How's it going everyone? Yeah…in my blind rage for losing my level 68 account for Honkai Impact with most of the characters unlocked, tons of good shit alongside weapons and back to my level 40's account which basically had nothing, I forgot to check the word count for this one (Holy shit it reached 25k words!)…I really need to put on a brake somewhere or this could get out of hand.

Thanks for following, favorite and reviewing the story dear readers, here's the continuation, enjoy!

.

…Ryan groggily opened his eyes, his head pounding, his body felt lethargic and his bladder was acting up…this symptom weren't anything new but it still suck when it happened. Ryan saw unfamiliar light green ceiling, equally green walls, TV that's different model from his, living room layout that totally screamed that this was not his apartment…Where the hell was he? He sat up, it turn out he fell asleep on the couch. That's when Ryan noticed one thing, he was only wearing his short grey boxer…

"…Wha?" Ryan said in confusion.

He looked around…what was the last thing he remembered? He remembered getting into that illegal fight club, won quite the amount of money and went toward…where again? Man, he can't remember anything…This would be the second time he passed out drinking this week! The symptom was there! Ryan sighed as he facepalmed…This wasn't good, at all…he need to keep his drinking habit in check. Just as he thought about that, the front door opened and someone came in.

"Ha, took you long enough" It was Gin who entered the room.

"Gin? Man…the hell happened?" Ryan groggily asked.

"Long story short, we got banned from Soukai southern outskirt strip club, permanently" Gin said while smiling bitterly.

"Strip club? We fight our ass off to earn money that we blew it all on strip dances!?" Ryan was so shocked his hangover was temporarily cured.

"Not just that! Including alcohol! And you should've seen your horny face when that one hot babe with massive tits gave you a lap dance!" Someone said.

That someone was Han who came inside with bruised left eye, gauze strapped on his right cheek and messed up brown hair came in behind Gin. Ryan considered asking what happened to him but he got better question to ask instead, why the hell did only Gin and Han who seemed to stay sober?! Why was it only him that passed out drunk!?

"Was I the only one who ended up drunk?!" Ryan asked Gin and Han.

"Yeah" "Basically" Gin and Han answered.

"But hey, no need to feel bad about it, I recorded the moment for your sober self to enjoy!" Han said while showing Ryan his smartphone.

Ryan immediately took Han's phone and browse through the gallery folder, he found the latest video which was taken last night and opened the file. There was him, seated in expensive looking red couch, with a brunette girl who wore very little clothing dancing on top of him. Ryan swallowed when he saw that Han spoke the truth about the girl, Ryan certainly looking like he had a blast.

"You got moves girl…" Ryan on the video said.

"Oh you haven't seen anything yet darling, for handsome guy like you? Let me show you my special techniques!" The girl said while smiling seductively.

The girl then faced the opposite direction from Ryan, she sat on his lap before she started to aggressively shaking her plump ass in front of him. Han wolf whistled off screen while Gin could be heard chuckling, Ryan looked at the girl's rear part while grinning like a horny idiot-

"…Okay, I've seen enough" Ryan said as he deleted the video.

"What? Why!? That was a good memory!" Han asked confusedly.

"I got girl friends that will questioned me to no end if they found out about this!" Ryan said while scowling.

"Oh yeah, forgot about that…" Han said while frowning.

Now Ryan realized that this was Gin's apartment, he's only been here few times before but hangover did messed his mind for a bit…Gin dropped the shopping bag on the kitchen's counter, he took out the items he bought from the department store near the apartment and store it to his fridge or the cupboard.

"Anyway, I'm making breakfast. What do you guys want?" Gin asked Ryan and Han.

""Steak"" Ryan and Han automatically answered.

Gin stopped whatever he's doing in favor to staring both of his so called 'friends' with absolute disgust and annoyance painted on his face, the sheer audacity of both Ryan and Han to request that straight in the morning, toward him who was not exactly the greatest cook and the fact he didn't bought that kind of meat...

"…These cunts…I'm making a cheese toast then" Gin said then scoffed.

"Hey if you're going to just make one dish then don't give us an option!" Han said as he sat on the couch.

Gin get started by taking out the bread alongside the cheese packaging, Han get up and opened Gin's fridge and rummaged through it. The fridge had several eggs, beef package, milk cartoon, marshmallow packaging, apple juice cartoon, several fruits, some vegetables and some syrup bottles…

"Gin" Han said.

"What?" Gin asked while putting the cheese on the bread.

"You got no beer?" Han asked while looking at Gin.

"…You Germans and alcohol are inseparable, huh?" Gin looked at Han with half closed eyes.

"That's just stereotype!" Han retorted.

"Stereotype is based on facts damnit! Are you going to raid my fridge too!?" Han retorted back.

"Friends share with each other, am I right?" Han asked while wiggling his eyebrows.

"Hah…Open that lower cabinet, just don't take everything like you did when you played Battle Royale" Gin said as he continued cooking.

"Danke!" Han said while grinning.

"…I need to get dressed, where's my clothes?" Ryan asked Gin.

"Washing machine, you could borrow mine for a while" Gin said nonchalantly.

So now he got his clothes dirty too, can't one night with drinking ever goes right in his life? Nah, no way. Ryan just nodded his head as he hit the shower and took one immediately, he relished the stream of morning cold water caressing his skin and his body awakened immediately. His sleepiness gone in an instant but his headache were still there…Oh well, nothing Aspirin can't fix anyway. After rummaging Gin's wardrobe, Ryan found clothes and immediately equipped it then head back to the living room for breakfast.

"…Hey, why would we got banned from that place anyway?" Ryan asked Gin.

"I got involved in something with a girl that resulted us having a big fight with the other patrons" Gin explained as he preparing the last toast.

"…That explanation is awfully lack in detail!" Ryan said while frowning.

"It's Charlotte, our classmate. She was being harassed near the place, I got involved and yeah…things didn't end well" Gin said awkwardly.

Charlotte Dubois, a cute girl, with waist long straight dark blue hair, dark emerald eyes, had average height yet curvy body, C cup and somehow a girl that attractive didn't really stood up inside the class filled with forty beautiful girls…Yeah, she's a bit of a loner, who was great with sniper rifle that could rivaled Agus himself in terms of proficiency but she stood in the backlines for most of the time. That's why she's not that popular, The Vikings definitely had their eyes on her though…

"Does Han and I also got involved?" Ryan asked Gin.

"Naturally we do, we kicked ass last night dude! They should know better than to mess with Viking's top guns even when we're drunk! But that's the reason we got banned, apparently the harasser were the friends of the place's owner. Bit of ass licking and we're out on the streets" Han explained then sipped on his drink.

"I see and I'll say fuck them…How's Charlotte?" Ryan asked Gin again.

"She's fine, I had to come up with the most bullshit excuse about us being there though" Gin answered as he sat on the dining table.

"The most important question is, did she buy it?" Han asked Gin as he also sat.

"Doubtful, but she didn't ask any further so I guess we're safe" Gin said to Han.

The three of them start digging in to the toast that Gin made and enjoyed their delicious breakfast after a long night, both of them talked about mundane things while eating cheese toast and milk as a drink. The food was quite good, Gin certainly spend time in practice cooking the dish.

"…Anyway, what day is today?" Gin asked out loud.

"Huh? It's Monday, why do you ask?" Han asked back.

"Wait a second…that means our vacation is over…" Gin said as he realized something.

"""…FUCK!""" Ryan, Gin and Han shouted at the same time.

.

Victoria was teaching the class regarding the wars in history and right now she arrived at The Battle of Thermopylae, Ancient Greeks against Ancient Persians. Both forces were fearsome in their own might, Persians possessed vast invading army that consisted of soldiers coming from many regions they conquered while The Greeks, Victoria focused on the legendary Spartan Warriors. Its widely known that Battle of Thermopylae were one of the most famous last stand in history of warfare, three hundred Spartan warriors against an entire army? That's a stuff of legends.

She taught the students about the value of choke point in the battlefield, one who controlled it would be in huge advantage against incoming enemy forces. Granted, it's actually a lot harder to fight with that tactic nowadays due to the existence of aerial units but the basic principle could still works against ground and sea units.

The Spartans used a choke point called Hellgates to hold off a large army by forcing them to attack through a narrow passage that prevented them from being surrounded, if the Spartans could manage that well only with spears and shield? Imagine a modern day barricade with machine guns, mortars, cannons and missile launchers behind it?

Or if they don't have enough resources to put on strong defenses on a choke point, turning it into a trap was always a plausible strategy. There were lots of ways that could be implemented in trapping units on a choke point, it all depends on the planning and timing so the one who seek to trap their enemies must be cunning and fast. If you're the one who were trapped, then you need to think fast for a way out because you won't have long.

"Mrs. Victoria, what if the opponent are Honkai creatures?" Fuuka raised her hand and asked.

"All the more simple…Honkai creatures seemed to lack, what would you called it? Advanced coordination. They possessed no command unit among them, so far. That means their actions were quite predictable, have you noticed that their basic response was to kill anything they deemed as 'threat' on sight? That's the loophole you're looking for if you want to implement this tactic" Victoria answered Fuuka's question.

"I see, thank you" Fuuka said as she lowered her hand.

"But trapping and killing it are different story right? Valkyries like you girls could confront them head on but what about you boys as Vikings? There's a clear difference in how would The Valkyries and Vikings approached this situation, you may have a solid plan but like I said before, battlefield is an unpredictable place…even your most perfect plan could go wrong with the right condition" Victoria said to the students.

There's a sound of door knocking and everyone's attention turned toward the door, after Victoria gave affirmation that they could come in the door was opened. Ryan, Gin and Han entered the classroom wearing their uniforms but their face were tensed alongside Han having a bruised eye and gauze on his cheek.

…This was the first time they were late for class and by the god it's almost first recess time. Victoria folded her arms, her face clearly disapproved of them and the whole class were filled with murmuring of the students.

"Wow, they're late for Victoria's lesson? Brave or plain stupid?" Rahn said to his fellow Vikings.

"I'm sure there's a reason for this" Igor said calmly.

"What reason mate? Our three top commanders all late at the same time, it's not something you'll see every day" James said to Igor.

"Have to agree, those three also out of contact yesterday" Agus said to James.

"There he is! No wonder his apartment was empty" Kallen said out loud.

"With the two of them? Where have they been this morning?" Sakura asked out loud.

"Ryan, why do I have a feeling that you were drunk again?" Kiana muttered while frowning.

"Mou Ryan-kun, this won't do…" Mei said while frowning.

Igor just heard the girls said and he huffed in amusement, this had become his daily habit lately to observe the relations between these girls and his commander. There's a strange dynamic between them, did they attract each other like a magnet? Yes, but somehow it's been a month and there's not that much development…not the one's HE's aware of.

"Ryan, Gin, Han, I have several questions…First, what were the three of you thinking?! Where the three of you have been!? You three are supposed to be the example for others! It's almost recess time, I need some explanation here!" Victoria said menacingly.

"Yeah well, about that…We have no excuse whatsoever" Han said while cringing.

"Ho?" A tick mark appeared on Victoria's forehead.

"…We forgot its Monday" Gin simply replied.

"…Did you get permission from Ms. Murata to enter class?" Victoria asked menacingly.

"""…No""" Ryan, Gin and Han said simultaneously.

"…I commend you three for having balls to do this, really…I'll make sure the three of you regret what you're doing. We'll continue this later" Victoria said to the three of them.

Victoria was about to say another few words regarding the conduct done by the three of her most trusted Vikings but she couldn't because her phone beeped, it's a message indicator and she immediately opened it. Reading the content of the message sent by Theresa herself, she scrutinized her eyes before she exhaled to keep her frustration from showing on her face.

"Class dismissed for today, looks like you guys got extra twenty minutes for recess. That being said you three alongside Agus, Rahn, James, Igor, Kiana, Bronya, Mei, Kallen, Sakura and Fuuka. I need you all to head toward briefing room, now" Victoria said out loud.

Wordlessly, those who got their name called immediately made their way to the briefing room. There's only one explanation for this situation, something happened and they're needed for a mission. But only thirteen of them were called? Why? What kind of mission would they receive? Each of them got their own speculation…They reached the room and door to the briefing room was opened, Himeko stood at the entrance before she noticed the group standing and looking at her.

"Good, all of you are here. Get in, we'll start the meeting soon" Himeko told the group.

Everyone quickly made their way inside and sat in their chosen seats, Victoria and Theresa came in ten seconds later. Victoria had her usual composed professional face while Theresa could be seen clearly frowning, the door closed and Himeko got on the podium immediately to turn operate the holographic projector. Theresa cleared her throat, she looked at everyone who were present before she spoke.

"Morning everyone, I got bad news and really bad news" Theresa begun speaking.

"…I love this Monday morning already" Rahn said sarcastically.

"Me too honestly, it baffles me despite Soukai having 'Safe Haven' status this place always got involved in something that could give us a headache…First off, Himeko, if you would" Theresa said to Himeko.

Himeko operated the holographic projector and shown the entire room several pictures, there's a picture of document and several people dressed with forestland camouflage military uniform, wearing three holed balaclava and carrying AKEM14 Assault Rifle. One look on these guys, The Vikings immediately knew that they didn't belong to any countries armed forces. There's no nations flag and they somehow genuinely looked like a terrorist, but they carried some expensive gear…like that rifle.

"As a former member I believe you're familiar with these people and how they work, Lieutenant Igor" Theresa said to Igor.

Igor's eyes widened when he saw the pictures, flashes of memory came back as he took in every single detail of the photo. When he found a symbol of triangle with torch inside it behind the group photo, his eyes steeled and his lips scowled. Everyone looked at Igor, the boys only stare in understanding while the girls were a bit in a shock and that's because it's their first time hearing about Igor being a former terrorist.

"Yes, it's been a while" Igor said to Theresa.

"Then I'd like you to explain how would these people operates" Theresa said to Igor.

"…These people, Mountain Dragons are one of the deadliest terrorist group on the planet to exist today. They are brutal, merciless and will strive to reach their goals no matter the cost. Their end goals? Spread their religion around the earth, its animism type of religion where they worshipped the spirit of a dragon" Igor explained out loud.

"And you used to believe in all that?" Rahn asked Igor.

"Whoa, not cool mate! You can't just-" James said to Rahn while frowning.

"He's not wrong…I used to believe in them, but things were different now…Anyway, for a bunch of terrorist group they also has former special-forces member among them. You could be certain that they're trained by the best and that resulted in them being good in subterfuge action" Igor further explained while frowning too.

Himeko switched the photo taken on multiple site with people being blindfolded and gagged, a blown building, several corpse of UNAF soldiers and even so far as a hacked satellite array with electricity sparking around it. Those were the photos taken as proof of Mountain Dragon Terrorism Activity, The Valkyries took careful look on the pictures…They will face humans in next operation, not Honkai creatures.

"Bombing, hostage taking, cyber warfare and even direct combat, they're good in all of those" Igor said further.

"…Well, if they could turn you into a killing machine this good? I don't doubt their strength" Gin said to Igor.

"Agreed on that" Han said out loud.

"Our undercover operator didn't manage to get all the details, but here's what they got…There would be an attack on Soukai in two days, the attack is large scaled in nature with dozens of them participating and lastly…this may involve terror attacks" Theresa explained to them.

Terror attacks on Soukai, it's quite symbolic in many ways. Soukai was proclaimed as a safe haven by people around the world so terror attacks on it would be some sort of message that the place wasn't that safe, in other news Soukai were basically a military garrison filled with enough military power to protect themselves against Honkai creatures or large scale human military forces…attacking Soukai would send a message that they were powerful enough to attack big garrison and spread their influence.

"…What's their target, aunty?" Kallen asked Theresa.

"We are not one hundred percent certain yet, but we have a prediction on what will they target. There's a masquerade ball that will be held in two days, sponsored by Schicksal and Saint Freya students are all invited" Theresa said while smiling.

