Terror Infinity Side B
Chapter 8, Apocalypse Alice
Shin and Aqua swiftly sprinted through the dimly yellow lit tunnels of the Empress' Grave Labyrinth. The destination they heading to was towards the faint of gunshots. Dozens of monsters, Skeleton Warriors and Zombie Warriors alike, attempted to get in their way. These normal monsters spawned by the Labyrinth couldn't hope to slow them down even for a second. Any monsters that dared cross their path were all torn apart by sword and claws alike.
- SIDE QUEST REWARD, HUNDRED LABYRINTH MONSTER KILL - 10 POINTS ACQUIRED!
- SIDE QUEST REWARD, HUNDRED LABYRINTH MONSTER KILL - 10 POINTS ACQUIRED!
Shin and Aqua turned a corner after making their way towards the sounds of gunfire and found two Players of Team Japan, New Players at that, who were fighting against a horde of monsters.
One wielding the Submachine Gun, acquired a few hours earlier, to accurately and swiftly blow off the heads of the approaching Skeleton Warriors and Zombie Warriors. The other stood about ten feet behind the gunner and was yelling directions and warnings to his partner, while being ready himself to intervene if needed with his own Submachine Gun.
Aqua: Those are two of the Newbies...
Shin and Aqua were hoping to run into one of their comrades like Hikari, Misaki, Kampa, or Shuai, yet the two Players that they found desperately fighting for their lives together against a host of enemies were two of the three newbies Shin took an interest in right away at the start of the mission. It was the child soldier from the Middle East, Connor, and the video game champion with a slightly dark personality, Jin.
Connor, having lived most of his life on the battle field, stood before the horde of monsters fearlessly and defended the both of Jin and himself with unreal accuracy for live combat. Heads rolled off of Zombie Warrior shoulders and skulls cracked and collapsed into shards of bone as a wave of gunfire emanated from Connor’s SMG. Deftly wielding the Submachine Gun (which had been empowered with a Magic Amplifier), Connor took out dozens of enemy monsters in the blink of an eye. Connor stood firm and unafraid, the barrel of his SMG burning white with heat, as the onslaught of monsters showed no signs of decreasing.
Jin stood behind Connor, but not out of fear. Jin needed the vantage point to give accurate direction about new incoming enemies, to advise Connor on where to focus his gunfire, and to indicate gaps in enemy formations that could be exploited. Jin wasn't as active as Connor in dealing with the monsters, but he clearly showcased his claim at being the top player of multiple MMPORP Games with his unmatched tactical coaching.
Shin: Connor and Jin! We should help-
Aqua: Wait!
Shin: Why!? They're surrounded by dozens of monsters and this is the Second Level of the Labyrinth! The monsters aren't the push overs from the First Level. It's a miracle that they are still alive. We should-
Aqua: But they're still alive, right? They must not be weak and... we should observe them for now to see their ability. Also...
Shin: What?
Aqua: Depending on their actions we might be able to tell if these two are spies for the Four Pillars. Shin, they’re pushed into a corner with no reinforcements. If they are spies they would have no choice, but to reveal their true strength.
Shin now hearing this understood Aqua's intentions. Ever since the incident with Saki, Team Japan has been worried about the possibility of spies getting in the team’s way. They feared a sleeper agent of the Four Pillars sneaking in with the next batch of newbies. They didn’t want someone to trip them up on a mission in critical moments. They couldn't completely trust any of the New Players appearing from now on, yet they couldn't banish all the newbies.
Team Japan only had six official members and that wasn't enough to survive the terrors that they would face in God's Dimension and Mission Worlds filled with the dangers of Manga, Anime, Light Novels, and Video Games come to life.
They needed new talents so they had to accept newbies into the group to strengthen Team Japan, yet there was always the chance that another Saki, or worse, could be among them. The risk was accepting a spy from the Four Pillars waiting for the perfect chance to wipe out the team in on go.
Still, they could guess at who a spy could be. With the case of Saki, there was no doubt that she was an all too essential member of Team Japan. She was above all suspicion simply because she was a useful talent to the team with her brilliant mind and calculated thinking. To be accepted by the Team Japan and wait for an opportunity to strike, like Saki did, would result in the promising newbie being on Team Japan's Four Pillar spy suspect list.
