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March 15th

61 Days until Leviathan attacks Brockton Bay

=====

"Witnesses have stated on PHO that the Travelers came from Accord's territory, so it is very likely that they were hired to attack Blasto." Director Armstrong stated, bringing up the page in question. "Given such circumstances, as well as the fact that Trickster definitely instigated the fight, as shown in both miss Kaslana and miss Raiden's body camera, there shouldn't be any allegations made against you. If there are, then we can handle those. They'd most likely be property damage claims anyway, which if they've invested in insurance, wouldn't cost us that much."

Theresa nodded. "Thank you for your assistance in this. We really haven't gotten in that many fights before moving here."

"That's quite fine, we prefer having cordial relations with others." Armstrong laughed. "I will be honest though, I'd see this as repaying your aid with the Teeth."

"Well, our girls tend to be rather...heroic." Theresa gave Kiana a glance. She was busy scrolling through the forums with one hand, and steadily demolishing a box of donuts with the other. "Someone had pointed out that firearms are frowned upon though. Weren't energy weapons permitted?"

"Yes, and miss Kaslana's pistols are visibly tinkertech as well, so no one can state that the Unwritten Rules were broken." Armstrong turned the screen and brought up an image of the guns in question. "Although I will admit that it looks rather dangerous."

Spoiler

"They're heavily modified to stun regenerators, so the bulk does look rather menacing." Theresa nodded. She took out her own datapad and showed him an image. "These originals were made to use dense metals to punch through tougher materials, as our predecessors were planning on developing weapons to counter Behemoth. That was before the Dynakinesis and Kinetic Energy Redirection abilities were revealed, so development was halted, until Leviathan showed up. But then we had other problems to think about."

Spoiler

"Yes, they do look less PR friendly like that." Armstrong pursed his lips. "If that particular weapon has already been completed, and other equally destructive destructive armaments have been made, do we have a guarantee that they will not be used outside of dire circumstances, with said circumstances being S-Class threats such as the Slaughterhouse Nine, the Endbringers, and anyone whose existence will necessitate such a classification?"

"It might be better to have this agreement in written form." Theresa pointed out with a faint smile. "Although if we could get other people to agree to allow us to utilize our more powerful equipment in those situations, then we'd have an easier time helping others."

"Perhaps." Armstrong said slowly. "But only if you're willing to share that information with us. While your actions thus far have been beneficial, we do not have any form of reassurance that you will remain as such."

"I am not exactly sure if your information centers are properly secured though. We've thwarted several hacking attempts and DDOS attacks since moving here, and we are at least assured of our mainframes' safety."

"Well, I would have to discuss this with the other directors in the next meeting, and perhaps hire Dragon's services. She has been manufacturing high quality equipment for the PRT. She would most likely help with analyzing your technology as well. Do you agree to these actions taken?"

"Yes." Theresa nodded. "So, to summarize: our technology will be scanned by dragon and probably some thinkers for safety reasons, and when given the permission, utilize only such technology against S-Class Threats."

"Again, I'll have to bring up this topic to the other directors in the next meeting, so a proper written agreement will have to wait. For the time being, we'll sign one that guarantees a pact of non-hostility between our organizations. In triplicate." He typed something in his computer for a while, before turning back to us. "It'll be a while for the legal departments to deliver it to us. In the mean time, perhaps you would like to get refreshments?"

Theresa put her Homu pen back in her pocket, having brought it out at 'triplicate'. "Our restaurant already has the kitchens running. Are we allowed to get our food from there?"

"I don't see why not." Armstrong nodded and leaned back in his chair.

"Do you want to order as well?"

"Maybe next time. I'm technically still at work, after all." He pointed out gently.

Theresa blushed and let out an embarrassed cough. "I'll call Rita."

"You can use one of the meeting rooms for this." Armstrong pressed the intercom, and Stevens opened the door. "If you would follow my secretary?"

"Thank you." Theresa gave him a small smile. "Girls?"

Kiana, Mei and Taylor stood up to follow her out.

"They're rather progressive with technology, considering their history." Was the last thing Taylor heard before the door to the director's office closed shut.

Taylor blinked at that. 'What exactly is our backstory?'