This got the students attention as all of their heads turned simultaneously toward Theresa…Masquerade Ball, a social event where everyone got to dress in their own nice dress with mask that could hide their true identity. That would mean everyone on that event could launch an attack then slip away easily, this would be a major hurdle in itself…

"Wait, a masquerade ball? In two days? Really? Aunty Theresa, this is quite sudden!" Kiana said to Theresa.

"And all of us were invited?" Sakura asked Theresa.

"Let me change that, its mandatory to attend" Theresa said while grinning.

"…Shit just got real when the headmistress said that herself" Ryan muttered to himself.

Everyone were invited…That means Ryan and his Vikings would also have to attend. Wait a minute, did Ryan even had a suit or a costume? Let him thought for a bit and imagined his wardrobe…Let's see, boxer, speedo, socks, long pants, short pants, shirt, t-shirt, hoodie and jacket…Well fuck, Ryan was certain that he didn't owned any kind of suit…Shopping after school it is.

"Schicksal Far Eastern HQ were the ones who insisted to continue on with the event, despite the warning that there could be a terrorist strike against us. They said that The Vikings and The Valkyries on Saint Freya would be suited for guard job, it seems they were impressed with your performance on Operation Dawnbreaker" Theresa explained while smirking.

"That's flattering and all, but all out combat against terrorist couldn't be done discreetly" Han said with half closed eyes.

"What's the function of weapon's suppressor then?" Theresa asked with half closed eyes too.

"What I mean is that every firefight we might have if they indeed targeted this event would be quite noisy even with suppressor" Han said to Theresa.

Yeah, sounds of explosives, shouting and people dying as they got shot were still loud enough to disturb an event as loud as a Masquerade ball. How would they even fought a terrorist strike that had enough potential to be in tomorrow news headline quietly in the middle of Soukai's downtown? Every Vikings in the room scrutinized their eyebrows, deep in thought on how will they even make that possible.

"We'll blast full orchestra music and soundproof the ballroom if we have to, let us handle those little details. We want you boys and girls to prepare yourselves for perimeter defense, we'll brief you the full plan alongside the teams tomorrow. Oh, before I forgot, dress nicely" Theresa said to them.

"…Dress nicely? On perimeter defense? You know we would feel better to at least wear a combat suit or armor or something?" Gin asked Theresa.

"Yes, it's a masquerade ball after all, don't forget the mask too. Worry about your dress for now, we'll sort the gear tomorrow" Theresa said while folding her arms.

"Schicksal Far Eastern HQ VIPs will be present at the same time in one location. You want to know my thoughts? This is one hell of a bait, of course they won't want to cancel the event, it's basically their lure and we're the fish hook" Victoria expressed her thought.

"I do get that feeling too. It's possible that this Mountain Dragon group would send large amount of troops, eliminating them in one fell swoop is surely a chance they won't want to waste" Himeko said to Victoria.

"Oh yeah boys, bring a date" Theresa said suddenly.

"""""""…A what?""""""" The Vikings stared at Theresa with widened eyes.

"You heard me, a date. Someone to accompany you that evening, feel free to bring whoever you want…Just bring one" Theresa said while smiling.

A date for the event? Now this was what they called 'immersion'. Bringing a date would mean they only have today and tomorrow if they're going to ask someone, with limited time and option they have? That would be quite the challenge. That being said, five of The Vikings secretly eyed Ryan who sat between Kiana and Kallen…that cunt won't have a problem, he got six girls around him that he could ask anytime.

"…Huh, what if you bring six at once?" Han asked while grinning.

"You'll gain instant legendary status" Theresa replied with half closed eyes.

"I'm down for it!" Han said out loud while grinning.

"I'm being sarcastic, Lieutenant Han! That will attract too much attention!" Theresa said while frowning.

"You got a point. I don't keen on leaving my date alone for the evening in case I had to go fight terrorist though" Han said while shrugging.

"Fine. Those who would be standing by outside the ballroom wouldn't have to bring one. For those who did, prepare yourselves" Theresa modified the rules a bit.

"And who are those that will be on standby in ball room?" Ryan asked Theresa.

"Igor, Han, Gin and you" Theresa said nonchalantly.

The mentioned Vikings looked at Theresa before looking at each other, the four of them were the ones who could be categorized as The Vikings who were quite versatile and able to adapt to any battlefield situations. It seemed Theresa had given the guard detail some thoughts already, but the real hurdle for them would be to find a date…

"…I sensed trouble ahead" Gin said out loud.

"You're quite perceptive eh?" Han asked sarcastically.

"And we, the girls doesn't have to bring a date?" Fuuka asked Theresa.

"You girls with your fellow Valkyries and several Vikings will join the guards, patrolling the area and helping them with security on the ballroom. For the four of you that I've mentioned, you will be stationed alongside the VIPs…For you girls who are chosen as a date, then you will also be stationed in the ballroom" Theresa further explained.

"And the VIPs are?" Mei asked Theresa.

"The Far Eastern HQ official and The Seven Freya Ladies" Theresa explained while smirking.

Every student in the room did a double back at the mention of that title, that means seven students safety's would be their main responsibilities alongside the top regional brass that decided to visit. Guarding one person was hard enough, how will they be able to protect such group? Not to mention, Theresa only put four men as the primary guards!

"Wait, what!?" Kallen blurted out.

"They're VIPs?" Sakura asked Theresa.

"Yes…Some of their parents were major fund contributors to Schicksal and important figures…They will represent their parents on the ball, attending alongside the officials" Theresa explained to them.

"…Han, you didn't know about this?" Ryan asked to Han who sat behind him.

"…Yeah, this one slipped from me" Han answered while frowning.

"That will be all for now, we'll send the details later" Theresa said to end the meeting.

.

"So, that's what's been plaguing me" Ryan said to Faina.

"Oh my, that's quite problematic…There's this one shop in downtown that might have some in stock, but I'm not sure if it still open or not tonight" Faina said with her left hand on her left cheek.

"I see, thanks for the info, manager" Ryan smiled to Faina.

"Anytime. It's not rush hour yet so take it easy, alright?" Faina said to Ryan.

"Will do" Ryan said with a thumbs up.

Faina smiled as she left the staff room while leaving Ryan seated with his work uniform, yeah as expected he's a bit in a bind on where's the best place to get suit and a mask as well…Ryan continue his musing that he didn't realize someone entered the room he's in, Clair was humming absentmindedly as she entered the staff room. After three second passed, Clair and Ryan both sensed each other presence and looked at each other…

"…Hey there, it seems you're doing fine already" Clair said to Ryan.

"Oh, yeah. H-Hey, listen…It looks like I've did something horrible to you few days ago, Clair…I'm sorry" Ryan said while smiling awkwardly.

"Well I wouldn't call it horrible" Clair said as she opened her locker.

"Huh?" Ryan was taken aback.

"I got kissed by a handsome guy which I admit have attraction to, why would I hate that?" Clair asked without looking at Ryan.

"Huh? Wait, what? You're serious?" Ryan asked in surprised tone.

…Did Clair just confessed to him? No, Ryan felt that he jumped the gun with that thought. She said she's interested in him, that doesn't mean Clair was attracted to him romantically or even love him, right? But yeah, Clair was definitely the boldest girl he ever met, Kiana came in second as these girls weren't afraid to show their emotions and intentions. Ryan was about to continue when he noticed that Clair started taking her clothes off…

"…I'm still here, you know?" Ryan said to Clair.

"So?" Clair asked as she grabbed her working uniform.

"Don't you feel embarrassed?" Ryan asked Clair, his eyes can't helped but wander.

"It's just my underwear, it didn't bother me that much. Besides, I'm giving you a free show. Don't you find me attractive, Ryan?" Clair asked Ryan.

And she did that while looking back with smug smile on her face alongside posing a little, Ryan found that to be hot enough to get him started sweating for a bit. He'll admit that Clair was a hot babe, she's beautiful, she got modest chest, accentuated curves, supple ass, shaped thighs…Oh man, the longer he stare the more he sensed something's ready to fire and it's not his M1911H hand cannon.

"Only blind guy would say no to this view, your bold and daring personality also a plus" Ryan commented while smirking.

"Good. Then I still have fighting chance" Clair said while smiling and turning around.

…Now Ryan was even more confused, fighting chance against what? Why would she need a fighting chance for? Man, girls were confusing sometimes. Ryan wasn't the one to waste this opportunity though, he continued to stare from behind as Clair put on her working attire. He was so tempted to take out his phone and snapped a picture, but he won't take chances after what happened between her and him few days ago.

"You also slapped me few days ago when I kissed you, Clair" Ryan said awkwardly.

"That's because I hated it when you do it so thoughtlessly…If you're going to kiss me, then do it after you think about it thoroughly…Now, we're good with that incident, yes?" Clair asked Ryan while smiling a bit.

"If you're fine with it, then so do I" Ryan answered as he relented.

"Perfect. Now let's get out there before Faina chew us both" Clair said as she took his right hand and dragged him to exit.

Ryan smiled and nodded his head as a respond, both Clair and Ryan exited the staff room and head to the restaurant area to earn their paychecks. Ryan find his work as a waiter as a nice change of pace for him, he could alleviate some tense from his daily routine. Serving dishes to customers compared to serving bullets to a target, interacting while smiling with customers compared to shouting orders in middle of gunfire storm. Ah…peaceful.

"Ryan-kun, we'd like to order!" Someone said.

"Coming!" Ryan answered while smiling.

His eyes widened a bit when he saw Mei, Kiana, Bronya, Kallen and Sakura seated near the entrance with Mei waving and smiling at him. All of them wearing their casual clothes already…Ryan walked towards them, he smiled as one thing popped in his head…easy money. How? Well, the audience will know soon the one cheap trick to get easy money. Businessman hate them for this!

"Let me guess. Three iced tea, one cappuccino, one coffee, one hamburger steak extra-large, one spaghetti, one fried rice with chicken breast, one pancake with honey and one chicken soup" Ryan said while grinning.

"…Ryan-kun, that's quite presumptuous" Mei said with half closed eyes.

Now that derailed his thoughts and fantasy as Ryan stared back at Mei with widened eyes…Did you know why Ryan was so confident in listing all of those? Basically, out of 9 to 10 visit conducted by the girls he knew and seated on this table? They will order specifically those items!

"Eh? Really? None of those hit the spot!?" Ryan asked with widened eyes.

"Except for the drinks, you got everything wrong" Sakura answered while smiling amusedly.

"We'd like to try something new today!" Kallen said while grinning.

"Ha! Pay up, Ryan!" Clair said from behind.

"Man, I'm so regretting saying that" Ryan said while scowling.

"You two were betting?" Mei asked to Clair.

"Yeah, it's an employee tradition on Celestial Clarity. Anyone who can guess the customer orders correctly would earn easy money, we could only do that to our regulars though" Clair explained to the girls.

That's the little game that existed between employee on Celestial Clarity, Faina was reluctant to let this idea ran but seeing this could improve the working spirit and kept things interesting she eventually allowed it. With several rules that the employee could only do this to a regular and the amount they bet would not exceed twenty credits, the game had run for two years at least and so far so good.

"…Ryan, have Ryan thought on who will Ryan take as a date?" Bronya asked Ryan.

The whole restaurant filled with mostly ladies immediately fell silent at that question being thrown at Ryan, he looked around to notice the sudden noise absence before the patrons returned to their own business in matter of two seconds. The man in question could also only smile wryly pondering his own answer, guessed he chose to go with the truth.

"Yeah, I'm still thinking about it" Ryan answered while smiling a bit.

"Is it for The Masquerade Ball that'll be held in two days? Well you could've asked me, Ryan" Clair said to Ryan while smirking.

"Hahahahaha…Ah, Clair, sorry but maybe next time. This would heavily involve the combat division, so I'll have to pick my date carefully" Ryan said apologetically.

"Ah…with Schicksal HQ official coming here and Principal Theresa telling me to keep the list of attendance a secret, so it does involve our combat division" Clair said as she looked at The Valkyries.

"At least you knew that security would be tight. I could only bring one girl" Ryan said out loud.

"You said this involved the combat division. Who would you like your date to be?" Mei asked Ryan.

Mei asked a very good question…Ryan already settled the thought about bringing a date but he's adamant that his date should at least knew how to fight, they might face an assassin so he'd like his date to be less dependent on him for protection and that would allow him more ease when he have to protect the VIPs…the question remains, who to take?

"…We're about to be VIP guard, with possible assassin appearing before us…Then I would need someone specialized in unarmed close quarter combat, but could be taken away from the guards rooster without jeopardizing the overall guard composition" Ryan said his thoughts.

"…What the hell are you talking about?" Clair asked with cocked eyebrows.

"Who to bring…Ah! Kallen! Date me!" Ryan said as he stared at Kallen.

"Sure…Eh!? Mich?!" Kallen was shocked that she spoke German for a bit.

"Sorry, that came out a bit wrong but yes. I'm asking you to be my date for the event" Ryan said to Kallen with serious face.

"Did I really fit that criteria you're looking for!?" Kallen asked Ryan, her cheeks reddened for a bit.

"Yeah! Bringing Mei and Sakura would took away our blade fighters, Bronya is surely required to help with technological monitoring, Fuuka surely needed on the frontline and Kiana…I was in dilemma between you and Kallen but then I remembered Kiana might be needed as sniper over watch, your accuracy were quite good so taking you will be a great loss" Ryan said to the girls.

According to him, that's a reasonable hypothesis on why should he brought Kallen as his date instead the other girls. Kallen was proficient with handgun, she's more than good with her close quarter combat techniques and she's definitely able to take on any kind of adversary. Overall, she's balanced across the board so she will definitely suit him as his partner for the evening…But yeah, the other girls looked at him with unhappy face.

"…I know it'll end like this" Mei said while smiling bitterly.

"…Ryan only thought about this tactically" Bronya said with a small frown.

"…Shame it's the case" Sakura said as she looked away to the window.

"…Why do I feel happy yet disappointed at the same time?" Kiana said as she scowled.

"Come on, Kiana. He implied there will be another chance in the future" Clair said while grinning.

"Um…sorry about this" Ryan cringed awkwardly.

""""Fine…"""" Mei, Sakura, Bronya and Kiana replied.

"…What do you say, Kallen? Up for dressing nicely and maybe preventing some big shot dying like in those dramas?" Ryan asked Kallen while smiling.

"Since you asked nicely…Yes, looking forward to it" Kallen replied while smiling.

.

…Two days went by fast and the time has come for The Masquerade Ball to start, the event currently held in a ten-story large multipurpose building at downtown area of Soukai. Hundreds of people started converging on the area as sun had started to set in the west, as the guest taking in the marvel of the extravagantly decorated building, the mouth-watering smell of the freshly cooked food laid out in buffet style, drink fountains that were filled with sweet wine laid out in all corner of the large room, the orchestra band was raring to show off their skill, it will be a pleasant night for sure.

But for those who worked behind the scene? Things had been hectic for the last two hours. The kitchen were still busy as they kept producing food, the committee in charge of the event kept going back and forth to make sure everyone and equipment's working in order and the local security team had been constantly on alert for anything suspicious. Soon, the VIPs would arrive and that's when Task Force Terra would be needed.

…Kallen checked herself for one last time in the mirror of her apartment, she took one long look at herself. She put on light make up, accentuating her already rosy colored lips and light blue eyes. Every straight man that looked at her would probably said she's one hell of a beautiful girl, Kallen then look on her outfit. Her outfit was (Shit, I'm no good at explaining her clothes. For reference of her clothes visualization? You guessed it, just take a look at her Sixth Serenade Valkyrie suit, it's basically the same thing) a reminiscence of Renaissance Era nobility clothes alongside a black bird mask.