And currently, on the Apocalypse Alice mission there were three newbies with high potential. Derrick, a decent man with an ability to lead. Connor, a child soldier with a specialty in sniping. Then there's Jin, the champion pro-gamer who fully accepted the world that he was currently in and was capable of giving tactical orders. Shin, Aqua, and anyone else would realize that one of them could be a double agent for the Four Pillars.
Shin: I understand. You’re right, Aqua. We'll wait for the time when they are completely overwhelmed to step in. If they are like Saki and are unaware that they are spies, then there's nothing we can do for now and would have to wait until we get to the Terminal Lobby.
Aqua: Yes, and if they are knowingly hiding among us as spies then there should be a high chance they have special abilities or tool to survive in an emergency.
Shin: But is that proof enough that they are spies? I've heard from Sozin that there are people in the world born with special abilities, or people who acquire them in their life from accident like in the comics.
Aqua: Even so, this way we'll still be aware and on guard. They would have no reason to possess any Sci-fi weapons or magic tools. You can't get that kind of thing unless one has connections to the Four Pillars. We can't trust such a person no matter how convincing a story they provide.
Shin: Agreed, but those two are still promising newbies that our team needs. If nothing suspicious occurs and they get into real trouble, I'll jump in to save them.
Aqua: Yeah, but-
Shin: That's my decision as leader Aqua! Unless you want to take my place, then I'll have you go along with my plans and decisions regarding newbies. As the most experienced Player and as my girlfriend your opinion will never go on deaf ears, but as team leader I make the final call.
Aqua: ...Fine, I'll obey you leader (I wish she'd act like this on our dates, but whatever. I'll ask Hikari later). I have no intention of taking up such a bothersome role as leading everyone. Also, I'm not your girlfriend!
Shin: Well, for now anyways. You still won't sleep with anyone else, right?
Aqua: ...Just focus on the battle.
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Jin: Connor! Another group of Zombie Warriors are coming out way! Also, watch out for the Skeleton Warriors on your left.
Connor: I know!
Jin: There are at least three Undead Assassins waiting in the shadows as well!
Connor: I know!
Jin: Then did you know this was all a diversion and a new group of Undead Spearman are about to unleash an attack us from a distance behind the Zombie Warriors?
Connor: !!!
As soon as Jin said those words the Zombie Spearman hiding behind their allies threw their rusted weapons over their heads and towards Jin and Connor. The dozens of spears soared through the air as they came crashing down towards the two newbies. Jin swiftly retreated backwards to avoid the spears and barely escaped, but Connor only took three steps to the left, pointed the Submachine Gun towards the approaching spears, and fired three times.
- *BANG*!!!
Spears rained down all around Connor stabbing into the ground, yet not a single one touched his person. Three spears that should have impaled him straight through to the ground, yet now it was harmlessly broken into pieces.
Connor leaped onto the top of the shaft of a spear that had become buried into the ground with perfect balance and used his new high advantage to shower down bullets on all the monsters heads that attempted to surround him with unparalleled accuracy.
At the same time, Jin who had supposedly run away, had sprinted around the horde of monsters and made his way to the Skeleton Spearman in the back of the enemy formation. Like Jin had suspected and feared, beings made up of the magic of the Labyrinth were capable of creating new spears with magic power. The Undead Spearman were preparing to launch a new volley of spears at Connor, who was busy holding off the frontline of monsters back.
Jin: This is my favorite part and I must thank Shin for these. FLAME SCROLL!
The Skeleton Spearman saw Jin coming, but it was too late.
Jin reached into his pocket and took out one of the magic attack scrolls that Shin handed out to him and the other newbies that showed high potential as Players. The parchment unraveled and the rows of characters on the paper began to glow a bright red. Then, immediately afterwards, the red letters faded away and a large ball of fire flew out of the scroll. The fire ball impacted the group Skeleton Spearman and exploded. When the flames died down nothing remained behind after being vaporized by the fire ball.