"I used their actual history, but with several edits made so they'd fit more into Earth's history. And since Parahumans only showed up within the last century, no one can actually disprove these claims, because a lot of information could have been lost or destroyed by cape conflict. Compare this to where I'm from, where historians have discovered a lot of information."

---

"I believe that we have gotten rather sidetracked earlier." Armstrong began. "Though given the subject, it is understandable. We sort of went from talking about the Travelers and the Unwritten Rules to your weapons and technology being dangerous enough to warrant a non-hostile agreement."

It was an hour later, after everyone finished lunch, and we were back in his office.

Well, except for Kiana, who still hasn't stopped eating by the time we left. But she wasn't really involved in the discussion anyway. And Mei stayed with her to fold up and pack the empty lunch boxes.

Taylor...was present as Bronya had hurried back to the restaurant. She was technically to act as Theresa's assistant, but there's no need to at the moment.

Theresa nodded and pulled out her Homu pen, staring at the set of papers on the desk. "Is this it?"

"Yes." Armstrong straightened up and picked up his own pen. "This will be in effect until an updated contract is passed through. Now, to give a basic rundown of this agreement..."

And on they went.

I tried to keep up with what they were talking about, I really did. But a paper with signatures on it basically saying 'we won't do anything if you don't' cannot hold my interest for more than a few seconds.

"This sure is boring. So, how's your firsthand look at boring legal stuff, Taylor?"

'I've actually watched my dad do these things before, when I was a kid.' Taylor was also bored, busy reading through the PHO forums and fidgeting in her suit every once in a while. 'It hasn't gotten any faster since then.'

"It really doesn't." I sighed. "Theresa probably knows everything already, but she's making sure there's no misunderstandings between both parties."

'Mmm.'

"Something wrong?"

'I just want some time to think. A few days isn't enough for me to get over...that.'

She's thinking about Rita, then.

"I'll try not to bother you too much then."

'And nothing perverted, please. It's already distracting enough.'

"Sure, sure."

"It's all sorted, then." I refocused on Armstrong and Theresa, who were shaking hands. "Now then, about your report earlier in the day, about possible parahumans appearing unexpectedly. Their appearances and mannerisms point to them being Night and Fog, two members of the Empire from Brockton Bay. This does not bode well, as your organization appears to be multiethnic. It might be best to keep an eye out, as they've never shown to respect the Unwritten Rules when they think they can get away with it. And it wouldn't be easy for you too, having outed yourselves and all."

"Should we strike first then?"

Armstrong shook his head. "No, that wouldn't be good either, as it might lead to escalating conflict. Just make sure that they act first, and keep cameras prepared to catch their actions."

Theresa blinked. "Not something I'd expect as advice from a director."

"I'd have them imprisoned or dead if I could help it, but the situation is rather delicate." Armstrong sighed. "The PRT can't be caught breaking these rules, because other villain groups might take this as reason to break the rules themselves, or abandon them entirely. The heroes are vastly outnumbered, so casualties would be enormous if that happens."

"We'll be vigilant." Theresa assured him. "Now then, if there's nothing else...?"

"Yes, you may go now." Armstrong held out his hand for another shake. "I hope our organizations can remain cordial to each other."

"I agree. You've been a big help to us, and for that I thank you." Theresa replied, gripping his hand and shaking it. "We'll pick up the others on our way out. Bella?"

Taylor nodded and took her position behind and to Theresa's left. They walked out the door, opened by the secretary. He waited until she passed through, then entered the room.

"Stevens, have my dinner delivered to me later. This meeting will take a while."

---

Taylor breathed out as she stared out the balcony to the aquifer, a cup of tea in hand.

It was a few hours later, and while the others were busy tidying up the restaurant, her, Kiana, and Mei were the only ones present.

There is AI-chan, who is monitoring the base, and the Immortal Blades, who were repeatedly running drills in the Arena. Food was just a luxury and a way to blend in with people, so they chose to ignore it in favor of training.

And while it wouldn't do anything for them, no longer being biological and all, it allows them to tackle a given scenario in multiple ways, exploring unorthodox methods to see what would and would not work.

It sounds like speedrunning, actually. Which sounds like good training for scenarios like a sudden visit from the S9, or evacuating the city when an Endbringer is coming.