To tell the truth, this clothes was actually the clothes her mother sew for her graduation drama play back on middle school. It still fits her well so why not use it for this masquerade ball? It fits the theme quite well…Kallen started to wonder about her date for tonight, what will he use as his costume she wondered? Perhaps a gallant prince like costume? Nobility clothes would fit him nicely in Kallen's opinion, she do hope it'll be the case because then their costume would fit with each other. Suddenly, the front door was knocked.

"Coming!" Kallen said as she walked.

Kallen opened the door and she fell into silence after that, all because what she saw in front of her. There stood her date for tonight, Ryan Taurus wearing Victorian era gentleman dress with black cape, a walking cane and a top hat. He wore half opera mask with smile on its lips and colored black to fit in with the rest of his dark clothing, his hair was combed into neat slick back style…He certainly put some time into his dress.

"Evening my dear, you look gorgeous" Ryan said while smiling.

"Well, well, you look handsome yourself. Looks like our outfit matched even without any planning huh?" Kallen said to Ryan.

"Yeah, I was surprised too…Oh well, shall we go?" Ryan asked Kallen.

"Mhm, let's go" Kallen said as she grabbed her small handbag and locked the apartment.

Both of them proceeded to walk out of the apartment, with Ryan taking hold of her hand. Kallen gasped in surprise but she let him, this doesn't feel bad at all. Ryan was showing confidence on his face but deep down he was confused at himself when he suddenly took Kallen's hand before leading her outside…oh well, Kallen doesn't seemed to mind so he'll go along.

"Where's Sakura, Kallen?" Ryan asked her.

"She already went on ahead, meeting up with Mei and the rest near school" Kallen answered.

"I see…Well the place is a bit far on downtown, let's take a ride" Ryan said to Kallen.

"Hmm? You have a ride?" Kallen asked Ryan.

"Yeah, I rarely got any use for it though" Ryan said as he stopped in front of a car.

In front of them was a crimson red Mazda RX-8 sedan parked on the apartment parking lot, now Kallen widened her eyes in realization. So this was Ryan's car? She always wondered on who owned this car as it's parked here most of the time, why did Ryan never got out using this car? Ryan unlocked the door and both of them went inside. Everything still looks new, there's no decoration whatsoever.

"All of this still new" Kallen commented.

"Yeah, because I rarely used it" Ryan said as he revved the engine on.

"Why?" Kallen asked Ryan.

"Never go out too far from apartment anyway…But I do kept it washed regularly" Ryan said to Kallen.

But the maintenance was quite a hassle, he didn't really have much money to begin with. The story went like this…Ryan arrived at Soukai with an apartment and a car waiting for him, from Schicksal themselves who maybe felt like since his their asset now they want to make him as comfortable as possible. But unfortunately, the apartment was quite noisy and Ryan opted to move out after few months enduring the nonsense…he kept the car obviously.

The ride to downtown was filled with ambience slow jazz music that Ryan set on the car radio, Kallen leaned on her seat and subtly gazed on his face…His wound that was stitched already starting to heal faster, how did that happen? She guessed Ryan was the type that got his wound healed quicker than average person. It won't be long before they could take out the thread, but that face would never returned to its original smoothness without help…

Kallen looked down on her feet…she suffered some injuries too in the past mission but her skin managed to return to normal with Schicksal latest medical care. Ryan had all the chances he got and still he decided to postponed the treatment until his wound completely closed up…When Kallen asked for his reason, he simply answered 'Let this serve as a reminder of my mistake for a bit. I'll get it fixed later after the skin close naturally'.

The car stopped in front of a building, both Ryan and Kallen got out of the car and stared at the ten-story building on the other side of the road. This building would be the place where the event will be held, almost a thousand people will come to this place. Unfortunately, this wasn't a real date for the two of them because they will participate in a mission and their dress was for the sake of immersion…Still, Kallen would like to immerse that she's on a date for tonight just a bit…at least until the illusion shattered by the terrorist.

"Ah good, you're both here. Let's get started immediately" Himeko said to Ryan and Kallen.

Inside the designated large safe room Ryan and Kallen were the last member to arrive on site, everyone already present and stared at Himeko who stood in front of the podium about to brief Task Force Terra of their mission. Kallen glanced around and saw that everyone already on their own costumes. There were total of fourteen Vikings who were healthy enough to perform a mission and thirty Valkyries gathered in the room, quite a guarding force they got here.

"I will go over with tonight's plan, we'll commence Operation Hollow Gate in less than ten minutes so I want everyone to pay attention" Himeko said out loud.

"You heard her guys, gather around!" Someone said.

Ryan looked at the person who said that and he's surprised to saw Namira wearing aqua colored strapless dress while carrying her mask on her left hand, she looked around when she noticed Ryan stared at her in surprise which she replied by waving casually at him. Everyone huddled close to the podium, Himeko made sure everyone paid attention to her before she continued.

"Alright, I'll brief us on the mission tonight. Our mission is consisted of two primary objectives, guarantee the safety of our VIPs and secure the civilians in case of major terrorist attack. If the attack happened, our priority is to get the VIPs out of here and secure the civilians whatever the cost. Be sure to remember the evacuation route and exit points, if gunshot erupts I guarantee that room will be a chaotic mess within seconds" Himeko said to her operatives.

There's a lot of speculation and theory on how will the attack proceed tonight, that resulted in a lot of thought up countermeasures. But their primary focus would be the safety of the VIPs and the civilians, at the same time they won't want to create panic and have the guest ran away from the event…That means this mission was needed to be kept under wraps.

"All of you already got your positions and roles, stick to it until situation demand you to leave it. Stay vigilant, anticipate any kind of threats and don't let your guard down...Let's get this done and go home, everyone get me?" Himeko asked out loud.

""""""""""Yes ma'am!"""""""""" Everyone on the room answered.

"Major Murata, it's me. We're inbound from the airport, Estimated Time of Arrival is ten minutes" Victoria contacted Himeko on the radio.

"Understood. Any change of plans?" Himeko asked Victoria.

"Wait a moment…Sitrep, Lens One…Understood, Code Yellow…Yes, change of plans, Major. Our Intel just pinged us, we'll use route C, Code Yellow" Victoria said to Himeko.

"Roger that, Major. See you in ten…Did you get that? Code Yellow, get to your positions everyone. Operation Hollow Gate is a go! Move it people!" Himeko barked her orders.

Task Force Terra, consisted of forty-four operators saluted at Himeko before dispersing to their position to fulfill their roles. Ryan approached Namira who just stored her spear into her phase shifter that she must've hid somewhere Ryan couldn't see, he was glad to see that Namira was healthy and that the bridge explosion few days ago didn't cripple her in anyway.

"Namira, good to see you alright" Ryan said while smiling.

"Just some nasty bruises and got my back burned for a bit, nothing too lethal. I still got a lot of fight in me" Namira said while grinning.

"I see…be careful alright? And Good luck on this one" Ryan said seriously while nodding.

"You too, Ryan. But it seems I'll need it more than you, this is your specialization" Namira said while smiling at him.

"Don't worry, you'll do well if what I heard about you were true" Ryan said to encourage her.

"Fufufufu, thanks for the compliment…Let's just do our best" Namira said before she offered her right fist.

"Agreed. See you" Ryan bumped his left fist with hers while smiling.

Ryan met with Kallen on the way out of the room, he offered his left arm to her and she took it while smiling knowingly. Both of them then approached the enclosed ballroom, after confirming they're included in the VIP list and the fact they're the guards too, the local security personnel opened the door that lead to the ballroom. Both Kallen and Ryan put on their mask, its show time.

The orchestra band was already in full swing when they entered the ballroom, some people already dancing in the large space surrounded by round tables. People mingled on all over the room, most of them were talking, some enjoying the food and drinks while others just stood still or walking around the room minding their own business…Kallen looked around her, it looks like Ryan and her managed to get the attention of nearby people with their dress...She smirked a bit, their dress was definitely on point.

"Igor, Adriana" Ryan suddenly said that Kallen was startled.

"Ryan" Igor replied.

"Ah, Ryan. It's been a while, oh your face!" Adriana said as she covered her gaping mouth.

"Yeah, a souvenir I brought back home" Ryan said while smiling bitterly.

Igor and Adriana approached Ryan and Kallen who just entered the ballroom, Kallen put on some polite smile as she stared at Igor who wore a tux with zorro mask and Adriana who wore grey dress with white mask on her face. Who was this girl? She's definitely Igor's date for tonight but what's her real relationship with him? Though asking that wouldn't make a good impression.

"Please be careful next time, don't ruin that handsome face of yours. Which reminds me you haven't told me what happened during that mission, Igor" Adriana said to Ryan then Igor.

"Moya zhena Adrianna, I couldn't exactly tell you everything, Schicksal has tight regulation for this" Igor said as he frowned.

"Still I would like some explanation, don't leave your wife in the dark like this, Igor" Adriana said as she put on her right index finger on Igor's chest.

"…Da, da. When we get home, khoroso?" Igor relented as he put his hands on Adriana's shoulder.

"Khoroso" Adriana answered while smirking.

"Ah, right. Adrianna, meet my date for tonight. This girl is Kallen Kaslana" Ryan introduced Kallen to Adriana.

"My, what a beauty you brought tonight! I'm Adrianna Kamarov, it's nice to meet you Ms. Kallen" Adriana greeted Kallen while smiling.

"Thank you and likewise! I'm Kallen Kaslana, Igor's classmate. So you're Igor's wife, you're quite beautiful as well" Kallen said while also smiling.

"Oh thanks. Say, why don't we grab some drinks and might as well have some lady talk?" Adriana asked Kallen.

"I'll take on the offer" Kallen said while smiling.

"Splendid! Well boys, see you in a bit" Adriana said as she took Kallen's hand and set off.

""Sure…"" Ryan and Igor said simultaneously.

Both girls headed for the buffet table leaving Ryan and Igor standing in the middle of the room being gawked by group of girls, they will wait patiently for their respective dates but in the meantime, they opted to sat on the nearest table and effectively booking it.

"…Fancy outing eh?" Ryan said to Igor.

"This is not just some fancy outing, Ryan. It's also an escort mission for Task Force Terra, Vikings and Valkyries Joint Operation" Igor said to Ryan.

"I know that already. Loosen up a little, Igor. This is a party" Ryan said to Igor with cocked eyebrows.

"…Yeah…I guess I'm just nervous, surely they will recognize me easily" Igor said as he scanned the room.

"Doesn't matter. Just leave none alive and that should solve your identity issue" Ryan said to Igor.

"Heh…you're a bit too casual, tovarisch" Igor stared at Ryan amusedly.

"What can I say? It's a ball. When in Rome, do as The Romans do. I'm just trying to enjoy the moment before all hell break loose" Ryan said while shrugging.

Igor nodded his head as he stared at his wife and Kallen talking about something near the buffet table, both of them laughing and smiling while talking about something…It's been a while since Igor saw Adriana talking animatedly like that, it looks like they could become fast friends…Kallen seemed like the person that could befriend anybody if she wanted to, Adriana also naturally a friendly and open person…well, this was a natural outcome.

"…it's a good thing I've brought her here" Igor suddenly said.

"Adriana? Maybe…why did you ask her to come with you in the first place? You do know the state of our mission?" Ryan asked Igor.

"Lately she's been working a bit too much, we're a bit tight on money this week. Add to the fact I've gone missing for two days in previous mission…I brought her here so she could enjoy herself, she could still fight despite her condition but…Maybe it's just my selfishness as a husband, I just want my wife to take a break" Igor said to Ryan.

"That proved you cared about her, I see nothing wrong with that. It's your duty to remind her if she's pushing herself too much, what caring husband want his wife to collapse from over exhaustion? Just don't overthink it, I'm sure she appreciate what you've did for her sake" Ryan said to Igor while smiling a bit.

"Vozmozhno…Da, spasibo tovarisch" Igor said while smiling widely.

"You're welcome. You're using Russian a lot tonight" Ryan noted as he leaned back on his seat.

"Just felt like it because this event reminds me of home for a bit, back before I was indoctrinated by Mountain Dragons I went to this kind of event too" Igor confessed as he also leaned on his seat.

"I see" Ryan nodded his head.

Ryan just now got a little insight on how did Igor experienced his life as a husband, despite how he acted and how brutal he can be to his enemies it was clear that his wife was always on his mind and he loved her so much. He didn't show it, he didn't said it but it was clear in his interaction with her. Ryan wished the big guy the best of luck, he'll need it…especially if they're planning for kids.

"Ah mein freunde! There you are!" Han said as he approached them.

"Huh…Whoa, you do have a date tonight" Ryan said as he saw a girl behind Han.

"Naturlich! Threresa said so! She's Bella Fastoria, my date for tonight. Bella, these two here are Ryan Taurus and Igor Kamarov, my brothers in arms" Han introduced the girl.

The girl was beautiful…come to think of it, Ryan thought that Soukai was filled with beautiful girls…eh, it's not like he minded that fact. Bella Fastoria was one of The Seven Freya Ladies who possessed waist long white hair complemented with two side braids, her skin was pale white, her ocean blue eyes looked gentle, with E cup boobs and plump ass complimenting her…Whoa, Han sure knew his taste.

"Pleased to meet you two, please call me Bella" Bella said while smiling gently.

"Wait. Bella…Fastoria? Why do I get a feeling one of your parents spend a bit too much time on mobile games?" Igor suddenly asked.

"Hm? Oh, yes, my father do fancy that ship girls game. Coincidentally, Belfast was my nickname. They said I resemble her too, it's all one big coincidence" Bella explained to Igor.

"You're one of The Seven Freya Ladies, I've heard a bit about you from Han" Ryan said while smiling too.

"Really? What exactly you've told them?" Bella asked Han while smirking.

"That you're the prettiest girl I ever laid my eyes on, with the sweetest smile and great personality? Ja, just the truth" Han said with the most serious face he ever put on his usual goofy face.

"Han Muller, you flatterer" Bella said, a tint of red could be seen on her cheeks.

"I have my moments" Han replied suavely while winking.

…Ryan and Igor looked at each other and they strived hard not to cringed on the sight of the persona Han was using…Han was known among them to be the goofy bastard with smart brain but had tendency to do stupid things for the lols, did any of them ever saw him dating someone? No, this was the first time and this image shattering event really put Igor and Ryan out of the loop…Yeah, discovering your friend's new side weren't always comfortable.

Igor nudged at Ryan's waist and Ryan did the same to Igor, both looked at each other before Igor sighed and nodded his head. Igor approached Bella and started asking her questions while Ryan grabbed Han by his vest and walked few steps away before he began his interrogation, Ryan will get to the bottom of this one way or another.

"…Okay, I need some explanation. How did you manage to ask one of them to go as your date?" Ryan asked Han.

"I could only bring plus one with me…A partner, a date, for tomorrow's masquerade ball…just one girl…Try combination of that alongside impulsive decision and suicidal tendencies so here we are, I've known her for two weeks already. I also think being the date for one of the VIPs would make the job easier, no? Beside, she's the one I'm interested out of the other girls…" Han confessed truthfully.

"…You gave out some dastardly advice three days ago about these girls and me, Han" Ryan said while frowning.

"I'm kidding about that, there's no way you got the balls to do it!" Han said with cocked eyebrows.

"Ho? What did you just said?" Ryan squinted his eyes.

"Besides, if you really serious about it then I would declare war on you in a heartbeat to win Bella over…I'm not joking" Han looked at Ryan with serious face.

Han was a human nonetheless, him having feelings for a girl then asking her out on a date was an understandable action. Though, he went straight for the high class girl…Oh well, it's his choice and if he fucked up then let's hope it won't impacted The Vikings overall reputation. Ryan took Han's left shoulder, patted it before staring at him with eyes lack of conviction for the words he's about to say.