Jin: Hahahahaha!!! Just like a Great Fire Ball Jutsu from Naruto! A real flame spell! These scrolls are probably expensive, or else magic scrolls would be too broken. Maybe a bug! Hahaha, I'll have to look into this later!
Connor: Fall back, Jin! Something huge and dangerous is coming! There's also more than one!
A loud echo reverberated throughout the cave tunnels immediately after Connor finished saying this. Connor quickly completed his last sweep to kill off the remaining monsters. With each step, the unseen creatures were coming closer and closer. Jin retreated to where Connor had taken a defensive position covering the entrance opposite from where Shin and Aqua were hidden. He barely reached Connor as they arrived.
Three Elites.
An Elite Skeleton Knight like the one guarding the stairs to the second level of the Labyrinth. An Elite Skeleton Defender like the one Shin and Aqua passed by and defeated earlier. Lastly, the newest Elite Zombie: Axeman.
Three Elite monsters appeared all at once and were rushing towards Connor and Jin.
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Shin: Shit! Sorry Aqua, but observation time comes to an end here. They'll die the second the fight begins!
Aqua: Fine. I'm right behind you!
Coming to a quick agreement Aqua and Shin left their hiding place and moved over to join Connor and Jin, and called out to them. Jin was surprised and happy by their timely arrival, yet Shin got the impression that Connor knew that they were hiding, yet said nothing out loud. It was to be expected of a super child solider like Connor and both Shin and Aqua were impressed.
Jin: Shin! Aqua! It's great that you're-
Shin: We don't have time to chat! Can you guys take on, or at least hold back one of the Elites for 10 or 20 seconds?
Connor: We ran into a few elites in the last two hours and took them out. We can hold our own just against one.
Jin: Connor's right. I helped as much as I could, but it was Connor who nearly single-handedly took out one Elite monster after the other.
Shin: Good! Glad to hear that. Jin and Connor hold off the Elite Skeleton Guard. Aqua, take on the new one holding the axe. I'll take on the Elite Skeleton Knight. Once you’re finished Aqua quickly backup the newbies!
Aqua: Alright!
The four Players then immediately rushed forward to greet their opponents.
The first to reach their enemy was Aqua. Aqua’s foe was a new type of elite holding onto a large metal battle axe. The Elite Zombie Axeman saw her charging at him and swung its large rusty axe to greet her. Aqua allowed her Adamantium Claws to surface and glow with an orange veil of Aura. She felt certain that she could cut through the battle axe.
The large metal Axe and Aqua's Adamantium Claws met head on and the axe won out due to brute force. Aqua was blown away into a large wall. She hadn’t been expecting her claws to come across something they couldn't cut right away as she had never encountered anything that resisted her claws.
Aqua: (Adamantium is the hardest metal and mine were powered by Aura, but I guess that's what magic is. Something that can trump most expectations... I should try that before reaching the Diseased Girl to see if it works!)
Aqua, confirming that there was more to the monster before her, entered into Unlocked Mode as a glowing, spinning Axe came flying her way. This Elite’s special attack wasn’t a simple magic laser beam, but a charged up magic axe with far more destructive power. Aqua immediately felt that taking the attack head on would kill her instantly.
She immediately picked herself up and jumped as high as she could, hanging from the ceiling with her claws. The large magic axe cut through the space where she once was and left a large scar across the walls of the cave. Then, like a boomerang, the glowing axe spun around and back into the hands of the Elite Zombie Knight.
Like the elites they fought before, these appeared to have their own special magical attack to fall back on. It was a deadly attack. Most defensive techniques would fall against it. So a person could only jump out of the way, yet...
Aqua: That's what I was hoping for!
Using the ceiling of the cave walls as support Aqua pulled herself up from where she hung and upside down and pounced down towards the elite at an amazing speed. Even with her amazing speed, the Elite Zombie Knight could still react and was ready to intercept her. The Elite's battle axe began to glow with the power of magic and was ruthlessly swung towards Aqua to cut her down... Yet that would never happen. From her RPG bag behind her back Aqua took out a large caliber handgun and aimed for the enemy's axe moving to bisect her.
