Tony, Camila, Dexter and his men all sat quietly around a circular table.
“I spoke to Herald Barker.” Dexter said before pausing.
“He saw the footage and has come to the conclusion that we cannot defeat Kiochi.” Dexter said.
Everyone remained silent.
“That’s impossible.” Izanagi said.
“Excuse me?” Dexter asked with a raised brow.
“I beat him once. I can do-"
“You said you had a past with Kiochi… did you ever consider that it could’ve prevented him from killing you?” Dexter asked.
“N- we do have history, but our fists clashed, sir and I emerged victorious. All we need to do is send a proper army to deal with his lackey’s while I cut of the head of the snake.” Izanagi said, as veins gradually started popping on his forehead.
“You make it sound so easy. Ok, I’m curious. How strong do you think Kiochi is? Is he stronger than you? Stronger than me?” Dexter asked while narrowing his burning blue eyes.
“I- sir, he’s way weaker than you and slightly weaker than me.” Izanagi said.
“I see. Well, that puts him in around rank A. Ah well, to bad I’ll never fight him.” Dexter said.
“What do you mean?” Riley asked.
“Harold has ordered us to retreat.”
“What?” Izanagi exclaimed, but he met Dexter’s disapproving gaze and calmed himself.
“We’re leaving in three days.” Dexter said before standing up.
“Pack your things. The wisdom holders will be sweeping this place clean.” Dexter said before leaving the room.
Tony and Camila headed to their rooms and packed their things.
He then remembered seeing a testing area somewhere in the Vestibule.
“Hey, Camila. You wanna spar for old times sake?” Tony asked as he slipped into some sportier clothes.
Camila let out a low hum before sighing.
“If you want to de-stress, then read a book.” Camila said with a bit of saltiness in her tone. Looks like you could use some de-stressing as well.
“What’s with that attitude, I thought you were designed to be as nice as possible.” Tony said as he slipped into some running shoes.
“I’m not a robot. You should know this better that anyone and yet you choose to mock me?” Camila said, her face was still as expressionless as ever, but her voice had more… human in it.
Yeah, she’s definitely stressed. Tony laughed internally.
“Ok, I’m sorry. But a little match shouldn’t hurt, right?” Tony asked.
Camila sighed and grabbed some clothes.
“Fine. Let’s go.” Camila said and they soon found themselves in the testing room which was a large empty hall with reinforced walls and floors.
Camila and Tony stood face to face. They were both A ranked Kynigoi, so this fight was all but predetermined.
Tony narrowed his enhanced eyes.
Camila was several times stronger than him. Actually, back when Tony was a trainee, he lost every match he’d ever had against Camila. But this time was different, she was distracted, stress and possibly flustered.
Tony dashed towards Camila, but was surprised to se her doing the same.
She threw her knee upwards toward Tony’s face, but he slid on the floor and narrowly avoided her face crushing move.
Tony then grabbed her foot and dragged her to the ground, where he mounted her.
This signified her loss, but Tony was in no way satisfied. So he stood up and offered her a hand.
Camila took it and they began their second round of combat.
.
..
Twelve rounds later and twelve wins, Tony was becoming a but frustrated with Camila.
“What’s wrong?” Tony asked as sweat ran down his brows.
“I-" Camila stopped herself from speaking, but at this point, Tony had grown tired of her pained silence.
Tony dashed towards her and before she could even raised her sweaty hands, Tony placed his hands on each of them as gently as though he was touching flowers.
“What’s wrong.” Tony asked.
“We’re going to die, aren’t we?” She asked.
Tony’s heart sank.
Camila can feel fear? He wondered.
“If Kiochi comes here and we’re not gone yet, he’ll kill us.” Camila said.
Tony frowned as she had called Kiochi by his name.
“What if he doesn’t, remember this is Kiochi we're talking about. Chances are, he’ll come for Harold and destroy the Vestibule only.” Tony said to trembling Camila.
