Having slept terribly underground, the four decided on a man-made hotel over a natural one the next day, and Serena & Yuruko had asked for time alone that night. The two were sitting at a local cafe and Yuruko had her laptop out.

"Is that the, um, reaction mechanism?" said Serena, pointing to her screen of chemical structures & arrows.

"Yeah." said Yuruko. "I mean, that's how they think xenocyclin works, anyway. There's still some Revenants that don't react the way you'd expect them to, because not all of them have the same makeup or whatever. That's why they had to make xenocyclin in the first place - if you gave it to a regular person, it's a strong enough bacteriocide that it'd end up killing everything in their body. Including their uh, gut biome and everything in it. It's kinda just a thing where like - sometimes you just have to use different solvents or whatever for it, like isopropyl or toluene. It's kinda one of those things where like - the science hasn't really caught up to everything that xenocyclin does or how Revenants can even really exist yet, so we just kinda throw stuff at it and see what sticks. I mean, the FDA doesn't, like - they don't regulate that type of stuff before it gets used in criminals, and no one cares if they die anyway, so we get to go faster in some way. Uh. I mean, not we, but."

"Um, but someday." chimed Serena, comprehending absolutely none of it.

She knew that all Yuruko needed was the clueless look in her eyes. Yuruko was going to tell her about the paper where another scientist had attempted to recreate Rosenthal's mixed Revenants - she had mentioned it earlier - and she would listen to reduce Yuruko's stress. Serena had never done well in school, and still felt outclassed by Yuruko in some ways, but made an effort to listen during her rambling because Yuruko would listen to her's.

Yuruko nodded and kept typing, tabbing between three articles. "I found out how to make xenocyclin a few months ago, though. I mean, I'm not supposed to - like, the chemical formula is secret - but my professor gave it to me for being the only person to not drop out."

"That's good." nodded Serena. "Um, right?"

"Uh, I wish he just gave me an extension." winced Yuruko. "I dunno. You said that, uh, Mia killed that one guard, right?"

"Yeah."

Yuruko glanced at Serena, who laughed as she paused.

"…yep." muttered Yuruko, typing. A man passed by their table.

"E-E-Excuse me." he coughed. "Do - do you know if there's a hospital next door?"

"…uh, what?" said Yuruko, glancing up.

"T-T-There's a hospital next door, r-r-right?"

"Uh, no." said Yuruko and Serena shook her head.

"Um, there's not, no, but -"

" - M-M-Mesmer."

◆◆◆

Mia called Aimee in her second-floor room while Samuel went out to get food. They had spoken on the attempted assassination, on Mia's presidential duties, and Aimee had finally received their wedding photos months later.

Mia still had a bit of excitement whenever she called Aimee her wife. It had been a small wedding - only Timepact and Mia's three had come to it, and for family members, Mia's mother had been the only one of her parents that could make it & Aimee's had refused. But Mia knew Aimee needed no comfort over this; she had never seen any regret in her over her family's prejudice, and she had barely mentioned them since their first year together.

More often than not now, Aimee was sleeping at Timepact's base, and their wedding night had been her first time in a real bed in months. The agency had worked up to a steady intake of contracts, filling Mr. Thale's pockets with what he took from the top. Though there were bigger agencies around, as far as anyone could tell, they made no more money than Timepact, due to its specific assurance of quality and the preexisting bonds between its members. Next year would be Mia & Yuruko & Samuel, and Serena & Kate after that - then likely no more.

When Mia hung up, Samuel knocked, and she let him in.

"Heard you were still talking. Didn't want to interrupt you." he nodded as he stepped inside, handing her a takeout container. "Guessing it was Aimee?"

"It was." Mia smiled as she sat on her bed and started eating. "Did you call Serena and Yuruko back?"

"I texted them. Didn't get any message back yet, though."

Mia frowned, worrying that Yuruko had lost her laptop again. For all of Urasaria being an academy, Yuruko was the only one of the four that was learning anything out of books. Mia had already allowed her to take any day off she needed - she wasn't sure if she should do more.