- *BANG*!!!
Thompson Contender Magic Code.
The single special bullet, made of a certain magus killer’s ribcage, was fired from the large caliber handgun and impacted the axe of the Elite Zombie Knight, immediately causing a violent reaction. Origin Bullet. The axe itself was shattered into millions of pieces that showered the floor, yet the effects of the Magic Code didn't end there.
The magic power that comprised the Elite Zombie Axeman was severed and bound back together improperly. That was the special characteristics of the Origin Bullet. Foul blood and organs were thrown up by the elite and magic flames began to devour the creature whole. The Elite yelled loudly in its last seconds, but only a miracle could save it now and it was too late to call on one.
- SIDE QUEST REWARD, ELITE LABYRINTH MONSTER KILL - 50 POINTS ACQUIRED!
Aqua: Hahaha! I definitely made the right choice with this gun! It doesn't even leave a corpse behind if they’re completely made out of magic power. This is the best weapon to use in Mission Worlds of magic and sorcery.
Aqua watched as the magic flames devoured the elite and left no trace of its existence behind. She then turned to the others. Shin too was done with his Elite opponent and was giving support fire with her former Auto 9 to the two newbies fighting their elite. Aqua wondered why Shin didn't rush over to them like he wanted, yet she soon understood why as she got closer to the fighting.
Jin was frantically running around trying to distract the elite, but Connor was winning the fight practically alone.
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Shin defeated his elite monster a few seconds faster than Aqua did. Feeling no need to back her up Shin made his way over to the two newbies. Shin expected the two of them to be in trouble and to need rescuing, but to his surprise they were both alive, well, and still fighting strong, yet what surprised him the most and made him hesitate to enter the battle was what he saw in the eyes of one of the newbies.
Unlocked Mode.
The threat of the Elite Skeleton Guard was real and couldn't hope to be overcome by a normal human even with Jin ready with Magic Attack Scrolls, so Connor went into Unlocked Mode to face the Elite. The Elite's thick and heavy hammer in one hand was swung down at Connor and he backed away out of harm’s way.
The Elite Skeleton Guard went into a mad rush and kept swing its hammer. This type of Elite was more of a defensive type and was a slow Elite variant, yet it was still faster than the average human by far. Its speed was not to be underestimate even by Shin or Aqua, yet each time Connor was attacked he flawlessly avoided the sword slashes and even counter attacked with a barrage of nonstop gunfire.
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Connor was completely outdone by the elite in physical stats as a non-enhanced human, but the First Stage of the Unlocked bestowed battle instincts that surpassed the Elite monster. Instincts combined with Connor's hardened battle experience as a child solider allowed him to dominate Elite monster. If Connor were to be surrounded by more than one then he would be in trouble, but if it was just a single Elite he would be okay.
Shin: (I should be suspicious here, but my desire to win him over to the team is winning out. If he can fight like this without enhancements… how powerful will he be once he becomes a true Player with the power of God's exchanges items?)
Shin was surprised by Connor’s control of the battle and could only offer support fire using his Auto 9 imbued with Ki Energy to stop Jin from being killed whenever he came into the Elite's sights. Jin was offering support fire as well, but after seeing how ineffective low level magic bullets were on the monster, he stopped firing and took out two Magic Attack Scrolls from his pockets.
The Frost Bolt Attack Scroll froze the Elite Skeleton Guard's legs in place. Following up from there, the Flame Attack Scroll exploded directly onto the Elite Skeleton Guard side. It didn't die, but the bones around the hip were near completely shattered and that did not go unnoticed by Connor.
Connor: Fall monster!
Connor opened fire onto the Elites shattered bones, and three seconds later the lower and upper halves of the Skeleton elite separated from each other and fell to the ground. The elite was still not dead yet and Connor had run out of bullets. Thinking quickly, Connor removed the magic amplifier tag and placed it onto the combat knife he had hidden on his person. Connor ran up to the failing elite and then stabbed the knife into its skull repeatedly until everyone heard a satisfying shattering sound.
Connor: Once you cause enough damage and destroy the head they always fall.