“How can you be sure?” Camila asked.
Tony didn’t know why she was acting this way. She was a Kynigoi after all and all Kynigoi had suppressed emotions, but that wasn’t what Camila was showing.
Is she malfunctioning? Tony wondered, but then Tony remembered that she was still a human, beneath all those augments.
Tony held her hands tighter as he couldn’t help but relate to what she was going through.
When he received his augments, he initially assumed it was supposed to turn him into a cold blooded killing machine, but Tony retained his humanity.
He felt fear, loneliness and even love. Actually, Tony was famous for his cowardice and would often be assigned rear-guard just in case things ever went wrong.
“I’m not sure what Kiochi will do when he comes, but I’m certain that when that time comes, we’ll survive.” Tony said as what looked like a tear ran down Camila's face.
Tony wiped it away.
“Because we’ll run. We’ll run away. From all of this. When Kiochi destroys the council, his objective will change and he’ll no longer pursue us. We’ll be free to live the rest of our lives free from the council and Kiochi.” Tony whispered, his voice barely audible, but Camila’s enhanced hearing allowed her to hear every word he said.
She eventually broke into a full cry, as Tony held her closely. He would have celebrated hugging her, but seeing her this sad wasn’t anything to celebrate at all.
They’d worked together in the darkest of nights and the bloodiest of battles yet this was the first time he had seen her this emotional… this sad.
Camila collapsed, but Tony held her and gently sat her down.
That’s when he heard it.
That’s when he felt it.
A low, deep, ever echoing thump that shook his very soul.
He heard it echoing throughout the entire Vestibule and his body trembled at it’s every beat.
Flashes of red then popped in and out of Tony’s vision. He felt a deep rage that couldn’t be described. It rattled the very fibre of his being and made his chest ache.
He saw more flashes of red before it all ended.
[Yo, Tony, Camila! Get to the residential area, now!]
The voice belonging to Riley said via the intercom speakers in the testing area.
Tony wondered if an earthquake had occurred nearby, but he had other things to worry about.
“Hey, Camila.” He called out and Camila raised her flushed face that was drenched in tears.
“Let’s go-"
“You felt it, didn’t you?” Camila asked.
“What? The earthquake?” Tony asked as he helped her up.
“That wasn’t an earthquake. That was Kiochi’s pain. He’s coming here and we’ll have to face that.” Camila said.
“How do you know that was Kiochi’s doing?” Tony asked.
“I- I don’t know how he did it, but he did. He transmitted his rage to every person and every machine on the planet.” Camila said as they returned to the residential area.
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There they found Dexter and his men, except Yu-Jun was trembling on a chair, while Riley tried his best to calm him.
“You felt that right?” Dexter asked.
“Yep. What do you think it was?” I asked. Desperately trying to find another answer that didn’t involved Kiochi.
“It was definitely Kiochi.” Riley said.
Dexter pulled up a laptop and placed it on the table in front of him.
“Look at this.” He said as he turned on the laptop. Flashes of red came and went before the laptop returned to it’s normal state.
“This laptop recorded the incident. What ever Kiochi did, it didn’t harm electrical or organic objects. It’s as though he was just letting us know how pissed he was. The question is why.” Dexter said as he paced across the room.
Izanagi eventually entered the room.
“You! What happened after you killed Mr. Takahashi? What was Kiochi’s reaction?” Dexter asked as a single bead of sweat formed on his head.
Izanagi looked at the ceiling in thought.
“Nothing much. He just fell and stuff. Nothing like this. Whatever happened… it was big.” Izanagi said casually.
“I see.” Dexter said before his body flickered.
Tony’s jaw dropped as what was once a table had becoming literal dust on the floor.
A small shockwave hit the room, but Tony and the others were safe.
“Sorry, I- I just…” Dexter stuttered as he paced around.
Tony looked at Izanagi but even he had never seen Dexter like this.