She checked her tablet, and in the next instant -

- she heard an explosion on the floor below; an icy prison formed over her -

- just in time for the next thousand blasts to shred the floor in to bits of concrete and carpet, shockwaves ripping the walls up by their roots as a constant barrage erupted, bombs embedded in the floor bursting open and shattering every single wall -

- and she closed her eyes & ears as she heard it continue for a minute longer, constant stream of explosions ripping through the entire hotel and shattering every wall & room, ground shaking as another thousand blasts tore through everything around her. The shockwaves ripped through the entire hotel and blew it in to rubble that she felt hitting her prison's ceilings, and once the explosions halted, she freed herself from her ice -

- and a swift spray of purple disintegrated through the rubble trying to bury her; with no time to waste, she rushed out of the ruins and in to the parking lot, knowing Samuel would meet her there and still hearing explosions behind her step.

She waited until she was at the street's end to turn back, seeing his suit of armor crash out of the ruins a hundred feet away. As he met up with her, his armor had a few scratches as his eyes turned back through the helm -

" - oh no." winced Mia, eyes on the ruins -

- to see Serena & Yuruko with ethereal collars & leashes around their necks climb out of the rubble, ethereal coil phasing through buildings and leading off somewhere.

"Mind control." muttered Samuel and Mia nodded. Her palms flashed forward, and a bolt of lightning erupted from her palms -

" - Blackburn!" shouted Serena, streams of fog flying in to her jacket & Yuruko's labcoat as they turned -

- and they twitched, staggered, but still stood conscious at the end, running towards Mia & Samuel; the two rushed up the sidewalk with the other pair in pursuit behind, line of stores at their right as they ran.

"Why did I have to train her so well?" groaned Mia.

"Are we going to the source?" said Samuel as they ran, and Mia glanced back to see the prodigal pair in pursuit fifty feet behind.

"If we - if we go to the source, there'll likely be more Revenants there. If we can knock them unconscious, it - it has to have a range."

"I can go if you need me to check -"

" - I - I don't know." winced Mia, wishing Matoi could've decided for her as they kept their pace up - " - just stay here until -"

- and the hollow point of three useful bullets entered her back & burst out her chest; pain staggering her forward, she felt the projectiles explode in to poisonous gas in her lungs -

- but internal scarabs formed to disintegrate it -

- but she realized Yuruko's plan a second too late, purple spray only heating up the foul vapors and turning them solid; lungs clogging but one hole left in her chest, Mia winced -

- and a scarab swarm ripped the block of acid clear out of the aperture in a geyser of blood; she heard Samuel's armor block another ten bullets behind, twitching but trying not to stagger as his armor cracked -

" - she's, she's fucking using her Xenocyclin bullets. Didn't penetrate, though." he winced, and Mia's swarm covered her heart as the two staggered past a corner ahead, one car parked on the curb as they gagged - " - do you - any weaknesses for Blackburn?"

"I lost that duel." winced Mia, relevantly, and in the next instant -

- three bullets entered the car, and in to a dozen pieces it exploded -

- but ghastly hands threw every piece aside but the driverside door, sharpening it in to one solid point as they hurled it towards Yuruko -

- and the two rushed past the corner before they could see why she shrieked so horrifically a second later, Samuel shouting back -

" - next one is all four! Don't chase after us!"

The guilt under his tone kept Mia focused, muttering - " - focus on Yuruko - Serena can heal her if we overdo it -"

- and Samuel nodded as they rushed up the street, glancing back to see Serena & Yuruko stagger past the corner. Blood was dripping down the left side of Yuruko's torn labcoat and her ungloved left hand, street poles & cars flanking Mia & Samuel as they stepped back, few trees planted in the sidewalk as they saw their foes halt fifty feet away.

"Mia, Mia!" shouted Serena, and the two tensed.

"What's there to say about her?" shouted Yuruko, new glove forming.

"There's a lot to say about her, and none of it's good!"

"You start!"

"Well, what's up with her mask? The big beak?"

"I don't know, it's only a few centimeters bigger than her actual one."

"I know why Aimee married her!"

"She could turn pages in a book."

"Like a fucking swordfish!"