"Huh, good thing I was sensible person…Good luck to you man…just take it nice and slow" Ryan said to Han.

"Of course I will, who do you think I am?" Han asked with cocked eyebrows.

"Hormonal Bastard Beast?" Ryan answered with half closed eyes.

"Hee hoo, hold the fuck up! What makes you say that?!" Han looked really offended with that sentence.

"…You're attitude for the past month! If you want to get serious with her, be my guest but for fuck sake get your act together outside the academy, Han…Don't toy with her feelings nor make trouble for her, wakattaka omae?" Ryan said with serious face.

Han was about to retort before his eyes widened in realization, Ryan did not joke about this one…He seriously telling Han to get his shit together if he want to proceed with this path, lot of things were at stake…If he did proceed with this path, then he would need to stop messing around. Bella didn't deserve the fallout for the dastardly act he had committed these past few days or in the future…His action would no longer only affect himself.

"…Point taken, will do sir" Han answered with serious face.

Ryan only smiled in satisfaction and slapped Han's back, the said man was startled before he also smiled for a bit then the both of them joined Igor and Bella who were still in the middle of a conversation. A ping on the ear plug radio alerted the three Vikings, looks like someone would be giving a report on the current situation.

"Guard One. This is Oversight, the VIPs have arrived" It's Kiana who said that on the radio.

"Excellent. Including the ladies?" Ryan asked Kiana on the radio.

"Yeah, they're entering the building now. They're yours, we'll continue to monitor the perimeter, Oversight out" Kiana said to Ryan on the radio.

Bella head over to the designated VIP seat while the three Vikings prepared to receive the others coming their way, Ryan, Han and Igor checked on their attire and made sure nothing was amiss. What kind of important person will they meet tonight? Ryan did hope they won't be a troublesome person, he really didn't want to include 'silencing your objectives' as one of his activity tonight…

"Ready to meet them commander? The Seven Freya Ladies?" Han asked Ryan.

"Yeah…we'll represent The Vikings so let's tone down the barbarism for a bit" Ryan said to Han.

"Aren't we supposed to be barbaric?" Han asked back with cocked eyebrows.

"Not during refined party such as this!" Ryan retorted with serious face.

The VIPs appeared before them but one person was far ahead the others and walking side by side with Victoria who wore light green dress, that person had almost the same green hair as Ryan. Ryan eyes widened for a bit, he looked at the woman carefully and spotted that she had maroon colored eyes. He dropped his shoulder slightly at the revelations, but nevertheless he pull himself back up and went to greet the both of them.

"Ah, The Vikings! I've always wanted to meet you boys in person, the tales I've heard were quite inspiring. My name's Maya Koizumi, I'm the head of Far Eastern Schicksal Division" Maya said while smiling.

"Nice to meet you Koizumi-san, I'm Ryan Taurus. Here's my fellow Vikings, Han Muller and Igor Kamarov" Ryan said to Maya.

"I see. Good evening gentlemen, how does the night fare?" Maya asked Han and Igor.

"It's still young, but I'm glad it's enjoyable so far" Han pulled off a diplomatic smile.

"What he said" Igor simply said, his face remain stoic.

"Splendid. Let's enjoy this night, shall we" Maya said while smiling.

"Please follow me to our seat. You boys, join in once your date is done with their business" Victoria said to them.

"""Yes ma'am""" Ryan, Han and Igor said simultaneously.

Victoria and Maya moved to the designated VIP seating, it didn't took long until Kallen and Adriana returned to their position. There they met Bella and another conversation started, why did girls always took so long when chatting like this? Kallen noticed the boys were getting restless while looking at the VIP seats, she suggested they continued the talk later then all of them started walking away.

"Hey Ryan, is that our VIP?" Kallen asked Ryan.

"Yeah…but something's not right" Ryan said to Kallen.

"What do you mean?" Kallen asked again.

"She's but one lady, Theresa said 'officials' two days ago…where are the others?" Ryan said to Kallen.

"Right...Command, this is Guard Two. Is there only one official for tonight?" Kallen contacted Himeko.

"Yes, Guard Squad, change your radio to Channel Six temporarily" Himeko said on the radio.

So there's some details that weren't told to them, guessed they're not high ranking enough to know. That reminded Ryan, where's Theresa? She never intended to participate in this ball didn't she? If she did, she would already be present right now…

"As you might already aware, this is a decoy operation. The other officials would be meeting elsewhere" Himeko said on the radio.

"…Really? But the head of Far Eastern branch is here! If they are meeting somewhere else, why leave the main head here?" Kallen asked Himeko.

"If you're going to set a trap, then the bait must be convincing. Apparently, she's also the mother of one of our VIPs, Ayane Koizumi" Himeko further explained.

"…Say what?" Ryan blurted out.

"Yeah, I also just knew about this. Stay to the plan, Guard Squad" Himeko said then disconnected.

…So Maya had a daughter that coincidentally was one of The Seven Freya Ladies, how could this detail slipped them? Ryan started to feel uncomfortable with how many things that he didn't know about tonight's mission. He's awfully lacked in knowing the details such as who were the VIPs tonight…Why did this happen? The mission briefing yesterday did not involve background check for these VIPs for god sake. Ryan took mental note to address this issue so this won't happen in the future…

"Kallen, I just realized this" Ryan suddenly said.

"What is it?" Kallen asked curiously.

"I don't know how to dance" Ryan confessed.

"Huh? Really?" Kallen eyes widened in surprise.

"Yeah, this is my first ball. I've did folklore dance back during middle school, but not European Waltz or something like that" Ryan said to Kallen.

This got Kallen to did a double back for a bit, Ryan didn't have any trouble with anything as far as she knew him…but it turns out he did have something that he's not skilled at, that's quite refreshing to say the least. Kallen had presumed Ryan could be thrown into any kind of situation and he'll be alright…It's good that he won't be thrown into any mission that require him to blend in by dancing when she's not around.

"...Fufufufu" Kallen giggled at the thought.

"Gee, good to know you find this funny" Ryan said while smiling uncomfortably.

"No, you didn't have any trouble with displaying your skills so far. It's quite unexpected to know you didn't know how to dance" Kallen smirked a bit.

"Huh…well, I suppose you could give me a quick course when we have to dance?" Ryan asked Kallen.

"Easy. I've did this since elementary school, you're in good hands" Kallen said then winked.

"Nice" Ryan exclaimed.

They reached the VIP table and met the other VIPs who already arrived earlier but choose to mingle with the other guest, Han was right because these girls definitely earned their title. There's six of them currently approaching the seat, all dressed beautifully. Ryan noticed that Adriana subtly pinched Igor's left waist while pouting, he chuckled at the scene which earned him a subtle glare from Igor.

"Hey Ryan, Kallen. You two are the definition of those crime drama's characters" Clair said as she approached them.

"Thanks Clair, you look good yourself" Kallen replied.

"Haha, and you're the depiction of prom queen" Ryan replied smoothly.

"Oh please, my dress is not that extravagant" Clair said to Ryan.

"Maybe, but I'm talking about the gorgeous lady instead of the dress" Ryan said while winking.

"Whoa, thank you handsome devil" Clair smiled mischievously.

The three of them seated themselves alongside the others, Kallen however kept her eyes on Ryan. She's furrowing her brows and she's pouted, wasn't she's the date for tonight? Then why did Ryan flirt with the other girl? This might not be a real date because of the mission…but it didn't hurt to at least pretend…Ryan sensed Kallen was staring at him, he saw her looking like that so he asked.

"What?" Ryan asked while being clueless.

"Nothing…" Kallen said while looking away.

But Ryan was not a complete bumbling idiot when it comes to read the mood, although he's not a Casanova who could always tell what's a girl thinking (Bullshit, this creature doesn't exist!) he at least knew when he fucked up. He knew Kallen was upset with him, but why…Ah shit, he flirted with Clair blatantly in front of her. She's his date for tonight even if this wasn't a real date, he should treat her better.

"Hey Kallen" Ryan called her.

"Yeah?" Kallen responded without looking.

"Sorry about before" Ryan said while smiling apologetically.

"…Huh, you're not that dense" Kallen looked at Ryan while smiling amusedly.

"Actually I was being presumptuous but glad I got the mark…How can I make up to you?" Ryan asked Kallen.

"Hmm…let me save that favor for later, this ball limited what I can request to you" Kallen said while smirking.

"Oh, if that's how you want to play it…Guard Three, where are you?" Ryan asked on the radio.

Guard Three or Gin Yamato for his name was currently standing on third floor inner balcony of the ballroom, he surveyed the whole room before he spotted Ryan alongside the others already seated on the VIP table. Gin was dressed in white suit, white pants and black shoes. He wore basic white mask that only covered his upper face part…

"…On the western balcony, I've got the whole room surveyed" Gin said to Ryan.

"Anything suspicious?" Ryan asked Gin.

"You're asking me to scan almost a thousand people here, it's a bit hard. I got the VIP table within my sight though" Gin said to Ryan.

"Come down here then, we'll begin the event shortly. By the way, did you bring a date?" Ryan asked Gin.

"Roger…Well, that's a bit complicated. I'll see you there, out...Ayane, let's head down" Gin said to someone behind him.

"Huh?" Ayane said suddenly.

"Your Okaa-sama is here. You need to greet her" Gin further said.

That someone was Ayane Koizumi, a girl with shoulder length green hair and amethyst colored eyes stared at Gin. Any bystander would most likely gossiped about this if there's anyone around them right now, the balcony on the third floor of the western side was devoid of anyone else other than the two of them. Gin was about to walk toward the stairs before he felt something grabbed his hand.

"Oh no, we're not done with our talk yet!" Ayane said to Gin.

"You want to talk about that here?" Gin asked Ayane.

"Yes before you disappear again! Gin, answer me truthfully! You stayed behind when you supposed to evacuate, you survived all of that fiasco on Japan for two years and you knew I'm going to Soukai…Why? Why do you took so long to search for me? I'm waiting all these years for you! I'm worried when I heard the news! So why!?" Ayane relentlessly asked Gin.

…Gin could safely said, what a clusterfuck he got himself into. A bit of history lesson, Gin and Ayane knew each other since they were in elementary school. Both of their houses were beside each other, both of their parents were good friends too and both of them definitely close with each other…Gin admitted he's being absolute dickbag for not contacting and searching her when he's alive, but he do have a reason…

"…I just knew about you being in the same school when my friend mentioned your name and even then I'm not sure if it's really you…Ayane, we can talk about this after this ball is over. I'm a soldier now, I'm no longer that kid who like to carry wooden sword around anymore…Right now, I have orders to follow" Gin answered with serious face.

"…Then at least answer this! Is your words back when I'm about to go still hold true?" Ayane asked Gin.

Ayane looked down while frowning, Gin face hardened at the sight as he took her left hand. He noticed that she wore a ring in her ring finger, silver ring with vine engravings. That ring was the one he gift to her when she's about to move abroad, a promise that he won't forget her and he will see her again no matter the cost…He also said one thing before she left, a promise that he still strive to fulfill.

"It is and it won't change…I have so much to tell you and I also want to listen to your stories. Just please be patient for a bit longer alright?" Gin asked her while smiling gently.

"…When this ball is over, you're not going anywhere! Got it?" Ayane said while pouting.

"Understood" Gin simply replied while grinning.

Gin and Ayane made their way down to the VIP table, Ayane clung at him all the way down not letting him out of her sight even for a moment. Their meeting today was a complete coincidence, the fact that they're on the same school yet different division made their chance of encounter very slim…But, Gin was glad that his search was over.

Ayane may had come from a wealthy family but her social exposure was quite low, even now he wondered why did Ayane Koizumi being one of Seven Freya Ladies yet never appeared on any social media or news. The both of them almost stumbled upon someone, the person turned around and it turns out he was Ryan. Gin's eyes widened, Ryan's eyes squinted and Ayane looked back and forth between them in confusion.

"Where have you been? Wait, is she your date?" Ryan asked curiously.

"Long story. She's a childhood friend of mine and-" Gin was cut off.

"Yes I am, my name is Ayane Koizumi. Pleased to meet you, Mister?" Ayane asked while smiling politely.

"Ah, I see…Ryan Taurus would be my name, pleased to meet you too" Ryan said while also smiling.

"…Oh my, so you're The Saint Gunslinger. It seems the rumors were right" Ayane smiled meaningfully.

Maybe it's the atmosphere or the dire implication of her smile that made Ryan started sweating because that means the rumors had spread around like a wildfire…Gin looked awkwardly to the side, trying to hide his pained and dreadful expression painted on his face. Ryan noticed this and he will confront him, he just need to send Ayane away for a bit…

"I need to speak with Gin for a bit, if you don't mind, it would seems your mother has arrived over that table. You may want to wait for a bit over there" Ryan suggested to Ayane.

"Fine by me. See you later, Gin" Ayane finally let go of him.

"Yeah…" Gin replied while smiling.

…Ryan and Gin stared at each other for a while and in span of few seconds, a lot of message was communicated between the two of them. Ryan couldn't believe the fact that Gin hid this fact from him, it's not that he's not happy with the fact Gin do have someone he liked, it's the fact that Gin kept quiet about this critical piece of information.

He had thought about asking Gin's help if he had to act behind Schicksal's back, but now he's adamant about not involving him in any plan he have to search for info behind their backs. Ryan did consider him a best friend, but his connection could jeopardize his hard work and that's something Ryan couldn't afford to sacrifice no matter what.

"…Gin, what the actual fuck? Childhood friend? One of the Seven Freya Ladies? Her mother being the head of Schicksal Far Eastern Division? You never mentioned-" Ryan started his barrage of questions.

"Hah…Ryan, this is fucking complicated and would take a while to explain! Can we do this later?" Gin said as he massaged his left temple.

"…I'll let this go for now. You owe me an explanation" Ryan said with furrowed eyebrows.

"Hai, hai. Just not tonight. Alright?" Gin said to Ryan.

"Fine…Putting that aside, did you brought it?" Ryan asked Gin.

"Yeah, here" Gin simply said.

Gin tossed him a small needleless injector filled with transparent liquid, this was pain killer drugs that could be bought anywhere on Soukai's drugstore. The injector was a perfect use for those who were afraid of needles, it act quickly, had low addictive side effect and the best off all, it's fucking cheap. Ryan had messaged Gin to get him one of these earlier in the afternoon since he won't have time to prepare his equipment thoroughly, the drugs would come in handy if Ryan ever injured in the near future.

"Nice. How much?" Ryan asked Gin.

"Don't sweat it for now" Gin said to Ryan.

Ryan nodded his head and both of them rejoined the other VIPs, it didn't took long before the emcee stood on the stage to announce the start of tonight's event. To commemorate that, The Head of Schicksal Far Eastern Division gave a short speech followed by the event that Ryan dreaded…The VIPs with dates were obligated to dance. Kallen took Ryan's right hand and guided him to the dance floor, she looked at him and giggled when she saw how tensed he was.

"Okay, don't be so tensed now Ryan" Kallen said while smiling.

"Can't help it alright? What if I step on your toes?" Ryan asked while frowning for a bit.

"Don't worry about it, just follow my lead" Kallen said to eased his worries.

Kallen guided Ryan on where to put his hands on, the steps he need to perform in span of few seconds before the orchestra band played a classical music. Kallen led Ryan gently, moving with the rhythm while mouthing her instructions. For a beginner, Ryan was doing quite well not to step on Kallen's feet and moving fluidly in coordination with her.

"There…one, two, three, four…one, two, three, four…there we go, keep with the rhythm and just glide our way on the dance floor…See? You've got the hang of it already" Kallen said to Ryan.

"Don't expect me to suddenly doing Salsa dance with you, alright?" Ryan asked while grinning.

"Fufufu, fear not, that won't happen unless someone requested it" Kallen said while smiling.

"That happened before?" Ryan asked with widened eyes in surprise.

