siblings, along with any remaining survivors, retreat to the destroyed section of the wall leaving Alice and I behind.

Thinking quickly, I motion for Alice lay back down as I pull a dead soldier over her before dragging one on top of myself. Peering through a small gap, a tank rumbles the ground around me as it passes over the two of us. I shorten my breaths as a drop of blood falls on my face from a Fed stepping on me. Soon enough, dozens of Feds are walking past us and that when I spot the FB among them.

"Move away from the gate! I'm making another opening." I hear him shout as he moves towards the now closed gate.

He begins to cast an Enhancement. This time, I can see the process. I can't make out the words but a bright light like before starts to glow. After a minute, he grabs the flag on his back and plants it in front of him with great force. The Flag shines brighter for a final moment before unleashing a wave of Divinity that hits against the gate. The gate is instantly blown away as the rest of the wall comes crumbling down as well.

Such power. From here I can feel the raw potency of it. It's almost sickening. And that color... is this silver color have something to do with it?

The soldiers and tanks now rush into the new opening as he plants the flag back on his back. The battle has now moved into the base. As soon as the last of the Feds have entered, I push the body off me and help Alice to her feet.

"Come on, we need to get into this fight." I say as the two of us swiftly make our way to the other side of the wall.

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Inside the base, Black Shard and Tyranian troops have scattered and Fed troops have engaged in close quarters. Bodies litter the ground all around us along with the carcasses of vehicles still smoking.

A yelp makes us turn to the right where we spot the Flag Bearer engaging with two Guardians. One of the Guardians is sliced in the chest and then impaled just as another Guardian comes up behind him. Their attack is parried with ease as they stagger back before being impaled through the neck.

His body falls over and that's when the FB turns around to see us standing before him.

"Ah, there you are. I was wondering when I was going to run into you again." He smirks.

Alice raises her gun and fires the rest of her mag at him, only for them to be ineffective.

"...Would you mind not interrupting our conversation, frac?" He says unamusingly to her.

"Fuck you! Why are you doing this? Why are you attacking Tyran? What does any of this have to do with The Federation's original goal?" She shouts as he stops just a little distance away. He, however, chooses to completely ignore her.

"I'll admit, you have some balls to be able to face me again after our last confrontation."

"What do you want from me?" I grip my gun harder.

"For your total and complete cooperation. I got quite the earful from my boss after I left you wounded from our last confrontation. So, I'd rather not cause any more damage to you if I don't need to."

"And what do the Feds want from me?"

"That I can't tell you. So, stop asking questions, and come along now like a good dog." He takes a step forward and that when Alice casts an Enhancement at him.

It explodes over his barrier to no avail as he sighs and turns to her. "What a bothersome frac you are." Raising his hand, he casts another Enhancement, and a second later Alice is launched backwards where she collides with the side of a destroyed APC. She lets out a gasp before falling unconscious.

"Alice!"

Turning back, I fire at the FB but he's unfazed and advances as he lunges at me with impeccable speed. I barely have enough time to draw my sword to deflect his attack. Once again, I'm put on the defensive as he keeps continually sends his blade down with immense force.

After continuing to clash with each other for a while now, he backs off which lets me catch my breath.

"Still weak as before, I see," He says, "I'm trying not to hurt you, you know?"

"...I can say the same thing." I ready my stance again.

"Enough with your empty threats! Divine Shatter."

Without warning my Barrier begins to crack before completely shattering. There's nothing stopping him from just casting one Enhancement now to end me.

I can already feel my body starting to become hot from the thought alone. Is this finally the point?

"If you truly wish on fighting without your Divinity then so be it! I will not subject myself to child's play anymore! Divine Salvo!"

Above him, six golden orbs appear which then proceed to form into spears. They then point themselves directly towards me and begin to spin rapidly.

I can't block this, nor can I dodge it. All of a sudden, the salvo releases and time slows down again.

This is it, you have no choice, Luna. You've held on for long enough.

I look down to my chest and notice a golden light pouring through my vest. It's coming from my Shard necklace.

That's right... I have the will to live and if that means using my Divinity then so be it.

I look back up to see that the salvo has almost reached me.

I won't let it control me. Not this time.

Without a second to waste, I grit my teeth and hold my arms in front of me.

I've made my choice.

"Divine Protect-"

Yet... I hesitate again...

Not because I couldn't do it... but because I'm forcefully pushed aside from out of nowhere.

My eyes widen when I see that it's Alice.

Alice...? Why?

I'm unable to form the words however as in the next second the salvo hits her with the following blast shrouding my vision around me.

Time resumes as normal as I'm tossed a few meters away where I shortly land with a thud on the ground below.

I'm in a daze but I don't care. I try to force myself up only to yelp from the pain coming from my left arm. It's broken.

Still, I push past the pain and crawl with any strength left in my functioning limbs before finally coming across Alice's body. She lays motion less face down.

"...Alice...Alice?" I shake her and that's when I notice the blood seeping through her clothes and onto my hands.

"Alice... Alice... Alice! Alice, wake up!" I continue to yell as I keep repeating her name over and over. No matter how much I plead with her she refuses to listen.

Why...

Why...

Why...?

Alice... why aren't you listening to me...? I thought we were best friends...

So why?!

Why?!

Why?!

Why?!

It's only until I hear the shifting of gravel behind that I'm finally pulled out of my train of thoughts.

"...You..."

I turn to face the FB to find that he's accompanied by Feds as well.

"You..."

"You have only yourself to blame. If you would've cooperated maybe your little frac would still be alive." He motions for the troops around him to begin approaching me, "Now obey and don't resist. It'll make things easier for both of us."

"You... I'll... I'll..."

Kill him.

Kill him!

KILL HIM!

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

Just as the first Fed reaches to place a restraint around me, a surge of Divinity forms around me as I propel forward and decapitate the soldier with one blow.

"Ч-Какого черта?!" Another Fed begins to yell but is instantly silenced with a slice through their neck as I proceed to butcher the remaining Feds. I've completely lost myself and I let my emotions control me as the screams of the Feds I kill reverberate around me. When I'm done with the last one, I'm covered in blood as I finally come to a stop in front of the Flag Bearer.

"You damn animal..." He struggles to keep his composure as he takes a step back, clearly fazed by my appearance. "You've gone mad."

Kill him!

Kill him!

With fury in my eyes, I raise my hand at him which makes him respond with an Enhancement that summons a second Barrier around him.

"The Lady protects me! You cannot hurt me-"

"Divine Constriction."

In an instant, the Flag Bearer's words are cut short as his Barrier's collapse in on themselves, causing his body to compress grotesquely before splattering into a mess of blood and entrails. Nothing identifiable is left of the person as I now turn to the horrid faces of the more Feds that had arrived late.

"M-M-Monster! Monster!"

"Devil!"

My vision finally fades to black as the last thing I see is me splitting a Fed soldier into two halves. By the time I gain control over myself again, I'm on top of a petrified girl with my blade pressing against her throat.