Kyuuto then explained to Karito what happened to him and his team lately. When asked why Karito didn't tell Kyuuto about the curse much earlier, he answered, "I don't want to overwhelm you, just like everyone else. It was instinctively to be kept secret among us," he then glanced at Hikiri. Karito then pulled out some peculiar disks with adhesive bottom from his waist bag, "These are modified mini-beacons. They reverse time and space as usual, but not give away our location by beaming light into the heavens. Stick it on the corners," he gave them to Rin.

When they were eating, Kanata asked, "So what are we gonna do now? I'm afraid the warriors wouldn't side with us anymore," she then chomped on the bread she held.

Ishigaki then mentioned a smaller base to the east, he proposed the team to seek help there. But Kyuuto quickly pointed out, "I don't think it's safe... I assume the warriors already spread the news to the other bases... for now let's just rest here,"

----

One morning, the team heard something moving just outside the mall building. "Whoever's out there, show yourself now!" Kanata warned. A pair of hands then showed up, Aosuke then appeared from the bush.

He explained that Hoshikawa has taken control over base 37 and expanded his influence even more in a few days time to other bases as well. "He led the warriors to believe that killing you is the only option. Now he's trying to find you and your team," he added. The team then looked at each other, then planned to move again. But before they could leave, Hoshikawa's squad got to them first. He was with 20 odd other warriors consisting of both Jaegers and Oras.

"Surrender yourself to us, and this will end faster than you'll realize," Hoshikawa proposed his plan, "and to all of you, if you obstruct us, you'll be considered as traitors," he pointed at the rest of Kyuuto's team.

"Hoshi---" Kyuuto was trying to reason with him, until his words got cut by Karito beside him.

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"What makes you so sure that that's the best thing to do about this curse?" he asked, "what if killing Kyuuto just makes the situation worse?" Karito then continued as Hoshikawa's squad got perplexed, "Kyuuto IS a vessel for greater forces inside him. But in this case, destroying the vessel could release whatever is inside into the world. You don't want to be around when that happens,"

"I'm willing to take that chance," Hoshikawa unsheathed his sword, sharp thorns formed around its blade, darkened by his intentions, "I guess you don't give me any other options," with other Jaegers also unsheathed their blades.

"Get ready to fight," Hikiri whispered, he also readied his weapon, followed by the others. Hoshikawa noticed Aosuke among Kyuuto's men, then offered him a chance to come back, but he refused.

"I choose to stay, because our main mission is to defeat the darkness, not kill one of our own," Aosuke stated, which makes Hoshikawa more agitated. He then activated his fire sword.

Hoshikawa commanded his army to strike first, then the war between Aotori and the warriors commenced. At first Kyuuto and others just defended themselves and dodged the attacks. While the warriors intended to kill, Aotori just knocked them down unconscious.

"I don't want to fight them!" Kanata threw away one of the warriors with her aura, then deflected some elements with it.

"We have no choice!!" Rin beside her punched away some of the warriors, she too actually felt conflicted protecting herself and the team. She then looked at Karito throwing his daggers around, wounding the warriors, even killing some of them.

"We have to fight to survive," he stated coldly, "protect your cousin at all cost,"

Rin's heart skipped a beat when hearing Karito's words, she then glanced at Kyuuto on the other side, he was protecting himself fiercely. Rin's spirit then snapped, she was determined fully to protect Kyuuto as she failed to protect her brother during the Great Search. She soon joined Kyuuto on his side.

Ishigaki meanwhile wasn't impressed by Karito's brutality, and grew more hatred towards the ancestors. Without him realizing, his aurics were on fire. He then punched one of the attackers with them, causing a severe burn. Shocked by his own action, Ishigaki recoiled and looked at his own hands, terrified.

He too has violence in his blood.