"Taylor, can we connect to Theresa? I think I might have spotted a loose thread in her conversation earlier."

'Thread?' Taylor tapped on her datapad, and Theresa's image appeared.

"Taylor? What's wrong?"

"Theresa, have you thought about whether or not he'll start questioning about who made those weapons you told Armstrong about?" I sprouted a small speaker beside the datapad and asked her.

"I did say that our predecessor made them."

"Yes, you stated that they were made to counter Behemoth when he appeared. But who reverse engineered them to make a less lethal version?"

Theresa blinked, then sucked in a breath. "Ooh, I see what you mean. The Hyper Railguns were made by ME Corp, but it's PRI-ARM form, the Positron Blasters, was developed by Anti-Entropy. However, you can't exactly make something better if you didn't understand it enough, so I think it might be best if we had their scientists with the next group."

"I'll place them in an accelerated course. Their base personalities were already well adjusted as it is, so they can be released with the current group."

Theresa wiped her forehead, though there wasn't any sweat present. "Okay, good. Can't believe I forgot to ask about that. Guess our current tech makes some things rather trivial to ponder on. Was that all of it?"

"It is. Thank you."

"Fairly sure that should be the other way around." Theresa smiled, then signed off.

"Bullet dodged."

Taylor sighed. "Right."

"Um, Miss Taylor?"

A quick look revealed Mei, standing nearby.

"Please just call me Taylor."

"Yes." Mei nodded. "I just wanted to apologize for my inadequacies during that fight. I was not expecting much from our opponents, so next time I will do better from the start."

"It's - It's alright. To be honest, I wasn't expecting the situation to escalate like that. I somehow got it into my head that we'd start off with talking or something."

"Actually, if it makes you feel better," I interjected from the speaker. "I do feel stupid for restricting your options like that. I mean you are allowed to switch weapons on the field, so why not battlesuits as well? Heck, you should be able to go all out if you want, and you're the one to judge where and when to use it."

Taylor blinked. "So, you're unlocking restrictions or...?"

"Yes, we're unlocking their restrictions. All weapons, all battlesuits, no performance limits."

"Thank you." Mei bowed. "Ah, could I also have permission to requisition a personal room? We've been using one in the dorms, but someone else might need it."

"We can always build more, so it's not an issue. Unless you mean you want a customized room."

"I...want a customized room." Mei blushed.

"We'll leave it a featureless cube. You design it however you want, Mei."

"Thank you very much!" Mei bowed deeper. "I - I shall be off now!"

"And to think," I mused as we watched Mei retreat. "That wasn't even me this time."

"What do you mean?"

"I won't tell. You did tell me not to."

"...let's talk about something else, please."

"Okay. We have a lot of resources right now, with more being harvested every second. The Mars base should get expanded, and have backup servers in place. Then there's the asteroid belt. What's our progress?"

Taylor checked her datapad. "There's around thirty converted now."

"That's actually good. There's a huge distance between each one, so thirty is quite fast. We should also open additional factories and habitats just in case..."

====

March 29th

47 Days until Leviathan attacks Brockton Bay

=====

It was two weeks later, and things have more or less calmed down.

Armstrong had notified us that the discussion regarding Saint Freya is still ongoing, with numerous investigations being conducted, and Theresa, along with Himeko, has been called for questioning a few times.

Thankfully, our restaurant business has been left alone, and with new girls having appeared, was sufficiently staffed to handle customers all day.

I wonder how they're doing though, considering that it's primarily staffed with similar-looking girls. I mean it could be argued that it's caused by powers, or because everyone made their basic features look the same, but we'll have to visit later to see.

Taylor had taken the time to relax, if constant studying, exercising, building muscle memory, sparring and getting knocked flat on her ass every time can be counted as relaxing anyway.

On the base building side, significant progress has been made. Observing Mercury and Venus revealed nothing of note, and because additional power sources only needed to be built on Mars, there hadn't been a need to make something like a solar farm on the first planet's surface, not to mention that it would be wasteful considering it isn't tidally locked.

Really, a space station would be more efficient than a structure on Mercury.

