(Here I am. Where everything comes together.)

I am standing in the middle of the street, between Outlaw Street and Nichijou Ave. to be precise. I don't know where all the channelers are hidden, but even after destroying all of the lights in the nearby lamp posts, I still feel as though my rhime is slowly being depleted just by standing here.

I should have thought twice about volunteering for this section. I thought I could remove all channelers before everything started, but I might be forced to fight after all. And that's bad solely because of my anemia. Unlike most humans, I need more rhime than 10% in order to stay alive because my body has become dependent on my rhime as an alternative to oxygen. As soon as I take care of the rioters and the policemen, I will rest, then join up with the others. I wish I wasn't here to stop what I believe to be a necessary revolution, but everyone's lives are in grave danger. Too many casualties don't always make a successful revolution worth it.

In the distance, to the south, I hear the poor marching. Stomping feet, rallying voices. When they come into view, they will be a sight to behold, no doubt.

And to the north, although smaller in number, I hear the policemen on the move with what sound like large pieces of machinery. Expensive machinery, I bet. What the rich put money towards instead of combating the real issue at hand...

"YYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"THIS ENDS TODAY!!!!"

(And so it begins...)

"HALT!!!" I yell at the top of my lungs.

Both sides continue to march towards one another, paying no heed to me.

"STOP!!!!!"

They continue to march, each side showing more tension as the gap begins to shrink.

(Oooohhhh.......What a pain!!!)

"Ice Drive: Glacial Rink!"

The entire block freezes over. I deliberately leave the areas where people are untouched, but from the street to the buildings, everything is ice. Everyone looks around in astonishment, then back at me.

"Get out of the way, young lady!!!"

"Are you working for those rich assholes!?"

"Listen to me," I shout, "I am not against this revolution, but take your march elsewhere!"

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"If you're with these rioters, get out of the way!!"

"It's not safe here! If you don't wish to become a comatose victim, leave the area at once!"

This statement causes many people to talk amongst themselves in fear.

"Step aside, young lady! We must go this way to reach the main office of those pigs! Going around is impossible. Move, or we shall see you as a threat to our cause!"

I look to the policemen and see the equipment they brought with them. How expensive is it to build a tank? I know that such machinery is extreme against some rhime tones, although many could stop them, but against these rioters, the rich must really want to go all out.

"MOVE!!!!"

The policemen begin to advance. I turn to them, stretch my right hand out in their direction, and focus my rhime into the ground again, thickening the ice beneath them. It would seem the tank wasn't built with good traction - it fishtails across the ice. After the policemen get out of its way, it ends up colliding with one of the frozen street vendors.

GA!!!!!

The tank fires.

I quickly skate across the ice to intercept the projectile.

And it hits me straight in the face.

I am pushed back a few meters before the projectile falls to the ground, frozen.

"What the?"

They look at me, and see that I am unharmed.

"Normal ice tones shouldn't be able to..."

"What is she?"

"Leave at once." I repeat.

I look to the policemen and the rioters. Many seem now afraid of me. Cannot say I'm surprised. But some look as if they are attempting to steel themselves. However, in the end...

"STAND YOUR GROUND!!! WE MARCH ONWARD!!!"

"DON'T LET THEM THROUGH!!!"

...People have the ability to overcome fear when united for a common cause.

(I have no choice.)

I remove my recording crystal from my pocket.

And throw it towards the ground, shattering it. Immediately after, my voice begins to echo from it. We ice tones utilize our rhime when we listen to classical music, so I prepared a song especially for that. I chose "Calling to the Night," originally composed by Akihiro Honda of the First Age, with my voice substituting for Natasha Farrow's.

Through the night to the day

When everything is gone

Carry this soul away from the dry lands

People rush past me, but I remain motionless. When they are within a meter of me, I summon large stalagmites of ice to create a barrier. Those who don't collide with them or fall down, try to break them, but no matter what they try, rhime attacks or no, my ice cannot be shattered that easily.

"What in the name of?"

"What is with this girl's subtone?"

In the sun we see fighting over lines

All our dreams and wishes we send home for safe keeping

Fighting for what's right

I take down the barrier, then pull my popsicle out of my mouth.

"Ice Drive: Popsicle Blade."

My popsicle quickly turns into a sharp icicle dyed red, its original color.

Seeing me as a more direct threat, some individuals on both sides begin to charge in my direction. I push off and skate across the ice and perform an ina bauer to duck under an incoming fireball. When in between a large group of violent protestors and policemen, I thrust my blade into the ice and perform a death spiral. At the end of my feet, I create another thin icicle and use it to trip those surrounding me.

Calling to the night

To dream again in the light

Waiting for a storm to rise and Feel the isolation fleeting

I remove my blade from the ice. I create an icicle underneath me to make me rise up on top of its tip to avoid another shot from the tank. Following my jump off this stalagmite, I do a death drop and start to spin, creating thin icicles on my feet again to act as blades that hit multiple targets as I descend.

"Who IS this girl!?'

I land, and prepare to trip more people. This time by hydroblading with another icicle attached to my foot. The sounds of gunshots are heard behind me. As quickly as I can, I attempt to deflect the bullets with my blade, but some bullets get past and hit me. It's a good thing my body is practically bulletproof. They still sting, but nothing more. We ice tones, on average, have skin as dense as steel. We may be one of the slowest rhime tone types, and we are definitely the weakest in physical strength, but our defenses are practically flawless.

Calling to the night

To be or not to be fighting here

Leaving without you, leaving my soul behind

I go into the shoot-the-duck position and begin to spin. Underneath my anchoring foot, I create another large stalagmite to lift me up. This time, I make it continue to rise until its height rivals that of the nearby buildings. I summon multiple icicles in the air and cause them to rain down on my opponents. I avoid killing - my goal is intimidation. They will not leave, and I cannot simply create a blockade. Both sides are too stubborn to let up and leave. This must have been what our enemies were hoping for.

"Wait, I know her!!! She's known as the 'Impenetrable Glacier' with the subtone 'Absolute Zero'! The second strongest in the Keisetsu with the rarest of ice subtones! She can create nearly indestructible ice instantly, faster than any other subtone. Even fire cannot melt such ice!"

"What is a Keisetsu member doing here!?"

"What is going on!?"

Calling to the night

Colors of kodachrome fade with time

(Oren. Yamiso. Potoropites'.)