"Least they're entertaining." muttered Samuel.

"For you." winced Mia.

Ahead, a revolver formed in Yuruko's hand, and as she dumped six bullets towards the two -

- ghastly hands ripped one tree out of the sidewalk and threw it in to the volley -

- but another six shots blasted it to bits, and an ice wall burst up ahead to block another six shots. Mia saw Serena rushing up to it on the other end, then streams of fog melting it in to water -

- but Mia & Samuel sighed relief as they saw Serena & Yuruko staggering ahead, and Mia backed up next to one streetpole.

"Hey, Serena!" shouted Yuruko, staggering back like she was pulled. "Did you know that in the animal kingdom, slower birds have bigger beaks?"

"Yeah. Mia, what did you get on your SATs?"

Mia frowned, but the next scene was instant. Ghastly hands ripped the pole out of the ground and hurled it towards Serena -

- and the projectile choked around her like a car around a tree; Serena laughing, streams of fog filled it with acid -

- and Serena shrieking, it burst in to a dozen clouds of acid and the corrosive swarm claimed her body, much more heat than she'd expected buried within the metal, fingers started to melt as she screamed -

" - Medicinal!" shouted Yuruko, throwing a dozen balls of baking soda at her girlfriend -

- that neutralized the foul vapors as Serena staggered back, swift sweep of fog healing her wounds as Yuruko caught up beside. Realizing they'd lost sight of Mia & Samuel, Serena stumbled back like she'd been pulled before rushing up the street, Yuruko beside her with assault rifle forming. They glanced in to the stores and saw Mia & Samuel in one electronics shop, and the two rushed inside -

- and Mia groaned as Yuruko tripped as soon as she entered the store fifty feet away, shouting -

"- did you know that in nature, scarabs often swarm around huge pieces of shit?"

"I just thought that was -"

" - FUCKING TALK ABOUT SAMUEL FOR A CHANGE!" shouted Mia -

- and she sighed as she saw Serena stumble back - " - that's a good idea!"

"Uh-oh." muttered Samuel.

"Yeah, that's true!" shouted Yuruko. "Because I was reading something the other day!"

"What were you reading?" shouted Serena.

"I read the other day that pigs have corkscrew-shaped dicks, and I realized why Samuel's never been on a fucking date."

"Corkscrew-dick! Like one of those fucking door springs you flick and -"

" - what did I just say? No one's flicking that dick!"

The two laughed while Mia tried not to.

"Sorry, it's too easy!" shouted Yuruko, balancing herself against a shelf of laptops. "Just another one."

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Another one?" shouted Serena.

Mia shoved down her worry to listen.

"The only reason Samuel has any female fans is because his Revenant hides his face."

"If only Mia's did!"

"Don't be stupid - Mia doesn't have any female fans."

"What about male ones? Does Samuel count?"

"No, his dick is so small he marked his gender as 'unknown'. This is the reverse of what Aimee did, by the way. You know, I always hear people around campus say Samuel's built like a tank."

"World War 1? World War 2?"

"No, septic."

"Full of sh-"

"-and then there's Mia. Mia, I know people think you're a bad president, you're overly emotional, and your Revenant sucks - but they're wrong! Your Revenant doesn't suck."

"She had the worst wedding food I've ever had. It only could've been chosen by somebody blind, deaf, stupid, and with absolutely no taste."

"I heard that Aimee chose it -"

" - AT LEAST I'M NOT STILL FUCKING WATCHING CARTOONS AT 21 YEARS OLD!" shouted Mia -

- and guilt punched her stomach as she saw Serena frown second later, hoping she wouldn't remember it after they were done.

"You don't think - might still have some control?" whispered Samuel.

"I - I don't want to try it like that." winced Mia -

- and she hated the next idea filling her head, whispering it to Samuel as Serena & Yuruko rushed towards them. Mia & Samuel ran up to the back wall, and as she readied to disintegrate -

- the two swept with the speed of light left -

- just in time to avoid a full auto barrage of Xenocyclin-shots -

- and along the back wall & left rushed the two, another line of bullets entering the wall behind their footstep, constant barrage pockmarking the wall, and as the two came up to the corner -

- the next scene was instant.