"Yeah, last I've heard from Aunty Theresa" Kallen nodded her head.

"Whoa alright…Note to self, better practice some Salsa after this" Ryan said as he directed his focus back on his steps.

"I'm sure you'll be good at it in no time" Kallen said to Ryan.

Both of them continued to dance according to the rhythm, Ryan briefly looked around to glimpse at his surroundings. There's hundreds of eyes on them, Han and Bella didn't seemed to mind much, Gin and Ayane looked like they were used to this and Igor alongside Adriana danced while chatting…Was Ryan the only one who sucked at this?!

"…Hey, Ryan" Kallen suddenly called him.

"Yeah?" Ryan asked Kallen.

"I want to ask something" Kallen said to Ryan.

"Shoot" Ryan said while nodding his head.

"Are you free this weekend?" Kallen asked Ryan.

"Why yes I think so, Saturday afternoon until Monday morning" Ryan explained to her about his schedule.

"Excellent. We plan to going to the pool, would you like to join us?" Kallen asked Ryan.

By we did she meant her alongside The Valkyrie Top Guns? Safe to bet they were the ones she planned to go with. A day at the pool with beautiful girls, what straight man would say no to this? Ryan will definitely said yes to this one.

"Really? Hmm, that's a very tempting offer" Ryan said while smiling.

"Okay, give me straight answer Ryan. Yes or no?" Kallen said while pouting a little.

"I thought my answer is obvious?" Ryan cocked his eyebrows.

"I'll take that as you going" Kallen said to Ryan.

"Fine by me. You just want to see me being shirtless huh? You know I could do that anytime you want" Ryan said then winked at her.

"Hahahaha, not exactly. Though that would be nice too" Kallen laughed softly while staring at Ryan.

The music slowed down as it ended, the crowd stopped dancing and clapped resounded inside the ballroom. Kallen smiled as she smiled widely at Ryan who replied by grinning, Ryan offered his right hand to Kallen who eagerly took it as they returned to the VIP seats.

"There, dance's over. That wasn't so hard, wasn't it?" Kallen asked Ryan.

"Yeah you're right…Thanks, Kallen. For teaching me" Ryan said gratefully.

"Anytime" Kallen said while smiling sweetly.

They were back on the seats alongside the others, the tables were already set with set of dishes for dinner…Huh, of course the VIPs would receive special treatment, the food were piping hot alongside cold high grade wine bottles inside a bucket of ice…all of this for free. Ryan's broke student side of his brain suggested that he should attend this kind of event as much as possible, the thought that he quickly dismissed.

"How do I perform?" Ryan asked Han who sat beside him.

"You're killing it at least" Han replied as he enjoyed the appetizer on the plate.

"Good to know" Ryan replied wryly.

Ryan looked to his left side to saw Maya, Gin and Ayane were busy talking about something with Maya occasionally nodding her head while Ayane looked quite serious listening on something that Gin told them about…After a while, Ryan nibbled on his appetizer and started looking at the other VIPs who sat in front of him.

The waist long brunette with emerald eyes in front of him was Riani Putri Utami, the sole heir of Keris Armaments Company. Her father was the CEO and naturally as the next in line to take over the company she's quite good in handling business, people said that she's quite a loner and didn't like to be around crowds…wonder why? Ryan thought that if he need a link to some big shot corporation, Riani might be his way in.

Beside her there's a girl with waist length light orange hair tied in thick ponytail with hazel colored eyes, she's Rena Fujiwara or better known as 'Elven Ranger'. Yeah, you guessed it, she's an athlete that had brought back several medals for Saint Freya Academy since her entry to the school. She's especially talented in basketball, her nickname was conceived due to how fast and nimble she was on the field…Every girl on regular division had said that she would make a very capable Valkyrie, but it seemed she clearly rejected the idea for some reason.

Katya Volkova, jet black medium straight hair with wide brown eyes was quite known for her affiliation with the science department. She could be categorized as a genius, she absorbed lesson quickly, she often experimented on the science lab and she liked to conduct field observation whenever she has free time. A bit eccentric among the other ladies, but nevertheless she knew the time and place when she had to act properly. She might be able to help if Ryan ever need something scientific analyzed…but can she be trusted?

The next one was Sera Cornelia, a girl with shoulder length dark pink hair and amethyst eyes that actually served as Claire's secretary. Surprise motherfucker? Yeah, at first Ryan thought she's Claire's attendant or something since she's always around her but he was wrong. Claire maybe the charming one but for diplomacy and administrative nonsense? Then Sera's the one you want on the job. She's capable doing almost anything which lead to some rumor about her actually being an AI with artificial robotic body…She's cute though, so Ryan didn't think much of it.

…After finishing his appetizer, Ryan looked toward the northern side balcony on the third floor where Kiana and Sakura were posted as Oversight…he wonder what were they doing now since the radio had been silent for the last few minutes.

.

"Sakura, is drinking on the job wrong?" Kiana suddenly asked.

"Depends on your profession, I think" Sakura said while shrugging.

"Hah…I need to drink something that could keep me warm" Kiana sighed then said.

"Unfortunately, we can't do that at the moment" Sakura said while smiling wryly.

Kiana huffed, she had no plan to be on standby outside the ballroom at night. It's quite cold and damn, she also wanted to enjoy the ball to the fullest. Right now she's on the third floor balcony, looking at the dark night sky. Kiana wore strapless blue dress with Sakura who wore a formal pink kimono, she stood not too far apart from Kiana. Both of them had mask with Kiana wore a smiling opera mask on her face while Sakura wore white fox mask on hers.

"This is Command. Perimeter check, everything holds?" Himeko asked on the radio.

"Oversight here, all clear" Kiana responded immediately.

"Viper here, all green" Mei responded on the radio.

"Ghost Team here, clear so far" Rahn responded on the radio.

"Understood. Keep the guard up people" Himeko said on the radio.

""""Roger"""" Kiana, Mei and Rahn responded.

"…Why we're the ones who got the cold place like this?" Kiana asked out loud.

"Well, it beats others position. At least we got chilly nights, beautiful sea of stars and bright crescent moon tonight" Sakura said while smiling for a bit.

Kiana huffed again, Sakura was being too optimistic tonight for some reason…Kiana looked behind to the ballroom direction, her cousin have it good with her staying in the ballroom, dancing, good food and chill wine she guessed…Kiana saw several shadows moved to her right peripheral vision, she glanced to the side and found several people walking. She would've ignored them, were it not for the fact each of them carrying something on their hands…

"Look alive, I saw something to the west" Kiana said to Sakura.

"We've spotted some movement near entrance B. Ghost Team, some of them headed to your direction. What's your status?" Sakura asked Ghost Team on the radio.

"They'll regret being born in three…two…one" Rahn said on the radio.

A group of armed men wearing balaclava, black clothing, Kevlar vest, ammo pouch and carrying AKM. Two of them opened the large double doors and the rest of them pointed their guns at the empty hallway, after making sure the hallway was cleared they entered through it. These armed men walked cautiously in the empty hallway, that emptiness didn't last long when something was thrown toward them.

That something was a cylindrical flashbang grenade, their eyes widened and can't reacted fast enough as the grenade exploded. The grenade produced bright flash and deafening sound, effectively blinding and deafening the group of armed men. Almost at the same time, six Vikings dressed in formal dresses appeared all over the hallway with side arms. Gunfire resounded on the hallway, bullets flying through and the terrorist retreated out of the hallway while firing their AKM rapidly.

The Vikings continued their push, firing their side arms then took the downed AKMs and their ammo from the dead terrorists to boost their firepower temporarily. Rahn and Agus stopped for a while to look at the dead terrorist, Rahn kneeled down to inspect the details. These terrorist didn't wore any kind of badge, but they're surely affiliated with Mountain Dragons.

"…That was easy" Agus commented.

"Kevlar vest, balaclava, ammo pouch and factory issue AKM. Yup, definition of terrorist?" Rahn asked while sneering.

"Not always, what about those who wear jacket and ties then sat on the government seats?" Agus asked while scoffing.

"Skip those political statement bollocks and help me with these arseholes will you?!" James shouted from near the entrance while firing his AKM.

"Oversight here! Confirmed twenty plus unidentified contact heading through the parking lot!" Kiana reported on the radio.

"Understood. Viper Team, they're yours" Himeko said on the radio.

Viper Team were consisted of Fuuka, Mei and Namira alongside several other Valkyries that were on standby around the parking lot Mei wore a pink dress with white gloves alongside a white swan themed mask while Fuuka wore strapless dark blue dress without mask. They're the rapid responder for any threat outside the building while Ghost Team handled the large scale attack on the inside, majority of them wield melee weapons which suited them greatly in close confinement of the parking lot to set up their ambush.

"Viper team, copy that…Oh, here they come" Mei said on the radio.

Around ten plus terrorist entered the parking lot, they were shocked to find Mei, Namira and Fuuka stood before them with their weapons on their hands. The terrorist immediately aimed their AKM at the three of them, Fuuka walked forward a bit while scowling in threatening manner.

"We'll give you one warning only, surrender now and you will be spared" Fuuka declared, which the terrorist took no heed.

"…They didn't seem to heed us, Fuuka-san" Mei said to Fuuka.

"Oh well it's their funeral" Namira said while shrugging.

Without wasting any more time, Namira threw her spear toward one of the terrorist which penetrated the Kevlar vest and sliced his heart. The terrorists opened fire, Namira, Fuuka and Mei charged directly ahead toward them despite the barrage of 7.62mm bullets. Mei swiftly closed in on them, stabbed one in the stomach and took the AKM on his hands. She used the rifle to gun down the two other to her right by emptying the entire magazine.

One terrorist was about to shoot Mei before Fuuka dived toward him with a glowing fist, the poor bastard's neck snapped and he was thrown toward the wall. Mei threw the rifle she carried to one of the terrorist, startling him and giving Mei an opening to performed diagonal slash at him. The terrorists behind him decided to make a run for it, before Namira's spear flew through one in the back, Fuuka took two by their collar and slammed them to the asphalt floor and Mei's katana went through the last one.

"Something's not right, these people seemed barely knew how to fight…" Namira commented.

"It seemed so…All done here, command" Mei reported to Himeko.

"Ghost Team here, threat eliminated" Rahn said on the radio.

"Good work everyone. Stand by for your next order" Himeko responded on the radio.

"Mei…you could wield a rifle" Fuuka noted while smiling.

"Why yes of course, I had Kiana to teach me how to use one…It did come in handy, but I prefer my katana nevertheless" Mei said while grinning.

Her experience during Operation Dawnbreaker were the one behind her motivation to learn how to use firearms, during the base Honkai raid it's quite problematic to fought those flyers type only with a katana. She went to grabbed one of the downed Viking's M16B-PAR to help protected the shelter and you guessed it, despite being a Valkyrie she's not used to the rifle's recoil, aiming down the sight and eventually she wasted a magazine without dealing much damage.

When she came to Kiana to request that, Kiana was more than happy to teach her how to use variety of firearms. Mei thought that the principle were quite basic, almost the same for swordsmanship. Good posture, finger on the trigger, eyes down the sight and be ready for the weapon's recoil when fired. She tested fired Kiana's USP to get a feel and eventually Kiana had Mei tried the M20SAR that The Vikings used on their first match…

Mei found out that firing firearms accurately while moving was a hard task to accomplish, The Vikings did it by moving around frantically with their jet thrusters but managed to keep their aim steady, the ones who stood above the dropship also managed to do that even with the dropship moving around, Ryan himself emptied eight rounds of M1911H into several of them with pin point accuracy and incredible speed…all of that required intensive training, experience and nimble fingers. She discovered that the world of firearms were quite vast to explore.

"Ghost here, we got a live one over here. Permission to 'talk' with them?" Rahn suddenly said on the radio.

"Granted. Find out what they know" Himeko said on the radio.

"With pleasure. Get that guy over here!" Rahn said to the others.

One of the terrorist was alive although wounded, he leaned on the nearby wall while holding his bleeding stomach and trying to escape. James caught him by the collar however and dragged him back toward The Viking's position on the building entrance, the terrorist flailed around trying to escape but James iron grip didn't even loosened even when being repeatedly hit by him. James threw the guy to the ground, he then put his feet on the chest area.

"No, please! ARGH!" The guy grunted in pain.

"How bad?" James asked Agus who checked the terrorist condition.

"Nah, the bullet missed his organ it's just a flesh wound…He'll live" Agus said to James.

"But you won't live long if you don't answer our question…Understood?" James asked the terrorist.

James really meant what he said, none of The Vikings shown problems when they had to take someone's life. They have been trained for it, they were prepared to do it. That's why, a single terrorist like him who could no longer fight was a child's play compared to the soldiers they faced on their first mission. The terrorist saw that James, Rahn and Agus stared at him with cold hard stare, he got no choice but to nodded his head.

"Good. Aulen Team, we'll need your help with this" Rahn said on the radio.

"Da, Aulen Team is standing by" Bronya responded on the radio.

Aulen Team were Task Force Terra Intel analyst and technical support team, they're the one who will help when the task force encounter problems concerning technology and Intel. For that, they got the best and brightest among them stationed on this team. James wasn't the one who's good at interrogating someone, that would be Rahn. James nodded at Rahn who understood what he meant, Rahn kneeled beside the downed terrorist.

"Where are the rest of your friends?" Rahn casually asked.

"I-I-I don't know!" The terrorist immediately answered.

"…you want to die that badly?" Rahn said as he took out a Desert Eagle handgun.

"I swear! I'm just a regular guy! Recruited online! We…we were promised rewards if we manage to pull this off!" The terrorist said in panicked tone.

"Online recruitment?" Rahn cocked his eyebrows.

It's not a secret anymore that terrorist groups had also gone digital, they won't have to actually step their foot on the ground in their attempt to terrorize the populace. Why would they do that when they could make the populace itself to do the job for them? Online recruitment were one of the many ways, to think they could turned the people they supposed to protect into enemies were quite disturbing thought for them. James took out his phone, opened the note application and shown the screen to the terrorist.

"…Type the link here, now!" James simply said.

"A-Alright!" The terrorist answered while he started typing.

"Command, did you hear that?" Rahn asked Himeko on the radio.

"Yeah, Aulen Team?" Himeko asked them on the radio.

"Analyzing the link sent by 05, now" Bronya said on the radio.

"You're telling me, this attack was conducted by armed civilians? Is everyone just ordinary people!?" Rahn asked the terrorist.

"…Yes, I think so. We were told to meet in one spot, with the equipment they sent to us. Please man! I got nothing left! This is the only way for me to continue living!" The terrorist pleaded for mercy.

…That put Rahn, James and Agus into complete silence in thought. What were the odds that The Mountain Dragon used those that were desperate for a change on their life to do their bidding? Like this guy, he got nothing left so he's desperate enough to commit terrorist act just to gain what were promised by them…Money? Prestige? Power? They didn't know, but what they clearly know was the fact that this was a big problem.

"…Command, we got a problem" Rahn said to Himeko on the radio.

"So I've heard. Aulen Team, what's the result?" Himeko asked on the radio.

"09 here, I'll explain. This website was created around ten days ago, they're some sort of Mountain Dragon recruitment page. So far, there's around eight thousand registered follower. In order to access this, someone would need the capability to surf the deep web. That means, not everyone would took risk like this…only devoted followers, I think" Michael answered on the radio.

"I see. Could you access their network through the website?" Himeko asked Michael on the radio.

"Bronya is trying now but there's no guarantee it will succeed, they're quite good in covering their tracks" Michael responded on the radio.

"Don't worry, just try your best" Himeko said on the radio.

"Ghost Squad to Guard Squad, we got a situation. Our perimeter team managed to hold off an attack, but I got a feeling this was just their vanguard. Be on the lookout, Mountain Dragon is confirmed trying to mess the party" Rahn said on the radio.