“What are we going to do sir?” Riley asked.
“I’ll tell you what we’re going to do.” Dexter said as he approached his men. His eyes trembling.
.
..
The trip to Scotland was rather long, but Kiochi and his men had finely reached the country of good luck and good brews.
They were headed for the Ben Nevis mountain in four military cargo planes. Each lieutenant had their own plane and had different tasks to perform.
Once again, Kiochi was tasked with the duty of blowing the top of the Vestibule open.
In his plane, sat a mini super bomb called UY-SCUTI 2.
Kiochi paced around the cargo area as his men patiently waited.
Each of them determined to see their mission through to the end.
It was Kiochi who suffered from the effects of a clouded mind.
Doubt, regret and pain stuck to the walls of his mind as the plane reached it’s destination.
[Uh, sir… you might wanna see this.]
planes pilot said in Kiochi’s earpiece.
Kiochi climbed the little ladder that led to the cockpit and entered it. There he saw the pilot who turned out to be one of his men. It was convenient that a bunch of his mercenaries had piloted planes in the past.
“What is it?” Kiochi asked frankly.
The pilot pointed at a screen on one of the monitors. It showed satellite imagery of the ground.
Kiochi saw several dots standing around what looked like a flare.
“What should we do?” The pilot asked.
“Go for it. Tell the others to continue with the plan. Also, keep them updated if the situation changes.” Kiochi said before returning to the cargo area.
“Ready up, we’re dropping.” He said as his men all stood up.
“Check your chutes, it’s a long drop.” Kiochi instructed as everyone checked the parachute of the person standing next to them.
[DOORS OPEN IN 3!]
The pilot said via the intercom.
The cargo doors then slowly began opening and Kiochi’s men jumped out of the plane.
Kiochi and his men shot straight towards the green green flare Kiochi had seen on the satellite image.
They opened their chutes about half a kilometre away from the flare and they eventually landed right next to it.
Kiochi and his men then quickly assumed their battle positions.
Kiochi scanned the area and found five dark figures a few meters ahead of him.
“You dropped the flair and you haven’t attacked us yet. Is it safe for me to assume that you’re friendly?” Kiochi asked the dark figures who hid behind a patch of small trees.
“We’re friendly.” A firm, but non threatening voice said. Kiochi couldn’t help but feel as though he’d heard it before.
The shaded figures emerged from their hiding, revealing that they were Kynigoi, as Kiochi expected.
“I’m pretty sure this isn’t the first time we’ve met.” Kiochi said as he 3alked towards the man who looked like the groups leader.
They all wore dark grey and black combat gear, but he had a pair of white gloves on, which made him stand out rather boldly.
“That’s because we have. My name is Dexter Jamison. We met after you returned from your last mission under the council.” Dexter said as he offered his hand.
Kiochi shook Dexter’s hand before letting out a sigh.
“So what now? I hope you don’t think we’ll spare you just because we’re barely acquainted.” Kiochi said coldly as his body released a burst of ethereal energy.
Dexter winced at this.
“No. I’m not trying to take advantage of the situation. Actually, I’m here to ask you to spare me and my men.” Dexter said while lowering his head.
“What?” Kiochi asked as he pumped out more ethereal energy.
This change in Kiochi brought about real world change as the space around Kiochi looked distorted.
He wasn’t in the mood for games.
“You see, I’ve seen what you’re capable of and loyalties aside, I cannot let my men fight a battle I know they’ll lose their lives in.” Dexter said, his head still low.
“I see. On the surface, you claims are valid, but our objective still stands. We will destroy the Vestibule and we will capture Harold Barker.” Kiochi said as his body transformed into it’s ultimate horned form.
“I understand, but I must inform you that the Vestibule has been emptied. All of it’s knowledge has been sent to Vestibule Alpha, but Harold is inside.” Dexter said.
“That doesn’t change anything.” Kiochi said firmly.
