“Captain!” shouted Abeiron, only just noticing Chiharu’s presence. He attempted to move to help his Captain, but immediately saw the blade against his throat move slightly. It was unseen by him, but her blade cut into his skin ever so slightly with precision control. A thin line of blood dripped down.

Glancing down without moving his head, Simonides tried to put her into his sight. She was too far out of his peripheral vision. “I wondered when you’d make your move.” In spite of his situation, he didn’t flinch under the pressure of her blade.

‘He’s too confident,’ thought Chiharu, trying to read the situation, ‘Something off about this.’ Narrowed eyes tried to glean everything from the slightest movement from Simonides’ body. ‘He sounds like I’ve played into his plans? But how would he have predicted my actions without even knowing me?’

“Is that silence in professionalism?” He measured out his tone in deliberate fashion against Chiharu. “…or is it confusion?”

It felt like he could see through her. Chiharu’s body tensed up. The man had a strange aura about him. She knew he was merely a normal human with no more power than the average adult, yet there was a massive intimidating presence emitting from him. A strength that she thought she could see bleeding off him.

It was why she failed.

Suddenly, a force pulled at her arm. It dragged her sword arm away from Simonides’ neck. It was powerful enough that all of her struggling meant nothing. ‘Damn! I lost my chance…’ She already knew the reason.

Behind her, a MP user stood in slow approach. The young woman drew Chiharu away from Simonides, keeping her restrained by invisible hands. “It was exactly like you said, sir.”

“Good work, Agaue.” Casually, he ran a finger across his neck to remove the blood. Simonides turned

around to face Chiharu directly. “Surrender now before you drag this out any longer.”

Grinding her teeth together, Chiharu tried to find a way out of the trap. The intelligence of the man unnerved her. She didn’t know if she could beat him. “Go to hell!” she barked, in an odd burst for her. She immediately regretted it, feeling like the muscle head started to leave an impression on her.

“Your choice,” he replied solemnly, almost sounding sad. “You’ll find soon enough that you can’t win. Agaue.” He motioned to the blonde haired woman to get rid of Chiharu.

“Sir? We’ve captured one of them!”

“That is an order, Second Lieutenant.”

His commanding voice snapped her back in line in an instant. “Yes, sir!” Chiharu’s body moved closer to her for a second before flung forward. The aim put her in the center of the ring of soldiers and back with her comrades. However, she didn’t understand her Captain’s thinking.

Simonides faced back at the battle watching with the same intent as before, unaffected by the interruption. “You’re wondering why I didn’t keep the child. It’s simple. She’s too much of a risk right now.”

Agaue still felt confused by his answer. ‘A risk? Isn't it more risky sending her back with her comrades where she can help them?’

“Answer me this. Can you completely negate her powers?”

“No, sir. I don’t know what her powers are.”

“Correct. You can’t make her a normal human without understanding her powers. She’s the biggest unknown we have, she’s only fought twice and neither of those that faced her got a real view of her powers. She’s cautious. She’s held back her secrets knowing not to reveal them. That’s why she’s dangerous.”

She started to understand his line of logic. “Yes, sir!” Agaue should have never questioned him. Her Captain knew what he was doing. She just needed to follow his orders.

‘However, in this battle…you’re going to be forced to show me everything. I’ll seal it all.’

Chapter 211 – Loss of Control

Chiharu landed safely next to Yumi. Rising from one knee, she stared back in the distance at Simonides. ‘Why?’ Her eyes narrowed trying to understand it. However, her surroundings didn’t allow her the freedom of time.

“Chiharu! Are you alright?” Yumi leaned over to her side for Chiharu. It surprised them all to see her flying through the air back at them. None of them knew what happened to her, but just assumed she went to do something.

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Brushing off Yumi’s concern, Chiharu stepped forward to gauge the numbers. ‘He’s got a mob of soldiers that don’t stand a chance against us. The man’s too smart for that. He’s scheming something.’ Chiharu looked in search of the power users of the Atlanteans, but saw none of them. They didn’t stand out to her. It meant only one thing. She looked over at Yumi. “Pull them back,” she ordered.

“Huh?” It was too sudden for Yumi to react the way Chiharu wanted.

“It’s a trap. They’ll be isolated and right where he wants them.”

Yumi turned her head immediately hearing the word ‘trap’. “What?! Do you know what they’re planning, Chiharu?” Like Fumiko, she worried that it might be a trap. But none of them had anything to go on with how they might do it.

“I can’t see it all, but this is obvious. Anyone with a tactical understanding would see it. They already figured they can neutralize our powers. The next step is pretty obvious at this point.”

Her eyes widened. Everything suddenly made sense to her. She quickly turned back out in the direction of Seiji. ‘It all fits!’ The sword restrained her from the extreme movements she wanted to make, forcing to remain subdued despite her emotions. “Seiji! Fumiko! You have to get back! Those people with Yuki’s power are mixed among the normal soldiers! They’re wearing the same uniforms to blend in!”

Seiji tilted his head back while finishing his punch against the latest soldier. “Dammit! You mean we can’t tell which of these guys are the real ones?”

“Their plan is to isolate us and seal our powers!”