Mia threw her burning blue blade in to the ceiling at the center of the room, disintegrating it without a single ash left; sudden support lost, the roof started to crumble -

- and swallowed just enough shots for her to disintegrate their exit in to the next store; in through the hole swept the two, keeping their rush going as they ran through another store and disintegrated another wall. Mia checked her tablet for Yuruko's last location before the calamity begun, Samuel nodding as she showed it to him.

Coming up to the last wall before the street, a puff of purple flames disintegrated it -

- right in to Serena with tentacle readied -

- but one Outcast-punch ripped her tentacle clear off her shoulder and sent it flying across the street; Samuel shoved out his guilt at her screaming -

" - B-BLACKBURN!" she grunted, streams of fog flying in to his helm -

- but his slits barely allowed any to enter as Mia shoved Serena out of the way, two rushing past her and across the street, only a few knives bursting out of the unnatural armor as they came up to another store. Mia burnt down another entrance and the two rushed through again, speaking as they ran -

" - she can heal without her tentacle, right?" said Samuel and Mia nodded -

" - it's - we should be almost done, I hope -"

- and another puff of blue disintegrated an exit in to another street. They rushed up to one building and glanced up -

- and saw Yuruko waiting on the roof, shotgun readied and ready to pull -

- but another car thrown from below smashed right through her and threw her to the ground; a frozen ray erupted from Mia's palms -

- and kept the two-ton weight frozen on top of Yuruko, ghastly hands shoving it down to keep her trapped, and in the next instant -

- Mia felt streams of fog from behind grab her eyes -

- but a pillar of blue flame claimed Serena from behind, then disintegrated the ground below her without a single ash left -

- and in to the sudden burrow fell the punk, disappearing below. Spraying another entrance, Mia & Samuel rushed through one last store, knowing their target was close. Once they came out to the final street and rushed up to the cafe, they heard Serena shouting "Blackburn!" behind & under the ground, but ran inside the cafe quick -

" - got it." muttered Samuel, pointing to one table at their rights; Mia nodded as she saw one laptop there, swiped it off the table, and as she turned -

- she saw Serena & Yuruko rush in after them, and dread filled their faces as Mia held her hand to the laptop -

" - w-wait -" panted Yuruko - " - p-please -"

" - one fucking step closer and all your work is gone! Every - every fucking essay!" shouted Mia, hating playing the villain and trying not to notice Yuruko's leash shaking. "You can go fucking explain to your professor that -"

" - p-please - p-please don't destroy it, I-I haven't s-saved my w-w-w-work t-t-today a-and -" panted Yuruko, breath quickening like it had the night prior; ahead, Mia flipped it open -

- and a spray of purple flame disintegrated it without a single ash left; a horrific noise escaped Yuruko as she clutched Serena's healed tentacle, sweat forming and already shaking as Serena hugged her tight, eyes away from Mia.

"H-Hey, it's - it's okay, um -"

- and a bolt of lightning to the head knocked them both unconscious. Mia & Samuel stepped up, trying not to notice Yuruko's tears.

"…we - w-we need to get them out of range." muttered Mia, feeling like an absolute shithead.

Samuel nodded, and ghastly hands brought Yuruko's actual laptop to him from underneath another table. "…was worried I was going to overdo it on one of those."

"Me too." muttered Mia. "They'll stay unconscious as long as we need them to, at least. We need to find a car."

Samuel nodded, and she heard him breathing heavy in his armor as they searched for one, unwilling owner or not. Once they did, Mia shoved Serena in the passenger side, and Yuruko with Samuel in the back.

"…just realized something." said Samuel. "We don't know what's going to happen when those coils break."

"I… I know, but - it's, it's safer than going to the source. If all four of us are there…" She trailed off and Samuel nodded.

"Not an easy decision to make."

She tried not to remember how Yuruko shrieked as she pulled out at thirty miles an hour in to the street.

"I'll keep an eye out." said Samuel, glancing to Yuruko & back. The slack went out from their coils as Mia drove.