“I see… what if you could enter the Vestibule peacefully?” Dexter said as he raised his head.
“That would make getting to Harold slightly easier.” Kiochi said.
“Then why don’t we accompany you?” Dexter asked and this is when Kiochi’s instincts kicked into overdrive.
He saw a shadowy figure approaching him at an extremely fast speed, but before Kiochi sliced the shadow into a million pieces with his Nodachi, Dexter let out a wave of energy and smashed the shadow into the ground.
Kiochi checked and saw that the shadow was Izanagi.
“What did I tell you?” Dexter yelled as his eyes burnt bright blue.
Izanagi struggled as he tried to attack Kiochi.
“I refuse to surrender! I won’t stop until Kiochi has lost everything!” Izanagi screamed as Dexter pressed his head into the ground.
“Sorry, Izanagi is just… just… bieng himself.” Dexter said with a weary smile.
“I know. But back to more important business, let’s go to Harold. Part of me feels like there’s a trap waiting for me down there, but if I sense the slightest bit of danger I will slowly kill each of the men you claim to care so much.” Kiochi said with a coldness that was both cold and acidic. He truly had evil intentions and those were transmitted to Dexter who trembled slightly.
Dexter nodded as he dragged Izanagi to the secret entrance.
The entice to Vestibule Beta was beneath a boulder that Dexter easily carried.
Dexter then led Kiochi into the empty Vestibule and after passing millions of empty shelves and tables, they fin arrived at the blast doors that concealed on of the two remaining council members.
Dexter was about to walk towards the intercom when the door suddenly opened, revealing the grand room that served both as Harold Barker’s office and bedroom.
Kiochi spotted the middle aged man sitting on his chair behind his desk as he watched some television.
Kiochi, Dexter and the others approached Harold, who seemingly ignored them.
[Worldwide panic has spread throughout the globe as most of not all of the worlds most powerful or influential people have fled their countries. Many of them are reported to be travelling to a large ocean based platform in the Pacific.]
A reporter said.
[This just in, several of what we thought were ocean research sites are being dismantled. Reports from one of the sites claim that there is a large shuttle attached to the rocket inside the site. What could this mean?]
The reporter added.
“Cowards.” Harold muttered.
“You’re not one to speak, Mr. Barker.” Kiochi said, his voice low and malicious.
“Mmm? Oh, if I’d known we had an Aethon as a guest, I would have tidied up the place a little, hehe.” Harold said with a deranged chuckle.
“I’m not an Aethon.” Kiochi said.
“Yeah, whatever. I’m tired. After all this, I’ve come to see that there was no way we could have won this." Harold said with a grunt.
Kiochi approached and looked into the monitor that Harold stared at.
“What’s happening?” Kiochi asked.
“Our leader… Alexander has chosen to abandon us. By the time the sun sets tomorrow, he’ll be gone. Safe amongst the stars.” Harold spat, his eyes glowing with hatred.
“Why aren’t you going with them?” Kiochi asked as his men placed UY-SCUTI on a nearby table.
“I am a member of the council. I am bound by oath to this place and so it is this place I shall stay.” Harold said.
“Unfortunately, you’ll have to break your oath because you’re coming with us.” Kiochi said, but then Harold pulled out a gun out from under his desk.
All of Kiochi’s men raised their guns in response.
“Don’t worry. There’s only one bullet and it’s not for any of you.” Harold said as he pressed the guns muzzle on his chin.
“Mr. Barker!” Dexter yelled as Harold squeezed the trigger.
Kiochi could’ve stopped him, but at this point Kiochi was tired of trying.
Harold’s head snapped backwards as bits of bone and blood sprayed everywhere.
Kiochi walked away from the corpse and towards the door as his men followed.
“Where are you going?” Dexter asked, his face slighted paler than it already was.
“Home.” Kiochi said.
“What about the others. This facility was home to hundreds of Kynigoi.” Dexter said as he followed Kiochi.