- SIDE QUEST REWARD, ELITE LABYRINTH MONSTER KILL - 50 POINTS ACQUIRED!
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A minute after the fighting was confirmed to be over, Shin gritted his teeth and approached Jin and Connor. Now that the monsters were taken care of, including the Undead Assassins, he could final relax his body.
Shin's body started trembling as a result of the after effect of unlocking the Genetic Constraint. Shin had to experience this immense pain every time he went into Unlocked Mode and it took almost a minute for him to calm down, yet compared to before Unlocking the Second Stage it was a difference between heaven and earth, or maybe heaven and hell.
Connor, who he knew had unlocked his restraint, didn't exhibit anything unusual aside from a bit of sweating. In that regard Connor and Aqua were the same. They were both far more used to Unlocked Mode then Shin. From what he could tell that meant they had either Unlocked a higher stage of the Genetic Constraint, or that their bodies had grown accustomed to the pain from breaking their limits and genetics after a long time.
Shin: (I can't tell if him unlocking his constraint is a sign that he comes from one of the Four Pillars or not. He's not sprawled out on the floor now that the battles is over, so he didn't just unlock it. Maybe he had Unlocked up to the Second Stage like us.)
Shin didn't know what to do, so he looked towards his comrade Aqua for advice. She was far more suspicious about them than he was, she was that way with anyone who was new to the team, yet Shin could still trust her judgement. That's why he asked for her advice. She didn't respond right away.
Aqua: ...
Shin: Aqua?
Aqua: ...Its nothing. For starters let's just talk to them first. Though it won't change what is to come for this team, we should look at the present and ignore the future for now.
Shin didn't know what Aqua meant, yet it was too late to ask as they were already in front of Jin and Connor. Taking a good look at them up close Shin was surprised by their good condition.
It's been close to two hours since the mission had begun and neither Jin nor Connor appeared to be injured. Tired for sure, especially Jin, who was a normal youth without enhancements. While Connor may be young boy, he was a trained soldier. His exhaustion came more from going into Unlocked Mode than all the running and fighting that he and Jin had to do.
Shin: I'm glad that you’re both okay. Sorry for not immediately coming out, but I wanted to see your combat ability first (A half-truth). This isn't a world that you can make it out of while always being saved by others (Except Hikari, but she has unique skill sets outside of battle that are invaluable. Also, she's my girlfriend, so...), but I have to say you two did very well. Connor, your shooting skills could match our team's Kampa, and he’s a world ranked mercenary.
Connor: ...
Shin: ...Okaayy... As for Jin, you did far better than I would have ever imagined that you could. You skillfully wielded the Magic Attack Scrolls, but more importantly you actively fought monster for the first time. They wouldn't have hesitated to kill you. Most men and women would run away in fear or hide behind another’s back to be protected. Weren't you scared?
Jin: No, no not at all! I admit they were a bit scary at first, but after seeing Connor kill a few dozen of them they weren't scary any more. In fact, it started to feel just like a FPS Game! It's easy for me to predict the movements of programmed monsters. The monsters aren't very intelligent and even the Elites are only programmed for simple combat actions. They don't have great AIs. I'm not the best shot, but add in consumable Magic Items, and I’ll dominant any modern army game, or zombie game in this case! And I also had a second player in Connor by my side! Hahaha! What's there to be afraid of!?
Shin: ...Connor? Is he always like this, or did he hit his head somewhere?
Connor: He's sane... Probably. He has been like that since I found him. Still, he's smart. Before me, Jin figured out all the monster weakness and could guess where traps would be set from his experience exploring thousands of dungeons in online games, And when we ran into a group of students of this school he...
Aqua: Students? You did? Where are they? What happened?
Jin: Ah, they're dead. Cut down by Skeleton Warriors. From what I found out only the students and teachers of《Metropolitan Kichijouji High》who used magic survived when the Labyrinth appeared. For everyone else they were literally absorbed into the Labyrinth, but I guess that's not important. What is important is that the students were incredibly weak-willed. They were better than me, but they were no Hero Team and to be honest they were holding Connor and I back. They weren't even trying to clear the Labyrinth and just wanted to ESCAPE.