'...Blackburn will keep her safe. It's - she's more durable than Yuruko. There's Revenants that heal themselves when the host is unconscious.'

She glanced over at Serena and back at Samuel. As the latter didn't know Serena was transsexual, she had initially worried over putting them in a squadron together, but Serena now reminded her of how she'd been pre-December, never mentioning anything trans-related or any misgendering. Mia wasn't sure if that was growth or regression, but hoped Serena still considered her her best friend.

She had been excited for this year, being able to spend more time with her than last year with the Elite Four. As her mind looked back to that, she realized with guilt that she hadn't spoken with Marisa in a month. From what she had seen on social media, Matoi had visited Rin last week, and Rin still looked less stiff than she did in pictures - but her only idea where Marisa was now was from a comment she thought she'd heard Aimee make about Paris.

They pulled out of city within fifteen minutes, and Samuel noted to Mia that the leashes were starting to go taut.

Mia nodded. "I don't believe we should go back."

"Just need to keep an eye out." said Samuel. "Seemed like they had a bit of themselves in it, though."

Mia nodded, reminding herself that mind control Revenants had strength like any other. Serena's coil was nearly at its end; Mia slowed down, and in the next instant -

- Serena's coil snapped, and she shot up awake - " - huh wha-"

- Mia sped up before she could see Yuruko's coil snap, who also shot up.

"Feeling alright?" said Samuel.

Serena groaned, Blackburn filling her wounds. "…um. Yeah. Did something happen?"

"...yes, er. We fought a Revenant that had knocked both of you unconscious." said Mia.

"Had to drag you in here after we dealt with it, too." nodded Samuel, Blackburn filling the other three's wounds. "Saved your laptop, though." He handed it to Yuruko, and she saved her work.

"T-Thanks."

"We should be there soon." said Mia. "But - we should stay as four from now on."

She saw Samuel wipe his eyes in the rearview and nod.

◆◆◆

[May 15th, 2021]

Extremists were more connected to the world than the average man, if distorted. They took an eye to politics and the world's workings, drawing connections and marveling at the model that lived in their head. In some ways, this might've risen with modern luxury. Once humans were out of needing to worry immediately for food or drink, many were so bored that they had to think of themselves as a hero in a grand narrative.

Edgar had promised himself he wouldn't fall in to this, but a slow year of progress had molded him in to it. With some hesitation, he placed a limit of another year to find her murderer.

It wasn't that she had been a mother figure to him - she had been his friend who shook any prejudice against women out of him. Few were the times where he looked at her with desire; though he was lonesome and men around him said she was attractive, working with her he couldn't take an objective view.

But he had traced back from rare sightings, coming across men who thought they had heard something about him. Edgar had theorized his target would be living the life of a hedonist now; not something he himself would've done, but he supposed other people valued that differently. He was half-fluent in Russian and lived openly, Necromancer rearranging his face enough that Russian students no longer found him. He had spent a month in Novoski before he was sure he'd found his man.

Edgar had overheard townsfolk say this man was the son of some oligarch who put him here for whatever reason, probably out of sickness. None remembered building his mansion, but the records were in order. Attractive women disappeared often here, usually later stumbling nearby with no memory of the past months, but no students had ever found a Revenant.

It was enough for Edgar - this was not only a murderer but a degenerate. Now a fugitive regardless, Edgar had indulged plans he'd wanted back home but never completed so as to remain employable, murdering drug addicts & homosexuals and watching their lives slip between Necromancer's monstrous fingers.

He kicked the mansion's front door in.

◆◆◆

The following day, the four had burrowed for another three hours. Serena had asked if Mia could freeze the floor so they could slide the entire way back to Urasaria once they were done, but she refused, never letting Serena have any fun.

"But I had to carry the cooler this entire time!" said Serena, having had to carry the cooler this entire time.

"No." Mia's head didn't shake as she kept spraying forward. "If you go out of range, you'll end up having frostbite all over your body."