“I know. Don’t worry, Mai and the others won’t kill anyone who isn’t trying to kill them.” Kiochi said, but Dexter wasn’t convinced. He reached out to grab Kiochi’s arm, but Kiochi turned around before he could.
Kiochi then let out an inhuman growl.
“Listen, I just want to verify something. There are a lot of innocent Kynigoi here. You know this. Can I trust that you won’t harm them?” Dexter asked.
“Yes. They’ll be fine, but you’re free to come along if you want.” Kiochi said as he resumed walking.
It was then that Izanagi broke free from Riley and Yu-Jun’s hold. He dashed towards Kiochi with his combat knife in hand, but before Dexter could stop his subordinate, Kiochi flashed before Izanagi and kicked him into the reinforced walls of the Vestibule.
Kiochi then continued walking as Riley and Yu-Jun pried Izanagi out of the wall.
The group eventually exited the Vestibule and made their way toward the Kynigoi encampment.
Riley and Yu-Jun carried an unconscious Izanagi as they followed everyone else into the camp where several Kynigoi were being held at gunpoint.
Kiochi was still in his first form so for many, this would be the first time they saw it.
Mai noticed Kiochi and ran to his side. She then smiled gently as she gave him a sharp salute.
Kiochi’s hardened dark skin slowly disappeared and he smiled back at Mai, even though he desperately wanted to break into tears.
“Our mission was successful. Where’s Harold Barker?” Mai asked as she looked behind Kiochi to see Dexter and his comrades.
“He’s dead.” Kiochi said coldly.
“Don’t we need him to find Alexander?” Mai asked.
“Not necessarily. Look.” Kiochi said as one of the mercenaries approached with a laptop in hand.
The laptop’s screen showed footage of all of the worlds most powerful people fleeing to strange oceanic platforms in the Pacific.
“Oh my…” Mai gasped as Johan and his men approached the camp.
Unlike Mai's group, they were all covered in dirt and blood.
“Mission accomplished. All threats in out zone have been eliminated.” Johan said with a gleeful smile.
“Umm… didn’t any of them give up or something?” Mai asked.
“Yeah, we have one or two prisoners.” Johan said before one of Mai’s prisoners stood up with a gun in his hand, which he pointed at Mai and Kiochi, but before the Kynigoi could even pull the trigger, Kiochi appeared in front of him.
The Kynigoi trembled as he looked into Kiochi’s dark brown eyes. It was then that the Kynigoi saw the endless amount of pain within Kiochi’s eyes.
Kiochi took the gun from the Kynigoi’s petrified hands and threw it at one of his men who caught the weapon perfectly.
Rin and his men eventually arrived as well. They were much cleaner than Johan's group, but one could easily see the sign of battle on their faces.
“Ok. Everyone’s here.” Kiochi said as he paced around the encampment. His gaze cold yet seething with anger.
“Let’s go!” On his order, everyone organized themselves accordingly as the sounds of helicopters filled the air.
The helicopters landed and Kiochi walked up to one of the large metal vehicles as its doors opened.
Inside, he saw Andrea Ross, David and Yassine.
Kiochi signalled for his lieutenants to join him inside.
Yassine’s robots led the Kynigoi prisoners into the other helicopters, with the help of some of Kiochi’s men.
Meanwhile, the helicopter carrying Kiochi and the others had already taken off and was headed towards the nearest airport.
Andrea handed Kiochi and the others some headphones which would allow them to speak to each other over the sounds the helicopter made.
[Ok, there’s good news and bad news. Which one do you wanna hear first?]
Andrea asked.
[Bad news.]
Kiochi said into his mic.
[Ok, all of the worlds leaders are jumping ship and we believe that they have one of the remaining Ova with them. Whatever’s going to happen, it’s going to happen soon.]
Andrea said.
[And for the good news, Yamamoto is back!]