Shin: But ESCAPE is...
Jin: I know. Even after they realized that ESCAPE magic didn't work they weren't filled with the determination to defeat the Diseased Girl. They just kept going on and on about leaving it all to someone else. A person they couldn't see and didn't know existed in the first place. They kept whining about finding another way out of this difficult Labyrinth.
Shin could wholeheartedly believe Jin's words. It was clearly shown in volumes one and two of Apocalypse Alice that the students other than those in Hero Team were no good.
They could only explore low ranking and safe Labyrinths under the protection of someone like Gunjou Mizuiro. In the rank 20 Asahi Momoka Labyrinth and rank 40 Labyrinth of Gunjou, the normal students of the Girl Killing Curriculum choose to ESCAPE the Labyrinth or even escape beforehand by not entering at all.
Shin: They were all useless?
Jin: Not everyone, but for the most part yes. It was a real shame. They couldn't work together and argued all the time and a few stand up good magicians got killed in their foolishness. So that's why I used them.
Aqua: What did you do?
Jin: I used them as bait. Connor here spotted an Elite well before it discovered us... I told a little lie about how I found an exit that lead outside.
Shin: So what happened is that you lead them to the Elite and used them as bait to run away?
Jin: Come on, Shin. I'm trash, but I'm no coward. What you said is only half true. I did use them as bait to distract the Elite, but Connor and I used that opening when the Elite was slaughtering the students to kill the monster. It was better to use the students who were worthless to our advantage to defeat an enemy and gain points, correct? I don't think that I did anything wrong, or do you have a problem with my methods?
Shin: ...No. You made the right choice and I've seen that you’re not a cowardly person, Jin. I can trust you long as you use those twisted ideas of yours on our enemies and not fellow comrades... Or else I'll kill you where you stand! I won't give you a second chance.
Jin: Don't worry about that, Shin. Most of the newbies and the students of this school had no value, but your group is different. I actually like you guys a lot and want to be an official member of your group... Even if I am unworthy trash at the bottom of society.
Shin: ...
Shin feels irritated by Jin the more he got to know him.
The way Jin praised both him and Aqua while demeaning himself feels very similar to the second Ultimate Luck from a certain murder mystery game with the theme of despair and black and white murdering bears as mascots. Shin's initial opinion that Jin was dangerous was not too off the mark with the way he was able to use others without hesitation and how he views everything as a game.
Hikari, Misaki, and even Shin himself had trouble accepting the NPCs as not real or unimportant, yet Jin in the first few hours as a Player didn't hesitate to kill off real, or extremely realistic people for his own gain. Jin was a dangerous individual to look out for, but Shin could condone could his existence for the sake of the team.
It wasn't just because Jin had similar views on the world to himself, but because he was smart and wasn’t a complete coward. There was no denying that those two characteristics were important in a Player of God's Dimension. What impressed Shin the most was that Jin could think up both strategies and combat tactics in mid battle. Also, Jin wasn't just hiding behind others barking orders, but was also ready to move up front in risk his life.
Jin was also similar to Saki in the way they viewed others by their usefulness. They wouldn't abandon others with worth needlessly and would discard those without talents or hopes of ever contributing to the team, but there were some differences.
Saki was more calculating and had a much more brilliant mind, in other words cold hard intelligence. Her years of studying as a scientist and training/experiments by Mass Enlightenment made Saki a first rate Player and strategist. Shin personally thought higher of Saki than Jin, yet what Jin had, and Saki didn't have, was the ruthlessness of a human being.
Real cold heartlessness was not born from reasoning, but from the heart. Jin's understanding of others him superior to Saki's. Shin imagined Saki would have used those students to their full usefulness (Sacrificing them) till none were left as she explored the Labyrinth, but Jin realized their frustrations were more of a liability than anything else and got rid of them early on.
Shin: (Saki’s methods are better, but that's just on paper as she is a person of reason and can't grasp how other people really feel and how tbey will react. There was the case where she wanted to sacrifice Shuai after all and gave no thought that he could rebel against and really hurt her. Saki had Zero and Kampa watching over him, but one mistake could have had everyone in the team suffering.