"I can handle it. Probably."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Serena nodded, and Mia sprayed a puff of purple in her face; she shrieked -

- and Yuruko & Samuel laughed as nothing happened, Serena stumbling back - " - f-fuck -"

" - w-what a fucking dick -" cackled Yuruko, laptop's reinforced case on her back -

" - when you can survive that without me, then you can have your frozen slide." chimed Mia.

"Don't risk it." laughed Samuel.

"Okay." laughed Serena, stepping up again, " - but we could like, um - form a trap for him or something -"

" - I don't want us to fight underground." laughed Mia. "I doubt we'll even run in to him until we reach his father regardless."

"Still have no idea what his motivation is, either." said Samuel, glancing back. "Could he be a friend of Kirihara's?"

Serena laughed. "Uh, what friends?"

"I doubt it." laughed Mia. "Still. I'd like to get some fresh air and eat."

"Sounds good." said Yuruko, and a puff of purple disintegrated a hole above, sounds of a highway following. Mia nodded to Samuel, and Outcast's armor formed as he leaped out first -

- and a tractor trailer smashed in to him at 70mph -

- but couldn't even move him as it crumpled right against him, launching the driver through the windshield as the entire truck folded -

- but ghastly hands set the driver back down on the ground, Samuel nodding to him as the other three climbed out. "Really should wear your seatbelt."

The four laughed as they went off to the side and Yuruko formed a picnic blanket. Serena set their cooler down and the four started eating, Samuel sitting next to Serena.

"Serena, can you check my laptop?" said Yuruko, patting its reinforced case on her back. Streams of fog flew in to it and Serena nodded.

"All good."

"Think that guy wants to yell at us." said Samuel, gesturing to the former driver clutching his crumpled truck ruefully.

"Um, I'll fix it when we're done." shrugged Serena.

"I'm not sure it's fixable."

Yuruko sighed as she looked down the highway. "Look. Revenant."

The other looked and saw two women hitchhiking, 200ft separating them & shes. Mia frowned, wondering out loud how he could've found them that quickly. "They may be random hitchhikers."

"Can't imagine many women would want to hitchhike." said Samuel. "Especially after Kemper."

"Kemper?" said Serena, relevantly.

"Serial killer that used to pick up hitchhikers."

"Maybe they want you to pick them up." whispered Yuruko and the four laughed, remembering his theory from last year. "They're coming towards us, too."

"I'll plant a few scarabs." muttered Mia, and a few started burrowing ahead. A hundred feet separated them from the women.

"…I mean, there's not any way to tell, right?" said Yuruko, revolver forming. "That they're constructs?"

"Can't have many more left." said Samuel as the women came fifty feet within, and in the next instant -

- ghastly hands threw Serena off to the side -

- just in time for a hundred red tendrils to burst up where she'd just been; their grip shot to Samuel's arms and pulled him through the ground, and in the next instant -

- he was laying in the middle of an unfamiliar forest, sighing as he stood with Outcast's armor formed, twin female laughter bouncing off the trees but no other sight yet. He checked his tablet and sent a ping to Mia, and in the next instant -

- he saw a sword slicing through one of the trees to his right, and out of it burst a woman shooting towards him, blade drawn with the momentum of one slash -

- that dented off of Outcast's armor as he stood completely still; staggering back, she slashed to her left, and a woman with a shield appeared by her a second later. Samuel glanced back and saw it was only these two as they started circling, ten feet separating he & them.

In solo fights, he was never inclined for offense; few Revenants could break Outcast quickly. Ghastly hands dug in to the ground and searched for roots, and he saw the shieldwoman's shield repair the swordwoman's sword, both of their eyes torn & with stitches on their torsos like they'd been sliced in half before.

Ahead, the swordwoman slashed down -

- and four jets of acid burst out of the tree behind him & towards him -

- but ghastly hands redirected them as he stepped to the side to dodge, one woman saying ahead -

" - h-h-how did f-f-filling it with b-b-baking soda go?!"