Our base on Mars had dug massive expansions underground, and any temporary structures that had been on the surface before were deconstructed and rebuilt in other areas, or were turned back into raw material in favor of better underground models that already existed.

Progress in the Asteroid Belt was steady, with the new system in place: a missile is sent to an asteroid, where it will steadily convert it into nanomachines, and as it is hollowed out, the excess materials are both sent back to Mars, and used to build more missiles.

It was with the outer planets that we hit a snag: Jupiter's immense gravity well and Magnetosphere caught us by surprise, and the last bit of information transmitted to us was that it's interior was composed of liquid hydrogen, so in terms of planetary harvesting, it was a bust. We'll return to it at a later date, I suppose.

Right now, an expedition have been sent to the other three planets; a spaceship that will send probes is steadily moving at a pace that will see it arrive at its first destination within two months. Right now, it is using its connection with the Mars base to provide materials for fuel, but should it disconnect for whatever reason, there are two Honkai Energy generators to be utilized as backup. The AI-chan piloting it would then find somewhere to start building a base, even Pluto if it can't find anywhere else to stay, and reconnect to us.

But, that's not why we're here...

"You know, it's a good thing I thought about freeing my schedule for the day, considering you have a propensity to drop some really difficult to process information to me." Taylor noted as she sat on the balcony overlooking the aquifer, a pot of tea on the table beside her, and a mug of the beverage held in her hands. "I also wanted to have some time to myself and crack open a book or two. So how bad is it if you're hesitant to share it?"

"Taylor, I would like to preface this with the fact that I am not good with people and emotions, and probably never will." I breathed in, or at least made the sound of it. "At face value, I can see if a person is sad when they're crying, happy when they're smiling or laughing, or angry when they're frowning. I can't see what's beneath the surface, because I have been lonely my entire life, pushed away everyone else in my confusion, and spiraled down that rabbit hole."

Taylor put down her tea. "I've mostly accepted that, yes. There's also the fact that you at least take measures to properly inform me of it, and even when you found yourself mistaken, you accept it and move on."

"There's a bit more that you're unaware of, about my actions, why I kept it a secret until now."

"Because there's a Thinker that looks out for these things?"

"No, it's about - oh, you were talking about our operations..." I trailed off awkwardly, then pushed on. "Sorry - uh, no. I - I wasn't talking about that but yes, your guess is correct."

"This is going to be worse?"

"It depends on whether you consider this as 'worse'." I paused to let that sink in, then continued. "It's about Rita."

"Oh, Rita." Taylor slumped, then straightened out of habit. "Rita...this is about the confession? You - you ordered her to seduce me, didn't you?"

"No. I-" I fumbled, taking a moment to choose my words to respond to her quick and incorrect but close deduction. "Please remember that she was the first Valkyrie to appear, and at the time, I wasn't sure if you needed someone close to you or not. So I edited some of her code so that she would fall in love with you, and at an accelerated rate."

"That's...uncomfortably close to Mastering- no, that is Mastering, even in code form." Taylor pursed her lips, then sagged in her seat. "I guess I can see your reason for it? I was - well, I still am somewhat...sad, in some form."

I didn't answer, and the next few minutes were spent in silence.

Finally, Taylor spoke. "Okay, you did undo the changes, so I'll forgive you. But you have to fix your mistake first."

"I already did, a few days after you rejected Rita. She's more or less normal now, although her personality remains largely unchanged from what you saw. Just a warning."

---

Taylor walked into the Arena, where most of the Valkyries, specifically the Immortal Blades, were training under the watchful eye of Durandal, who had been released a few days after the encounter with the Travelers.

Spoiler

She had taken one look at what training was being done before she took over, and then everyone started progressing faster.

"Miss Taylor, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Rita spoke, coming up from behind.

Taylor startled and spun around. "Rita, I'm not sure if I was paying attention or not, but please try not to surprise me?"

"Of course." Rita lifted a hand to cover her smile.

Taylor cleared her throat. "So uh, I heard that your Mastering- er, tampering was removed?"

"Yes. There shouldn't be anything else to look out for, except perhaps the lingering awkwardness." Rita bowed. "I do apologize for any distress I've caused then."

"It's fine. I've had time to think it through." There was a pause, then Taylor cleared her throat again. "Let's just...agree that it was a phase for you?"