"Copy that" Ryan simply responded on the radio.

James was about to let go when he noticed an oddity, there's a large rectangular bulk on the Kevlar vest rear left shoulder that this terrorist wore. What was that? Racking his brains, James didn't have the slightest clue on what was the function of that thing.

"Hey you, what's this?" James asked the terrorist.

"Battery packs? Its lithium battery isn't it?" The terrorist answered.

"This big? Normal battery for today's gadget supposed to be smaller than…Shite, 04! Help me remove this case!" James suddenly said.

"Wha? What's going on?" Agus was confused.

"Something's not right, come on!" James said to Agus.

Now, they're on 21st Century with technology being so advanced they have hologram projector, portable energy based weapons, floating war ships with anti-gravity engine, advanced AI, Quantum Computer, nearly limitless Honkai Energy Generator and somehow these guys still used a lithium battery that big? Hell, even their smartphone internal battery nowadays used ion battery as small as adult human pinky finger and that enabled the phone to live for two days without charging!

"You got any screwdriver?" James asked as he inspected the stuff.

"…I've come here dressed to party not to repair shit!" Agus said to James in annoyed tone.

"Err, right" James said while cringing.

James wrestled the stuff off from the vest, he then inspected the rectangular item and found a switch hidden on one of its side. Wordlessly, he switched it and the rectangular box was opened. Inside it they found strange looking metallic colored item, it shaped like the mouse you use to operate a computer.

"Huh. Well look at that, it's simple to open. What's this?" James said as he tossed it to Rahn.

"Dunno, some kind of transmitter? It looked like a mouse" Rahn said as he inspected the item closely.

The mouse suddenly transformed, it produced six foldable mechanical limbs around its side. That's not all because Rahn was confused yet intrigued on the item, that intrigue was short lived however as the item became alive and jumped straight at Rahn's face. Not only that, the mechanical limbs dug into the skin of his head that give intense pain alongside causing Rahn to lose his shit.

"GAH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF OF ME!" Rahn shouted as he flailed around.

"Hold still you twat! We can't get a grip on it! 04, tackle his feet!" James said to Agus.

"GAHHH!" Rahn fell as Agus tackled him and held him still.

Several other Vikings helped restraining the freed terrorist, while others either helped Agus and James or keeping watch for any bystanders. James tried to wrestle the damn thing away from Rahn's face, but the grip on his face was just too tight. He briefly considered getting a crowbar to unjammed the thing but then Rahn would have to spent a lot of money for cosmetic surgery…James shrugged as he nodded to Agus who nodded back, both of them then pulled at the thing as hard as they could which earned even louder scream from Rahn.

"Just a bit more! Hold on mate!" James said to Rahn.

"Guh! This thing would be massive hit for those who have rape fetish, eh!?" Agus commented as he pulled.

"Not helping in the slightest, 04!" James retorted.

After few seconds of intense pulling, they finally managed to get it off Rahn's face which was bloodied as the thing's mechanical limbs tore some of his face's skin which it gripped on. James gripped tightly on the thing, preventing it from running or latching into someone else's face while the limbs moving around frantically, Agus took a fire extinguisher from the hallway. He returned to James who let the thing go as soon as Agus swung down the fire extinguisher.

BANK!

The mechanical creature was now just a pile of almost flat metal, Rahn was the one who had to deal with the aftershock of being the victim of consent-less face sucking was currently heaving hard in both shock and pain. James ruffled his own hair while Agus lifted the fire extinguisher to check whether that thing died or not. It died for sure, but for additional precaution Agus stomped on it.

"Hah…hah…hah…THE FUCK WAS THAT THING?!" Rahn asked while shouting.

"…Some kind of drone? But what's its function?" James asked out loud as he inspected the wreck.

"It tries to latch on 06's face, I think our VIPs is in danger…Furthermore, assuming every one of them carried one of these? We're fucked" Agus said to James.

"I'll check the others! You report to command!" James said to Agus.

"Command, this is 04! A drone that emerged from the enemy's equipment tried to do something to 06, we've killed it but there maybe more. Assuming every enemy we've put down carry one of these, there might be around two dozens of these little drones spread around this building! Our VIPs is in danger!" Agus reported on the radio.

"Command understood. Get one sample to Aulen Team immediately, out!" Himeko said on the radio.

"Bugger…Mate, look at this" James called Agus.

A Viking arrived with a first aid kit from the hotel's lobby, he quickly took care of Han's wound while Agus head over to James position. The corpse of the dead terrorist all had the box that contained whatever that thing opened and the content ran off somewhere, it got worse when The Vikings didn't exactly know where it went until they saw the ventilation system on the building's wall…That's when they knew this entire operation was endangered.

"All gone…oh shit, the vents!" Agus said to James.

"Of course it's always the vents! Goddamnit, all teams…code red, I repeat! Code red!" James said on the radio.

.

"Code red? Fuck…Guard Squad on it" Ryan said on the radio.

Ryan stared at everyone on the table before he cleared his throat, he then rose up from his seat followed by the other members of the squad. If what they heard about the drones were true, then this ballroom would be their killing field. They could move around the crowds unnoticed and then suddenly latched on the VIPs face too…What if they were packed with explosives? Those drones could certainly killed them easily once they latched on their faces!

"Is something wrong?" Bella asked Ryan.

"Yes, very. Ladies, listen well…the security of this building is compromised, all of you are in danger" Ryan said in composed tone.

"Danger? From what?" Sera asked Ryan.

"Group of terrorist. We'll explain the rest in a safe place, please follow us for now" Ryan said with serious face.

"Oh my god" Bella put a hand to cover her gaping mouth.

"They're trying to kill us? Who?" Ayane asked out loud.

"Please, get us out of here, Ryan!" Clair said to Ryan.

"We will, your safety is our primary mission. Let's go" Ryan said while leading the group.

The VIPs quickly left their table and moved toward the eastern entrance, they had to move fast while unnoticeable but unfortunately that won't be the case. They're well-known figures, leaving together at the same time like this will undoubtedly attracted too many attention on them. Ryan walked in front of them with Kallen, clearing the path from anyone who might got in their way.

"…They have made their move. It's sooner than I expected" Maya said in low tone.

"Okaa-sama, you knew about this?" Ayane asked Maya with wide eyes.

"Yes, of course I knew about this. I'm also the one who recommended The Vikings as our guards, Ayane" Maya said to Ayane with serious face.

Ayane looked at Maya before she stared at Gin who was in front of her, he occasionally turned his head around to check for any signs of threat…Ayane knew Gin was quite good in activity that involved fighting, but she still worried that something may happened to him. He did survived for two years on desolated Southern Japan alongside Ryan Taurus though, he won't go down so easily if the assassin suddenly attacked them.

"Right this way ladies, stay close…Guard Two, stay in the middle with the others. Keep your eyes open for those things" Ryan said to Kallen.

"On it" Kallen nodded her head.

"Igor, these terrorist group…" Adriana whispered to Igor who walked beside her.

"…Da, Gornyy Drakon…your old enemy" Igor said while frowning.

"…My god, they're back" Adriana said in low tone.

Back when Adriana still a Valkyrie, she tagged alongside a UNAF task force to hunt The Mountain Dragon Terrorist Group on Eastern Europe. Some hard bastards to take down, Adriana spent a year and three months in the fight against them. They're the sole reason why Adriana managed to meet her husband though, so she didn't really hate them for it...The group arrived in front of a double doors, Ryan knocked on the door twice.

"Command this is Guard Squad, we've arrived" Ryan said on the radio.

"Good, get in!" Himeko said on the radio.

The door was opened and two Valkyries with USP.45 secured the hallway as the VIPs went inside the room, they shut the door and locked it up as soon as they're all inside. The ladies alongside Maya sat on the sofa set near the corner of the room, Ryan, Kallen, Gin, Han and Igor went toward Himeko who sat on a sofa with tactical data pad on her hands.

After giving brief report on the situation, Himeko nodded her head, got up and head toward the VIPs to explain the current situation to them with Victoria's help, she said that the principal didn't want to ruin the night's atmosphere so they intend to keep the whole operation under the radar. But that obviously didn't work as there's some unexpected parts that resulted in them having to change plans, that's why now the VIPs were inside this designated 'safe room'…

"01, have The Vikings including Ghost Team to set up perimeter around this room" Himeko said to Ryan.

"On it ma'am. Boys, you heard the lady, gather on me" Ryan said out loud.

The Vikings who were in the room immediately gathered around Ryan who took careful look on each one of them, they did well for only having light Kevlar vest protection instead full set of armor, looks like Victoria's plan to make them get used to fight without Sleipnir armor did well…Ryan however stopped at Rahn, he almost got every part of his face bandaged because of his wound.

"Sheesh Rahn, look at your face" Ryan said while sneering.

"I should've said the same to you sooner, both of us now have something to tell when we're picking up chicks at least" Rahn fired back while scowling.

"Hmph, right. Anyway, fourteen of us, two on Aulen Team. Twelve men, four corners, get on it" Ryan simply ordered.

And that's how they got four team under five seconds, everyone was formed based on squads that often divided into if The Vikings ever needed spread out. The composition for each squad weren't always the same, but the one they're on right now were the most frequent combination they used. Ryan confirmed everyone got their teams, he then nodded his head.

"We're set? Alright. I'll lead team one, James will lead team two, Igor with team three and Rahn with team four" Ryan said to The Vikings.

"All units, the boys have joined together in Viking Team One to Team Four" Himeko gave a status update on the radio.

"…Command, this is Officer Nathan, one of our police security teams isn't responding. They're on the rooftop garden, could you sent one of your teams to check them out?" Someone said on the radio.

"Affirmative, we'll get on it…Team Four, you're up. Get over there and find out what happen" Himeko ordered.

Task Force Terra alone would be ineffective in handling tonight's guard duty so that's why they got the local police department to help securing the event, the police guards were more numerous but they weren't equipped with equipment saved for their basic sidearm, handcuffs and radios. Why? Well, their high command 'didn't want to send the wrong message'…Kind of a dumb decision, but what can they as 'civilian' possibly do about it?

"Yes ma'am, we're on it…twenty credits says those police were dead" Rahn said to Agus.

"I choose radio malfunction" Agus said to Rahn.

"You're on" Rahn said while grinning.

"…I can't believe you guys bet on this" A random Viking said behind them.

"Hey 06! Try not to get your face uglier than it already is!" Ryan commented as Rahn about to leave the room.

"Up yours 01!" Rahn said as he whipped a middle finger straight at Ryan.

Viking Team Four made their way to the rooftop of the building, short elevator ride solved the problem because they really wanted to save their stamina and breath for a potential fight that may wait for them on the rooftop. The team made it to the rooftop with no problem, the real problem started there as they discovered six lifeless body of police officers. Someone indeed passed through this area and they didn't hesitate to kill police? Who else other than the terrorist group they currently fight?

"See? You owe me twenty credits" Rahn simply said.

"Yeah, yeah. So, who did this? Must been a hell of skilled guys to take out six police officer like this without a trace" Agus commented.

Someone casually walked toward The Vikings who in turn analyzed that someone…Let's see, black coat with hood, ballistic mask, bandolier full of gear alongside a short sword with bloodied blade. Every Viking in the rooftop immediately assumed that this guy were the one responsible for the murder of six cops, but he must be a fucking dumbass to just shown himself in front of them instead of ambushing The Vikings. Were they being underestimated by that guy? For sure!

"Command, we found a suspicious individual" Rahn reported on the radio.

"…I'm guessing he's not here to surrender?" One of The Viking asked out loud.

"No and that's why we're enforcing zero fucks policy tonight, kill him!" Rahn said out loud.

The Four Vikings took out and immediately fired their Desert Eagle, each one loaded with seven .50 caliber rounds that had enough kinetic strength to pierce normal Kevlar vest or popped someone's organ with direct hit. That means twenty eight rounds were pumped straight toward the assassin by The Vikings in gangsta execution style, the assassin stumbled back in response before he regained his posture…like he was unscathed.

"H-How's that possible!? Four barrage of Desert Eagle with .50 caliber bullets did nothing to that prick!?" One of The Viking said.

"Nanomachines, son! Bullets won't work on me!" The person said while shrugging.

"…I got a feeling that it wasn't the case and he just want to said that to our face" Agus said with half opened eyes.

"Bullets didn't work for you? Fine, let's get intimate then!" Rahn declared.

Four Vikings spread out and approached the assassin in close quarter combat, technically speaking they're being stupid because none of them seemingly carried any melee weapons to counter that sword. But this stupid plan worked well, all because Rahn and Agus had something up their sleeve. This weren't supposed to be a fair fight so Agus who got in close first had to dodged a sword stab while getting between the guy's legs.

Taking the legs with him, Agus passed through under his feet while pulling the legs towards him. The assassin fell down but not before he able to tackle Rahn's feet, he fell toward the assassin who threw a straight jab at his face from the floor. Rahn stumbled back, the two other Vikings closed in on the assassin but had to halt themselves when the assassin recovered and pointed his sword towards them.

But he's full of opening because Agus once again came back and grabbed the assassin from behind. Making sure he got firm grip on him, Agus then lifted the assassin up before throwing him to his back in supplex style hold. The action was so fast that the assassin couldn't react fast enough, the assassin's rear neck made contact with the hard pavement.

CRACK!

There's sound of something dislocated or outright broken coming from the assassin's neck, the guy laid motionless while groaning in pain on the floor. Rahn took the fallen blade, get on top of the assassin by jumping and drove the blade straight through his chest. The assassin jerked upward and screamed in pain when the blade went through him, Rahn who had enough for tonight then twisted the blade. The result was one dead assassin with gaping wound on his chest, killed by his own blade when his heart split into two.

"Command, assassin eliminated!" Rahn said on the radio.

"Outstanding work 06" Himeko said on the radio.

"Huh…you're not as tough as I thought you would, all that meme talk and you got your ass handed like it was nothing. I swear Senator Armstrong was a lot more trouble than you" Agus commented at the dead assassin.

"Fuck sake…I need a break" Rahn said as he dropped to the floor.

Rahn fell backwards while seated, the blade that he used to kill the assassin was thrown away few meters from him. He controlled his breathing alongside realizing something, something warm was hitting his mouth and jaw. He checked what it was by wiping it with his hand, it's a fresh blood. Looks like that punch to the face hit his nose quite hard, Rahn sighed as he took out a handkerchief and stuffed his nose with it to soaked the blood.

"What's the matter with you? You're more than good in CQC, so why tonight you're so easily beaten down?" Agus asked with cocked eyebrows.

"…Off to a not so great start, man. My face suffer more damage compared to all these years I'm fighting, the pain also distracted me" Rahn said while still seated.

"…Well at least you're alive" Agus commented to Rahn while smiling.

"Dude, check this out" One of The Viking said.

Agus left Rahn to calm down for a bit to approach The Viking who kneeled down beside the dead assassin, he took something from his left hand and threw it toward Agus who caught it effortlessly. Agus inspected the thing he's carrying, it's some sort of wrist utility tool with screen…Who was he kidding, this was a wrist computer.

"Aulen Team, got a wrist computer or some kind in here, maybe you'll get something useful out of it?" Agus said on the radio.

"Excellent work 04, try to access it and go over to the radio part" Michael responded on the radio.

"Um, one problem. I don't know how to operate this" Agus said as he stared at the computer.

"What? It should be easy, what model is it?" Michael asked on the radio.

"Hey 09! I'm not some tech savvy like you! How about you get over here and do this? Because I don't get how to operate this piece of-" Agus ranted while tapping the computer randomly.

"Oh look, you're in" The Viking behind Agus said.

"…Sheesh…Alright. What are we looking for?" Agus asked on the radio.

"Try to run a search feature on it, an icon with magnifying glass on the top left corner of the screen" Michael said on the radio.