In the real world, if Saki kept manipulating those students, they would have eventually turned on her. Saki maybe could have noticed that, but it was more than probably that everything would blow up in her face like a live grenade. Jin's cruel methods may be a little short sighted, but he would have noticed the discontent of others and what would happen to him and his comrades. Jin's more suited to making real life decisions in the field than Saki.
Shin: (As Zero of Code Geass would say that’s the difference between strategy and tactics. Strategy comes from pre-planning and trying to stack everything in your favor. Good tactics involves using all the tools at your disposal in the moment to achieve victory. Zero prefers strategy, but I would much rather have a tactician who could formulate plans on the go than a master strategist who would be left helpless after something interrupted their plans.)
That's why Shin could accept a twisted man like Jin...
Shin: ...But still, I can't let him be the leader.
Aqua: Shin, were you listening?
Shin: Sorry, but I was thinking about something. What was it?
Aqua: They were suggesting that the four of us move together from now on.
Jin: That's right, and I don't think we'll hold you back. Connor is like a super soldier, or super child soldier in his case. There's nothing special about me and I'm not the best shot, but I've gotten a good hang of these Magic Attack Scrolls you handed out. I'm sort of confident that I can offer some cover fire if it's needed.
Shin: Okay. I see no problem in working together. We're a bit too offensive oriented for my taste, but you can’t conquer a Labyrinth alone. As they say in Apocalypse Alice, “Without friends you die.”
Jin: Oh, about that! I have been thinking the same thing. Don't you think it's pointless to keep wandering around this Labyrinth like this? The initial reason why I thought to work with those students is because I was hoping to find a Support Magician we can use. They have magic to heal, can see through traps, keep in contact with allies over distances, detect monsters, but more importantly is that they have Mapping Magic. With that we can learn which paths to take and in the shortest time to reach the girl.
Shin: Agreed. Aqua and I have just been running around and barley made in progress. We only have [Four Hours -- Three Minutes - Thirty seconds]. Who knows how many levels there are to this Labyrinth. We definitely need someone to help us navigate the Labyrinth.
Aqua: Maybe Hikari could help us with that with her Support type Persona.
Shin: That's one option. I do hope the others are fine, but Hikari and maybe Himi of Hero Team take priority. Let's not waste any more time here. Move out!
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Shin, Aqua, Connor, and Jin. With two new additions to the group, they all ran together through the cavernous tunnels of the Labyrinth.
Shin and Aqua could no longer move at max speed now that Jin and Connor had joined, yet that wasn't a major problem at the moment. They were just trying to find Hikari or a student of《Metropolitan Kichijouji High》who could use Support magic. They would rather be a bit slow if it meant making contact with someone who can help them navigate the Labyrinth.
Aqua, who held the best tracking abilities among the group, took point and lead them. She had yet to find anyone, but the moment that she does she will lead them to any people wandering the Labyrinth. Shin who was right behind Aqua was called over by her to talk in private.
Shin: What is it, Aqua?
Aqua: ...
Shin: Aqua?
Aqua: Shin... You, Connor and myself. There's three of us now.
Shin: Three?
Aqua: There are now three unlocked members of Team Japan. You know what that means right? You didn't seem to get it, so I'm just telling you now.
Three Unlocked Members of a team.
Shin the leader of Team Japan,
Aqua the most veteran Player of Team Japan.
Lastly, Connor, New Player of Team Japan.
Once Shin heard what Aqua said he realized what she was trying to tell him. Shin had heard from both Aqua, and Sozin a few weeks ago that once a team has three, or used to have three members who had unlocked their Genetic Constraints, that team will randomly encounter other teams of God's Dimension on future missions.
Shin, Aqua and now Connor. With the three of them Team Japan will now face other teams in the future. Shin then realizes that even if they survive this mission the next will be a team battle.
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Authors Note:
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Proofread by Hoebagger
As I said during the Real World arc Saki didn't count. Saki unlocked her constraint in the real world away from God's Dimension.