" - must've been for Serena." muttered Samuel, seeing her sword glow red as she slashed ahead, and in the next instant -

- the two reappeared right ahead of him; his grip caught her blade, but the other's shield bashed him in the chest -

- and he suddenly froze where he'd been struck, armor trapped to the barrier, woman slashing again ahead -

- but a swift unsummon & resummon of his armor happened just in time for him to step back, a second slash shooting for his neck -

- but ghastly hands ripped roots out of the ground and wrapped them right around her sword's grip, slowing her just in time for one Outcast punch to seek her throat -

- but he pulled it back as the other's shield expanded to try to block it; more acid blasted towards him, but ghastly hands redirected them back in to the shield, liquid solidifying to a solid wall as he stepped back. A bizarre scene met his stare ahead as the two women tried to walk through the acid, then screamed terribly as they swept back.

"Least they're stupid." he muttered, relevantly - but with no idea how to break through the barrier yet, he started running back. He stomped over roots and broke through the brambles as he ran, forest full of trees and hearing his two foes pursuing him behind. Glancing back, he saw the swordwoman slashing -

- and the two reappearing ten feet closer, bringing them closer even though he could outrun them.

"Space between the trees is shrinking." he muttered. "Guess she might actually destroy matter."

One idea came up in his head, but he was better strong than smart. As he passed by one tree, he ripped a branch off, ghastly hands sharpening it to a solid point as he turned and threw it, swordwoman slashing again -

- and she shrieked in agony as it shot right through her heart, then staggered back to slash it to bits, trees still growing closer with the walls of bark closing in -

" - range-limited." he muttered, seeing the ground shift where they'd first begun & back to its initial position, no worries for satellites to be redone. He realized he'd lost sight of the shieldwoman as the swordwoman slashed twenty feet ahead, and in the next instant -

- a shield bash from behind threw him right in to her glowing red strike -

- that only disintegrated the top layer of his armor, back dozen and trapped again -

- but another unsummon&resummon kept him free; he felt a dozen spikes hit his back but not trap it this time, and in a second sword sweep on the return -

- ghastly hands ripped another sets of root from the ground & pulled her legs back; she staggered and tripped -

- just in time for one Outcast-punch to blast her brainless skull out the back of her head and decorate a new tree, Samuel ruefully shaking his gauntlet as he rushed over the corpse, shieldwoman behind as he shouted -

" - you can try getting in close like that again after they glue you back in together - in hell!"

- and he was glad she didn't burst in to a thousand droplets of blood yet, wanting to prolong her death, hall of trees he was running through still closer than they should've been; behind, he saw the shieldwoman slowly advancing towards him -

- but the next scene was instant. He ripped up one tree from the ground, and hurled it -

- but her shield froze it in midair as soon as it hit the barrier; he caught up another and hurled it -

- and another -

- and another -

- and another -

- and another -

- and another -

- and she grunted as her shield started cracking from the pressure, solid wall of bark trapped up ahead as she swept back -

- and aimed her shield right just in time to catch another three that'd been thrown at her. Inch by inch, the pressure of the tree volley forced her further back; beside, the other woman just in to a thousand droplets of blood. She started swinging her shield wildly, previous volleys starting to unfreeze with no sight of her foe yet -

- and as one last tree sailed over her just as another three flew at her from ahead, she was doomed and didn't have the mental capacity to know it; ghastly hands grabbed the midair tree behind her -

- and smashed her spine in to twenty discs of bone as it hit her like a baseball bat; she hit the ground instantly, paralyzed from the neck down and shield dropping.

An Outcast stomp broke her skull and sent bits of bone spinning in to the grass. He had a desire to prolong her death, and stood on her chest with Outcast's armor. The weight was making her eyes crack and skin tear up.

"Take your time." he nodded. "Apologies I wasn't who you were looking for."

He jumped, and her body broke in to a thousand droplets of blood when he landed.

"I heard that one." said Yuruko's voice behind - with the speed of light he turned -

- and saw nothing but more forest, Serena & Mia laughing but distorted through static -

- and he barely managed to not frown as he realized it.

"Now he knows!" groaned Serena's voice. "Why did you -"

"- you, you accidentally called us, S-Samuel -" cackled Mia's voice - " - we had it muted until -"

" - they're gone now." he muttered plainly, muting his tablet.

He sighed as he sat down, feeling like a bum as he waited for Mia & the rest to pick him up.