"Okay. So, should I search for 'briefing' file?" Agus asked on the radio.

"Yeah, try it" Michael said on the radio.

"Found one! Um…Alright, these guy over here that we just killed is a mercenary? He had two set of targets, Maya Koizumi and The Seven Freya Ladies" Agus explained the file he found on the screen.

"Wow…so the armed guys and the drones before is not the last of our concerns" Ryan commented over the radio.

"Anything else over there, 04?" Michael asked on the radio.

"Yeah. Two target of opportunity…Samuel Gideon and Laila Watterson, not sure who these two are but I think we should get them" Agus said as he read the file.

"Any list of associates?" Michael further asked on the radio.

"Which button should I press?" Agus asked back on the radio.

"Can you describe the computer for me?" Michael asked on the radio.

"A bit bulky, LCD screen, colored black with analogue buttons on the right side" Agus described the computer that he held.

"I'm guessing that's PTC-200 model wrist computer, they provided great advantage because if you wore these then you could send tactical data to your nearby teammate's instantaneously. Head over to the contact list tab, there should be a tab to see who others that connected to that device" Michael explained on the radio.

"This is Command, head back here Team Four. We'll let Bronya analyzed the device" Himeko interjected on the radio.

"Understood…Hmm? There's three more!" Agus said on the radio.

"Three more assassins, great!" Han said on the radio.

"Their location!? Press the local map overlay!" Michael asked on the radio.

"…Done! One to the northern side, three hundred meters from this building! One inside our building and one other is pretty close to the parking lot!" Agus explained on the radio.

"North side? Oversight, you're in the view of one of the assassins, don't take any chances and find cover. Leave the balcony, but make it as naturally as possible!" Himeko said on the radio.

Back to Kiana and Sakura, both of them temporarily frozen when they heard that there's a crosshair over their heads. Kiana subtly scanned the horizon for any signs of the assassin, but of course it's being at night alongside the good concealment they used made it almost impossible for her to find them in such short notice. Even with her AR Lens, she still couldn't find them…she hoped they didn't carry sniper rifle.

But being stationed three hundred meters away from the building they targeted, alongside not making a move yet was a trademark for a recon or a sniper! They must've carried something with long range capabilities such as Designated Marksman Rifle or even the sniper rifle itself! Sakura who also scanned for any sign of the assassin had the same result as Kiana, both of them decided that retreating would be the best option…handgun and swords would obviously lose against a rifle in matter of range.

"…Roger that, we're moving...If they carry sniper rifle, we're goners…Sakura, let's move" Kiana said to Sakura.

"Yeah, this way" Sakura said to Kiana.

Sakura led Kiana out from the balcony, both of them tried to make it as naturally as possible…But goddamn, it was hard to act when your life could be taken out any moment! Both of them made it safely, they got out from the large balcony and started heading down to the ballroom. Kiana and Sakura sighed in relief, they won't be losing their head anytime soon.

"We're out of view" Kiana said on the radio.

"Good. Viper Team, one of the assassin is pretty close to you. Find them and eliminate them" Himeko said on the radio.

"No need to do that, we've got the person in sight" Fuuka said on the radio.

On the parking lot Mei, Fuuka and Namira were faced with a woman who wore skimpy black coat with hoodie and ballistic mask, she dressed the same way as the previous assassin killed by Team Four. The woman looked at the dead terrorist behind the three Valkyries and she clicked her tongue, dissatisfied with the situation she's on.

"…Tch, incompetent fools. If they succeeded I won't have to come down here personally" The woman said in annoyed tone.

"Too bad about it, but these guys are civilians, what do you expect?" Namira said to the woman.

"Furthermore, manipulating these people's desperation for your own twisted gains? You make me sick" Mei said to the woman.

"Interesting, are you going to gang on me? Is that an honorable way to fight? Samurai?" The woman said to Mei.

"I'm no samurai so screw that. You will surrender or you'll die, your choice. Assassin!" Mei said as she drawn her Katana.

The assassin answered by taking out a Bo-staff from underneath her coat, she gave it few spin before she set her stance. The Valkyries realized one thing, fighting against them as a normal human in melee fight was basically a suicide but this woman confidently going to take the three of them directly? Reckless beyond belief, but no matter what their mission was clear. Namira charged first with her spear followed by Fuuka and Mei.

Instead of throwing it, Namira opted to engage her in melee fight. She clashed with the assassin, attacking her multiple times but all of her attacks were blocked. Namira clicked her tongue as she side stepped to allow Fuuka and Mei charged at the assassin, but she counter attacked immediately by charging ahead while swinging her staff that forced Fuuka to blocked the attack by crossing her armored arms. Fuuka successfully defended herself, but she was sent few meters to the rear.

Mei dodged both Fuuka and the staff strike, she get a clear opportunity to stab the assassin in the gut. The assassin noticed this however as she side stepped to the left, causing Mei to miss her attack. But Mei was not done yet because she immediately corrected her footing and dashed one more time toward the assassin, this time the assassin didn't run but chose to blocked Mei's katana stab directly. Mei forced the assassin to focus on her while Namira threw her spear at the assassin.

The assassin dodged the spear by pushing against Mei, she then slide Mei's feet that made her lost her footing and fell down. Before she's able to strike the downed Mei, Fuuka came between them and grabbed the staff. She lifted the staff up alongside the assassin who was surprised that Fuuka could lift her and slammed her to the asphalt ground, Mei recovered herself and Namira grabbed her spear who was stuck on a car. Fuuka also forced to retreat when the assassin recovered from the blow and sent barrage of strike against her, she's quite a pain to deal with.

"She's quite good, Namira-san!" Mei said to Namira.

"Yeah, but she has one fatal flaw. I'm sure you've noticed it, Mei, Fuuka" Namira said to them both.

"I do. Let's end this" Mei said out loud.

"I'll go first" Fuuka said as she charged again.

That fatal flaw was simple, the assassin didn't really have the best spatial awareness as she tended to focus on one opponent. The three of them going to end this together, Fuuka wasted zero seconds closing in on the assassin, she expectedly used her staff to stopped Fuuka and she wasn't surprised when Fuuka caught her staff. Sensing she might get lifted again, the assassin lifted Fuuka's first by swinging the staff to right side with all the strength she had.

Fuuka was indeed lifted and thrown away but that gave Mei and Namira an opening, Namira tried to strike first by spear thrust which the assassin dodged by side stepping to the left. Mei was next by swinging her katana rapidly in chain of strikes, the assassin again deflected the blows but then she realized her mistake…All of that, just to get the assassin in the kill zone. Mei was holding back, she then unleashed her full powered strike against the staff the assassin used and it was split into two.

The assassin was shocked to say the least, that staff was made of steel so that Katana supposed be dented or something! Fuuka who was thrown to the side earlier kicked a parked car toward the assassin who dodged it by jumping, that's her second mistake. It's because she got nothing to maneuver herself in the air, she's sitting ducks when she jumped and she didn't noticed the most dangerous adversaries when she lost the sight of her.

She landed but split seconds later, she was nailed to the wall. The assassin was shocked, that's until she realized what actually happened. Namira was calculating the place she would land based on her trajectory, as soon as the assassin's feet landed Namira threw her spear at velocity that made Achilles yelled 'damn girl!' in awe. The spear pierced the assassin from the back, carrying her with it and nailed itself and her body to the wall.

"GUHA!" The assassin threw up blood.

"…We've warned you, this is simply the consequences" Namira said while scowling.

"…I failed to murder those…traitors" The assassin said while gasping for air.

…The assassin's head slowly fell forward and hit the wall, her eyes remained open, her mouth still spewing fresh blood, the spear front part was painted red…The assassin finally stopped breathing as her soul left her body. She died when her spine and heart was pierced by the one hundred seventy centimeter long spear, Namira sighed as she put her hand's forward. The spear floated on its own back toward Namira's hand, the lifeless assassin's body fell to the ground…She's glad it's a quick death that she gave to that woman, she didn't torture her needlessly.

"Your throw was magnificent, Namira-san!" Mei commented to Namira.

"Well I'm your senpai after all! Got to show my kouhai on what I can do!" Namira said while smiling.

"How about a spar sometimes, Namira-san? I'm quite interested in dueling you" Fuuka asked while smiling.

"Maybe after all of this are over, we could talk about that Fuuka…Anyway, what is she talking about before she died? Something about traitors?" Namira asked out loud.

"I don't know. But I'm glad our part didn't took long…Command, Viper team here, assassin eliminated" Mei reported on the radio.

"Excellent news! Two left. 01, I want you to head down and secure Laila Watterson. Oversight, you got new orders. Find Samuel Gideon and secure him. Both of their pictures have been sent to you, good luck" Himeko said on the radio.

.

"""Roger""" Ryan, Kiana and Sakura said on the radio.

"Several Valkyries and Vikings also already headed down to the ballroom, they'll help you narrow the search" Himeko informed on the radio.

Ryan, Kiana and Sakura started moving toward the ballroom, Ryan coming from the safe room while Kiana and Sakura head down from the balcony. The three of them checked their phone when they got incoming message that detailed the appearance of the people they supposed to contact…Ryan was amazed and a bit uncomfortable how accurate Schicksal database was with information. They basically just heard the name few minutes ago for these potential victims, yet Schicksal already managed to get their photos as well as their basic biography…

Kiana and Sakura walked while scanning the whole room with a glass of wine on their hands, it warmed them up and also made them blended in with the surroundings. It would be easier to just split up but with one assassin still on the loose and the fact they're INSIDE the building, they would need to play safe…They've been on this ballroom for almost ten minutes, circling it even and still no sign of their intended target. Who they found was Ryan target instead, drinking wine while leaning on the wall.

"No sign of Samuel Gideon so far. But we find Laila Watterson, she's on the south side near the drink fountain. Go get her, 01" Sakura said on the radio.

"And what am I supposed to do? Just blatantly ask her to come with me?" Ryan asked as he made his way toward her.

"Are you that dense? Talk! Seduce! Get laid! Three basic steps on how to handle women as Ryan Bond! That's what you need to do! Just get her out of here!" Han interjected on the radio.

…The whole radio network fell into silence at the nonsense Han just spouted, as if Ryan need a reminder on how there's a rumor about him going on rampage on the girls dormitory! Surely his charm, aura and reputation were given the single massive middle finger by fate in his eighteen years of life due to that incident…That method won't work too, from now on Ryan need to learn when to take Han seriously and not always went along with whatever his tactical adviser might said…

"…You never cease to amaze me 03" Ryan said sarcastically.

"Thank you! Now, if only-" Han said on the radio.

"Can it you two and do your job 01!" Himeko interjected with annoyed tone.

"Alright, I'll do it!" Ryan said on the radio.

Ryan steeled his nerve and prepared to approach Laila Watterson, he thought on how should he approach this situation…he could be blunt, semi-blunt or outright only giving hints. Any situation would work but what would be best in how to subtly ask her to cooperate with him? Let's try semi-subtle, he'll say that she's in danger and need to follow him just not with 'in your face' kind of speaking.

Laila Watterson was an average looking woman with black hair tied into a neat bun, brown eyes, dressed in frilly green dress and she had an opera mask which was put to her left side of the face because she's currently drinking. Ryan kept his mask on, at least half of his face would be concealed in case the assassin monitored him at this moment.

"…Excuse me, miss?" Ryan said to Laila.

"Yeah, can I help you?" Laila asked Ryan.

"I was wondering, do you know Laila Watterson?" Ryan asked her in casual manner.

Ryan could noticed the slight twitch on Laila's eyes, of course she would be surprised but chit chatting before getting to the main point would be impractical in this situation…Hai will definitely do just that. Laila took a sip from her glass, she then looked at Ryan seriously while Ryan looked at the surrounding area to try identify anyone who looked towards them…so far none, that's good.

"…Who's that?" Laila asked Ryan.

"You know, just someone that's in danger. Several people didn't really like her, so they want to send her to the afterlife early. I'm here to make sure that didn't happen, I'd like to request her cooperation. These mercenaries didn't want to play smooth" Ryan said while smiling.

Laila's eyes widened and she subtly looked around her to see anyone suspicious, she looked like she's thinking hard on her options. She could escaped by herself or rely on some stranger here who offered his help to escort her. But he could be the assassin himself! So what would she choose? Laila folded her arms, she have to bet her life for this…She decided to go along for now, but any sign of ambush then she'll end him first.

"…Very well then, I think Laila would appreciate the help" Laila said to Ryan.

"Wonderful. If you be so kind to come with me? We'll have to get her to safety" Ryan said as he started walking.

"Lead the way" Laila said while nodding her head.

"…That's easier than I thought" Ryan muttered to himself.

Ryan swiftly led her to the designated safe room, along the way they passed someone who just came out of the male bathroom. He wore tux, he didn't carry mask with him and Ryan accidentally bumped into him, Ryan quickly get out of the way while smiling apologetically.

"Oh sorry" Ryan said while smiling.

"Don't be, thank you" The man said to Ryan.

Ryan cocked his eyebrows in confusion, the man who he bumped then walked toward Laila and jammed something on her neck. Laila's eyes widened, Ryan was in shock with his eyes wide opened and mouth hanging. His trained, battle proven reflex kicked in and Ryan swiftly used his walking cane to smash the guy's face. He stumbled back, Ryan thrust his walking cane to the guy's stomach, made him bend downward before sending a spinning kick towards him that resulted him getting thrown to the wall.

"Fuck! 02! I need your help! Western ballroom entrance, near the toilet!" Ryan said on the radio.

"Which one!?" Gin quickly replied on the radio.

"First floor!" Ryan said on the radio.

"On my way!" Gin said on the radio.

…Ryan checked on the guy who was surely the third assassin, he tried to stand up but Ryan won't let him by throwing full powered right hook. The assassin fell down once again, Ryan grabbed the guy by the neck, lifted him up and slammed him to the concrete wall…The assassin looked so satisfied, either he's glad he accomplished his mission or he's a masochist!

"…I'll give you one chance to explain yourself if you want to live. Why did you do this?" Ryan asked menacingly.

"Money, of course" The assassin answered while grinning.

"Why these people? Who want them dead?" Ryan further asked.

"Heh…you'll be surprised to know, how many want them dead-"

The assassin got another punch landed on his right jaw that came from Ryan's right arm, he's getting used to the metallic arm raw power. Compared to his left hand, the punch he performed with his right hand could be considered lethal and he found this to be quite…useful. Now the assassin lost some of his teeth, Ryan who was not satisfied only hitting his left cheek then decided to backhand slapped him in the right cheek.

"Who!?" Ryan asked again.

"You know it won't be that easy, didn't you?" The assassin cheekily answered.

"…You could play it however you want, tough guy. Everyone will break in the end!" Ryan said to the assassin.

With that, Ryan hit his solar plexus and the assassin fell down unconscious to the floor. Not long after that, Gin arrived while panting and had a VAP handgun on his hand. He briefly surveyed the whole corridor, after noticing that only Ryan who still stood Gin approached him.

"01! What happened?" Gin asked Ryan.

"Laila was attacked, how is she?" Ryan asked Gin.

Gin kneeled down near Laila who already bleed out, she died with a shocked expression forever painted on her face. He shook his head sideways as Gin closed her eyes and took out that something which embedded on her neck, it was a black flip knife with golden engravings on the hilt. He also inspected the wound caused by the blade on her neck, then Gin made his statement.

"…He cut her major neck aorta…she's gone in seconds, 01" Gin said to Ryan.

"…Command, we lost Laila Watterson…they got her. I captured the assassin alive, where should I put him?" Ryan asked on the radio.

"…Not on this room for sure. Find a suitable place to do so, I'll go there personally" Himeko answered on the radio.

"There's a toilet nearby, let's make sure none of the civilians head to this place" Ryan suggested on the radio.

"Leave that to me" Himeko said on the radio.