"If that is your wish."

They both smiled at each other, before a hand clamped down on Taylor's shoulder and turned her around.

"It is good to see you, Taylor." Bianka, or I suppose Bianca, gave off an intimidating aura through her presence alone. Though I suppose the lance helps. "I thought you cancelled your training for today. Can't handle just sitting around all day, can you?"

"I was just checking on Rita." Taylor squeaked out, before calming down as Bianca let go. "And I was mostly finished with whatever was holding me up, so I can resume training with Fu Hua."

"I think it might be better if I had a look at your progress. Being able to fight with your fists is good and all, but you should be capable of wielding a weapon to extend your reach as well."

"Uh, maybe later?"

Bianca placed a hand at her hip, planting her lance to the ground and leaning on it. "And what exactly would be keeping you from a spar with me?"

The speaker chose that moment to interrupt. "Everyone, this is Theresa. I have an update regarding our alliance with the PRT. Please come to the office immediately."

"We can still listen in while sparring. It's not like physical presence is required." Bianca frowned, before sighing. "But I suppose this takes precedence."

---

"So, I just finished a call with Director Armstrong." Theresa began. "We're allowed to operate as independent heroes now, and as we went through the necessary paperwork, they can't do anything about us opening businesses either."

"But the catch is that, since we just helped out with the 'local' problems," Himeko continued. "A consensus was made for us to help out in Brockton Bay. You know, the one above us."

"The Director also warned us that someone might be making a power play, as there are Nazis here, and will obviously target us..." Theresa paused, looking at everyone. "Well, if they can notice the Asian features on Fu Hua, Himeko and Mei, at least. Or if they go to our restaurant and see all the Sakuras there."

"The Immortal Blades are multicultural as well, but they aren't the type you'd see outside of large-scale battles." Himeko drummed her fingers on the table. "And I believe they would target miss Peppers if they saw her."

Theresa brought up a text file. "So, several teams, one for each major villain group, and one to help out in general. First team will be patrolling the ABB territory, consisting of myself, Himeko, and Fu Hua. Second team will be against the Empire, consisting of Bianca, Kiana, Mei, and Bronya. Third team will deal with the Merchants, consisting of Adam, Carole and Taylor, with Rita to act as support and emergency medical aid."

"Got it." Taylor nodded.

"For the fourth team, they will be dealing with random criminal elements in their patrol route, consisting of the Vollerei twins and the Olenyeva twins."

"If the situation escalates, retreat and/or call for backup. We can take them, but not without casualties on their side. We're trying to avoid that as much as we can." Himeko warned. "Meeting with the PRT ENE Branch will be in a few days, so take the time to prepare yourselves. Dismissed."

"Now you don't have a reason to weasel out of your training, Taylor." Bianca wrapped an arm around Taylor's body and dragged her off. "We can begin training now."

"I'll join you." Fu Hua stated, as she walked beside. "I mean, that is my student you're manhandling."

"It will be easier to teach her how to disable targets without suffering much injuries then." Bianca nodded. "It will be a joint training session."

"Guess I can't just take the time to relax then."

"I will get some towels and refreshments." Rita stated, and split off to head to the cafeteria.

'Help?'

"Good luck." I answered. "I mean, you'll get more training this way."

Taylor sighed. "I just wanted to read some books..."

April 2nd

42 Days until Leviathan attacks Brockton Bay

=====

[AI-chan: Alright, we've been given the greenlight. It took a while to reach an agreement, but the Protectorate have all agreed to stay out of the general area we'll be patrolling in.]

Inhale. Exhale. Fu Hua's eyes opened, she clenched and unclenched her fingers, rotated her head, and did minor motor control practice in preparation. It wasn't required, for the technology comprising their bodies would never allow for such imperfections to exist, but it served as a routine exercise for her, and set the limits on what she can or can't do. Like punch decapitate someone, for example.

Himeko was doing stretching exercises, her fake latex suit reflecting the overhead lights while the servo motors on the shell attached to her right arm whirred. Unlike in their previous life, her suit no longer had any dangers of overloading, and the Honkai Reactor deep within their cores provided all the power they needed.