Simonides watched the scene unfold. They had figured things out, but he already gave the signal. “It’s too late. Your strength, your flame…I’ll take it all away!”

Suddenly, the last punch of Seiji’s didn’t have the same force behind it. The man staggered a little, but didn’t fall over. It left a bit of soreness in Seiji’s hand, one he had not felt for weeks. The feeling was quite nostalgic for him. However, in spite of the familiar feelings, he understood the problem.

His strength was gone.

He took another swing, but it resulted in the same effect. Worse for him was that the soldiers seemed to understand it as well. They surrounded him quickly, applying the pressure. If he couldn’t punch his way out, his options shrank. “…damn…bastards…” For the first time in the fights in Atlantis, Seiji hesitated. The numbers were against him.

Clenching his fists up at his side, Seiji cursed the frustrating situation. If he had no options, then he only had one option. “Hell! I’m tired of thinking about this!” Seiji went charging into the nearest group of soldiers. His fists clashed with their swords and shields. He tried to meet flesh with flesh, but he was too accustomed to his speed and strength that nothing moved the way he wanted it to anymore.

“Seiji!”

Fumiko slid back, knocked off balance by the regular soldiers. “…damn…we’re running out of options…” She had already tried to summon her flames to no effect. The magic circles appeared, but no flame came out. They were sealed.

‘This isn’t about the individual fights,’ commented Simonides. ‘However, the numbers are merely a screen. This is all about the plan, nothing more. Everything for the singular goal.’

Nerine watched helplessly from the sidelines. In such a situation, she did not know what she should do. Which side did she belong? ‘Captain…Seiji…’

Swinging his fists around blindly, Seiji took blow after blow from the soldiers. It didn’t stop him from continuing to try to muscle his way through the mob of soldiers. Nothing would stop him. Bits of particles trickled off his wrapped arm. “You’ll have to tie me down if you want me to stop!”

“I see.” Simonides watched Seiji with deep intent. The strength stripped away from the boy gave him more insight. ‘So it wasn’t the strength alone. I thought that might be the case. This will bring him to his knees.’ He lifted up his hand, a signal to Abeiron. “Inform squads 39 and 59 to have their MP activate their Fields. Tell them to include a law that sets a body’s hardness, resistance to damage to a normal human’s.”

“Yes, sir!” Abeiron turned around issuing orders to the soldiers in communication with the soldiers out on the front. They had to change out of the Fields. An overlap in Fields happened briefly, as the newly updated Fields from different MPs activated. Once on, the previous MPs turned off their Fields. All was part of the plan to keep a constant seal on their powers and adapt as they learned more. Each time they pushed for something more, it would be taken away immediately until they had nothing left to bring. They would completely understand their potential.

Blood sprayed into the air. It was less the force and more the surprise that knocked Seiji back. He slid a little distance away from the soldiers, but still surrounded. Pain. Blood. He was used to all of it. Yet, it felt different. ‘Something wrong with my body. It doesn’t feel right. I feel heavy…’ Before he felt like he could keep going without end, even without his strength. Yet it felt like the life of his body dragged away. A coldness crawled up his fingertips.

Yumi could barely see Seiji through everyone that surrounded him. She could do nothing for him. It was something she understood too well. “Chiharu! Seiji needs help!” The only chance he had was Chiharu. He would be captured without any help.

‘There’s a problem with just jumping in,’ she thought. Long before she suggested, Chiharu already thought about joining in the fight. However, she saw it coming. ‘The more we use our powers the more they’ll get sealed off one after another. We need a way to break through and escape. This is a losing battle.’ She hated the thought of a losing battle.

A failure.

More failure.

Chiharu walked out towards the soldiers. It seemed like a long distance away. The chaos of the fight made everything mixed together. ‘What will be the outcome? We’ve been out maneuvered…’

“Hurry, Chiharu! Seiji won’t last!”

“I can’t. They’ve already sealed my speed.” She kept an even stride. The men came closer to her, starting to take awareness of her presence. “We have to be smart about this.” A couple of the Atlanteans broke off from the muscle head to come after her.

Their swords bore down on her. She lightly dodged to the right of the first, flipping them to the ground as she passed. The second, she disarmed with a fast fluid motion that sent the sword spinning off towards Yumi. Once free of the weapon, she turned his movement against him and sent him to the earth along with his comrade. ‘Even without my strength or speed, I’m still a ninja. An assassin.’ Chiharu’s eyes narrowed into steel resolve. ‘My training can’t be stolen from me.’

“Impressive child,” remarked Simonides. He motioned to Abeiron again. ‘It’s time to see what you can really do. I’ll push you into a corner and force you to show me your fangs.’

Suddenly, red strips of a strange thin material erupted from the earth. It seamlessly appeared as though grown from it, despite its unnatural appearance. The ends of the strips flew up into the air surrounding Seiji and Fumiko. It moved too quickly for them to react.

In moments, it pinned them to the ground. The red material wrapped around their arms, legs, neck and waist. It restrained them. All of the struggling meant nothing. It did not budge at all. They could only kneel to the earth in submission. Both captured in an instant.

Chiharu ground her teeth together. She faced the entire army alone. The only one freed still to move and act. The only one able to rescue them. He taunted her to action. She knew it, but she had no choice. She was their only chance.