Ryan grabbed the assassin while Gin lifted Laila lifeless body from the floor and entered the male bathroom, inside of it was even more horrifying than Ryan thought. There's another dead body here, a bald dark skinned male with hazel eyes wearing formal suit with glasses. Ryan kneeled down after dropping the assassin on the floor to inspected the corpse, he widened his eyes when he founded the corpse's identity…he was Samuel Gideon.

"…01, we're unable to find Samuel Gideon. Did you see him?" Kiana asked on the radio.

"Yeah…the assassin got to him first, I'm looking at his body" Ryan said on the radio.

"Oh kami, we failed" Sakura said in dejected tone on the radio.

"…Twice we got our objectives eliminated by them" Kiana also said with dejected tone on the radio.

"Our main objectives is still alive people, don't let this distraught you!" Himeko said on the radio to the three of them.

"""Yes ma'am""" Ryan, Kiana and Sakura responded.

"06 here, I'm in position and I hit the jackpot. Also, send 01 here will you? I got few profanities to declare towards him. I've handed the wrist computer for analyze" Rahn said on the radio.

"Roger that. You heard him 01, your presence is requested on the safe room" Himeko said on the radio.

"Yeah, will do in a bit…Hey 02, stay here until command arrives" Ryan said to Gin.

"You got it, anything else?" Gin asked Ryan.

"…If you could, analyze what killed Samuel Gideon" Ryan said to Gin.

Gin kneeled in front of Samuel, he took out his phone and turned on the flash on it to better inspect the corpse. He winced at the sight he saw, it was almost exactly the same as the wound they found on Laila. This wasn't a mere coincidence, it's a technique…

"I think it's the same type of wound. Deep cuts into neck aorta, that guy is a pro for sure" Gin said to Ryan.

"Tie him down, I don't want that fuck to suddenly woke up and kill us" Ryan said as he inspected the wound.

"Fair point" Gin simply said.

Gin got up and took out something from his pocket, it's a rope for rappelling down and he used it to tie the assassin's hand. It didn't took long and he found something underneath the wash basin, it was a last generation smartphone who probably still used lithium battery and quite thick in size…

"Wait, 01…there's a phone in here…The screen's cracked, but it belongs to Gideon. No password at least, there's a call five minutes ago…and it's recorded" Gin said to Ryan after analyzing the phone.

"I don't know if he's smart or careless. Either way, play it with max sound" Ryan said to Gin who immediately did just that.

"Hey Gideon! I've composed a little poem for you! Roses are red, violets are blue. Your friend is dead, next one is you! Hehehehehehehe! You think you could defect from us and expect everything is going to be fine? You and Laila knew better than return to Schicksal! Remember? Those fucks were the one responsible for ruining us! Mountain Dragon have sheltered us, nurture us and even made us better in all aspect! Schicksal doesn't care about our deeds that saved their asses in the past, we're just a loose end to them! We owe The Mountain Dragon our lives! And you both disappointed them greatly! That's why, I'll kill you both personally! Even if you're both my brother and sister! And if I fail, I'll make sure the other succeeded! Peklo chekaye na tebe!" The phone recording ended.

The voice on that phone was exactly the voice of the assassin that Ryan just beat down, Gin grimaced at the thought that these two target of opportunities also possessed a link to Mountain Dragon. He also heard about Schicksal taking care of them as loose ends? The hell, this become even more complicated than it already was. Ryan scowled as he looked at the dead bodies then to the assassin, he'll thought about this later as he subtly turned off the recorder on his vest pocket.

"…I don't like where this is going" Ryan said out loud.

"Neither do I" Himeko suddenly said.

Ryan and Gin looked at the entrance to find Himeko staring at them, she entered the toilet while carefully avoiding any blood pool on the floor. Himeko heard the about the phone call and honestly, she had her own opinion on the matter but now's not the time to talk about it. She got priority to deal with and that's to secure any threat to the VIPs, looks like Ryan got one down already.

"Command, what does this mean?" Gin asked Himeko.

"No idea, but secure that phone for evidence. 01, head back to the safe room now" Himeko said to Ryan.

Ryan only nodded his head and wordlessly walked toward the safe room, he frowned as he opened the door. He got in and saw almost everyone was in the safe room, almost everyone were inside? What, was the situation safe enough already to warrant for them to lessen their guard around the room? As far as he concerned, there's another assassin that they need to deal with alongside drones.

"Hey, almost everyone are here?" Ryan asked out loud.

"We got the almost all the threats under control. And get this, the last assassin? They're remote controlled sniper rifle" Michael said to Ryan.

"RC Sniper rifle? How did you know that?" Ryan asked back.

"Bronya analyzed and hacked the system on this wrist computer, Bronya managed to deactivate the rifle and hacked into their battle network. We quelled the threat from the human enemies, the last threat would be those little drones" Bronya's the one who answered Ryan's question.

Yeah, as far as Ryan concerned the situation wasn't as dire as to when the assassins were alive and free. Sure they still got the drones to worry about, but at the moment there's not much they could do about it other than to keep an eye for them…finding them in this building would truly like finding needle in a haystack.

"Can you find them?" Ryan asked Bronya.

"The drones were not linked to their battle net, we have to search for them using other means" Bronya said to Ryan.

"Hah…this really complicates it" Ryan said after sighing.

"Oh yeah, douchebag! Thanks for jinxing me last time!" Rahn suddenly said to Ryan.

And he said that as he smacked Ryan's right shoulder, Ryan looked at Rahn's face who alongside got his face bandaged he got his nose plugged with dark red stain on the plug. Ha, the one who faced Rahn managed to land a solid hit on him? Something was wrong with Rahn today, Ryan thought but can't be sure on what was wrong.

"…Oh yes, you do look uglier!" Ryan answered while sneering.

"I'm so tempted to display the prowess of my vulgar dictionary here, but I don't want to make the VIPs uncomfortable" Rahn said as he threw his thumb backwards to the VIPs.

"Thank god for that…Anyway, we got the drones with us? Have you find any feature it has?" Ryan asked Michael.

"The design is a bit simple. It possessed built in stun gun on it, a camera and a sensor which I still don't know the function located on underside of its body. Its six legs were quite powerful, we could see the example on Rahn's wounded face. As of right now, I got a theory" Michael said as he inspected the drone.

"Let's hear it" Ryan simply said.

"This thing is built specifically for data gathering and sabotage. The sensor seems to possess scanning capability, the stun gun possessed enough power and battery to produce small electrical pulse discharge. This thing could latch on a power grid, transformer or generator and boom there goes the power!" Michael explained as he inspected the drone.

But just as he said that, the whole room turned pitch black as they heard faint sound of explosion. Ryan eyes went half closed, Michael sat as he was inspecting the drones with twitching eyebrows…The timing was so perfect, Ryan used the AR lens function to enable the night vision. His vision lighted up in green hue but it's not that bright with the enclosed room without any window or source of light, this would made their job harder for sure.

"…I hate it when I'm right" Michael said with tone full of contempt.

"At least your theory was proven!" Kallen said to Michael.

"Night visions and IR flashlight! Now!" Victoria ordered to everyone.

Everyone quickly activated their AR lens alongside taking out small Infrared Flashlight and attached it to their ears, if Ryan remembered his lesson he took from the internet that infrared could give the night vision a performance boost. The place highlighted by IR flashlight would be seen clearly if you're wearing night vision, the modern night vision incorporated this technology directly into their equipment. The flashlight could help a lot in area completely devoid of light…Anyway, Ryan could be wrong but he didn't really care about the details behind it because as long as it works he'll take it as useful.

"Circle the VIPs, don't let your guard down and scan everything in the room! Those little robots are still out there!" Ryan commanded as he took out his M1911H.

"Ladies and gentlemen, how's the ballroom?" Himeko asked on the radio.

"We did some damage control, at least the crowd still calm about the sudden blackout" Sakura said on the radio.

"Understood, calmly guide everyone out of the building" Himeko instructed on the radio.

"Roger that ma'am, we are on it" Sakura said on the radio.

"Rahn, go outside the building and check the situation. Agus, Grey, accompany him!" Victoria said to them.

"Yes ma'am" "Will do" "Sure thing ma'am" Rahn, Agus and Grey said as they exited the room.

Victoria sat in silence with the VIPs all this time because technically Himeko's was the one in charge of Task Force Terra, but she couldn't bear to just sit at time and situation like this so she couldn't helped herself giving orders to her Vikings and some Valkyries. She's ranked higher than them and also their instructor so everyone complied with her orders despite she's not being in charge directly, they trusted her judgment.

"Igor, does The Mountain Dragon ever use this trick?" Ryan asked Igor.

"Nothing new here tovarisch, but something is odd…their technology has become more advanced compared to six years ago" Igor said to Ryan.

"Isn't that supposed to be? Naturally for a group of terrorist to survive this long?" Ryan asked Igor with a frown.

"Nyet, what I mean was the fact that Mountain Dragon could procure expensive equipment like these drones…Either their influence grew under the radar, or they have someone that could made these things-"

DUAR!

They heard another explosion but this one was louder and made the building shook for a bit, everyone scanned the whole room to find the source of the explosion. What kind of explosion was that? Gas leak or even a bomb? No one knows, but Victoria did send Rahn alongside Agus and Grey outside so they should be able to report if something went wrong any moment now.

"…Either Rahn just fart loudly into the radio or something did exploded near our location!" Han said on the radio.

"Yeah, in this case somehow I wish I was the one who farted explosive diarrhea right now! Something just exploded and engulfed the fifth floor of the building in flames! My guess is incendiary bomb! The building will burn down in few minutes! Get out of there!" Rahn said on the radio.

"This is Momose! The ballroom is in the state of panic! Ack! Everyone is trying to get out! We can't handle this alone, send help now! CALM DOWN! EXIT THROUGH THE DOOR IN ORDERLY MANNERS! STAY CALM!" Momose reported on the radio with loud shouting and screaming in the background.

The members of Task Force Terra inside the safe room were getting restless, they had to defend the VIPs from these unknown drones inside a crumbling building? They could get out through the hallway but it's probably full of exiting civilians, things that chaotic will provided a clear opportunity to get ambushed…Victoria immediately went with the safe option, making another exit.

"Bronya, map an exit through the walls, now!" Victoria said to Bronya.

"Da, Bronya understood" Bronya said to Victoria.

"…Have anyone watched Aliens 2?" Han asked out loud with a VAP on his hand.

"With the Xenomorphs? On Planet LV-426?" Kallen asked to Han with her dual Anaconda out on her hands.

"Yeah…I'm just glad these things won't be face huggers!" Han said while making sure Bella was right behind him.

"But they have the same characteristic…on the scale of one to fucked? How bad are our situation?" Michael asked as he readied his USP.45.

"Major Victoria! This is Theresa! Can you hear me!?" A radio transmission suddenly came in.

Everyone paid immediate attention to their radio chatter, Principal Theresa just suddenly contacted them! Where was she? She didn't attend the party, she must be with the other officials so why contacted them now? And her tone hinted that whatever she's going to say would be an urgent matter, Victoria had a bad feeling in her gut as she took out a Bee Sting PDW from a sheathe on her thighs, concealed by her dress.

"Principal? What is it?" Victoria asked Theresa on the radio.

"We're under attack! Saint Freya Academy is under attack! We need The Vikings back here as soon as possible and any reinforcement you can spare! Himeko could handle the security on site, I need you here now!" Theresa said on the radio with gunfire in the background.

…Victoria did a think over. So, Theresa was in Saint Freya Academy, the third best guarded place on Soukai after UNAF military base and Schicksal research lab and factory hybrid complex. It made sense to hold the meeting there but something doesn't add up…What's the purpose of this attack on their site? Was it a distraction? They aimed at the other officials too? Going so far as to attack a well-defended site? Mountain Dragon maybe a powerful terrorist group, but their size were small!

Mountain Dragon were either reckless or outright dumb if that's the case, they will lose a lot of man power, money and materials to make two coordinated attacks like this especially at Saint Freya Academy. Unless, the one who attacked their academy wasn't Mountain Dragon but another group working in tandem with them…That's the only logical explanation! The timing was coordinated to the moment where chaos reign on their site they will also made an attack on the academy.

Everyone's ears perked when they heard rapid metallic clicking around them, that's when they realized that this safe room had two ventilation entrances and everyone instinctively aimed their weapon toward the two entrances…that metallic clicking sound were definitely the drones, they're here to finish the job. While Bronya still mapped an exit, with the building that's about to burn down and the agile drones that would be extremely annoying to kill…Ryan wasn't sure which one would be their cause of death.

"...Bronya?" Victoria asked for status updated.

"…Da, found an exit. Summoning Project Bunny 19C, charging cannon, estimated time until completion, one minute" Bronya said as she charged the mech's cannon.

"One minute. This is going to be the longest minute of my life" Kallen muttered out loud.

Just as she said that, the ventilation entrance were opened and the whole room rained those entrance with their weapons. Little did they know, that these drones, with the armed civilians and the assassins they fought tonight would be the nothing compared to what would they faced on their academy.

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Weapon Trivia

Avtomat Kalashnikova Modernyy' (AKM): Modernized version of AK47 Assault Rifle, the rifle saw widespread use all around the world due to their practicality, easy to maintain nature and generally a good weapon to use in any situation. The rifle used 7.62mm caliber bullets and performed quite well both against human or small Honkai creature, it do has more intense recoil than M16B-PAR so proper aiming is necessary. AKM is an outdated weapon judging by the standard technologies today weaponries has, but it could still compete with the modern rifles quite well.

Avtomat Kalashnikova Experimental'nyy Model' 14 (AKEM14): The experimental version of AK rifle series, AKEM14 was originally created with versatility in mind. This rifle was produced with interchangeable parts, effectively it could turn from the average assault rifle into Carbine, Designated Marskman Rifle or even Light Machine Gun version of the weapon. It used the same round as the other AK series, 7.62mm caliber rounds. The weapon is still in experimental phase but it has around five thousand units spread around the world, it's costly to buy one but the performance it give would make the money worthwhile.

Bee Sting Personal Defense Weapon (BS-PDW): Small personal defense weapon created with concealment in mind, thus the weapon was designed to be small and slim. Chambered with 9mm bullets, the weapon functionality in combat was actually quite low because of its minimal damage, short range and small magazine size. Granted, the weapon was meant as a last resort so using it in active combat other than to protect yourself in close quarter is highly inadvisable.

Desert Eagle Hand Cannon: Who doesn't know this gun? The gun was an absolute beast even amongst the magnum hand cannons. The gun could be loaded with various magnum rounds, fired in semi-automatic style, with magazine ranged from seven to nine rounds and a beastly recoil. Often portrayed in media such as movies and games, the gun is extremely popular among general populace and it's not rare to see one in the hands of a Valkyrie. An experimental gauss barrel was created by UNAF that could accelerate the rounds fired, giving it extreme penetration and damage output though it's only available in limited numbers.

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Preview for the next chapter (Somnum exterreri)

"I don't care what method you use, drive them out of the academy and Soukai! At all cost!"

"Sakura?! Kiana?! Kallen, they're not responding!"

"01, we got things full here! You have to go by yourself! Good luck sir, give em hell!"

"Men, suit up! These bastards would feel the might of a Viking Assault Unit firsthand!"

"Sheesh son, look at you. You do have a knack for getting into trouble"

"Teriri is the world's cutest?! What kind of drugs are you on, ma'am!? I'd like some of those!"

"…Remind me not to piss off Himeko in the future! I mean it!"

"A maid?! What's a maid doing here!? And is that a scythe?! Holy shit she's good!"

"Use that big gun and yeet that fucker into oblivion!"

"…Hello my other half. We have to stop meeting like this, seriously"

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Status Update

Achievement unlocked: Extra HEAT!

Achievement unlocked: That guy just went full meme!