[AI-chan: Your routes have been mapped out in your HUD. We've released sensor drones everywhere to saturate the city, so there won't be any issues on your end. All points of interest and serviceable public utilities are dotted on the map, so you'll be able to orient yourself easily.]

They all knew this already, but Taylor - that is, Bella - didn't have the necessary experience or the processing power for either, and so had to utilize these functions normally. It's not like she would be alone though, as the other teams had four people comprising them, and so are capable of covering for each other.

[Scarlet_Fusion: Please remember that we're prioritizing non-lethal takedowns for any of the unpowered gang members we encounter, which also means that we'll have to ensure they don't die from their own actions either. For their capes, you are to prioritize retreating and calling for reinforcements in the event you are overwhelmed, and only resorting to lethal options last.]

This wouldn't be like the surprise encounter with the Travelers: they knew who they were after, and knew what measures were required to stop them completely.

[Scarlet_Fusion: Exceptions have been put in place for Lung; if we can't capture him before a certain point, we have permission to kill him.]

Even if people were to revile them for it, it doesn't matter. They were wholly committed to solving the problems plaguing humanity.

[AI-chan: Each group will be assigned to different channels, as to not interfere with each other's operation. In three, two, one...]

Fu Hua stood up as her connections with the others dropped, reduced to only their three-person group.

[Scarlet_Fusion: We already have several Immortal Blades, as well as transport ships, busy raiding brothels and rescuing the prisoners inside. If we come across a raid that still isn't finished, then we'll help out.]

Himeko raised her arms above her and stretched. She then mounted her sword onto the magnetic strips attached to her back.

Theresa closed the comic book she was reading and hopped off her seat, wrapping the chains of the gigantic cross that is the Oath of Judah around her body.

The lights on the exit turned green, and the tailgate opened to the poorly maintained streets in the ABB's territory.

[AI-chan: You may all begin operations when ready. Good luck out there.]

Taking point, Fu Hua led the others out of the truck, as if appearing from thin air. Their transport closed its tailgate and drove off, invisible to the naked eye.

Staring at the thugs giving them wide-eyed looks, they started walking.

"Cape!" One of them shouted, and they began firing at them.

Of course, it didn't work.

Fu Hua, in a burst of speed, leapt, ran across the length of a wall, dropped behind the opposing group, grabbed one thug and knocked him unconscious. The rest of them didn't fare any better, not requiring much to be taken out and thrown to the sides with their wrists and ankles zip tied.

[AI-chan: Sending in Immortal Blades for capture.]

No prison would be able to hold so many people at once, especially since the ones in this city weren't properly equipped for such things, being affected by the twisted rules of this parahuman game. Fortunately, one of the permissions they managed to obtain was the construction of a temporary detention center at the edge of the city limits. From there, they will be judged and given punishments for their crimes.

Pressing forward, they didn't face a heavy enough opposition that would require more than a minimum amount of effort from Himeko and Theresa, meaning that nearly all of the work had been done by Fu Hua. She didn't mind, it wasn't that difficult for her.

Eventually, they reached their first stop along their planned route: one of the numerous structures where the ABB kept their prostitutes in, willing or not.

[AI-chan: Connecting to Immortal Blades Rescue Squad 3...]

"Drop your weapons!"

"Move away from the prisoner!"

"FBI OPEN UP!"

All throughout the building were sounds of violence, as the Immortal Blades went through doors, windows, and even the flimsy sections of walls and attacked the people inside, knocking them unconscious and rescuing the prisoners simultaneously.

One would raise questions about how risky this sort of tactic was, if the people performing such maneuvers weren't capable of moving at dizzying speeds, didn't know the best areas to temporarily disable a person's movements, and weren't capable of seeing through the fog-creating grenades they threw beforehand.

[IB-RS_3-6: Floor clear.]

[IB-RS_3-19: We're clear in here as well.]

[IB-RS_3-27: Thirded. All thugs have been taken down.]

[IB-RS_3-Leader: All clear. The building is secured. Beginning exfiltration...]

They watched for a moment as the Immortal Blades ran out the building, half carrying crying, screaming or catatonic women on floating stretchers or on their backs to idle transports, while the others dragged unconscious men and women in various states of undress into an organized group at the front of the building, for another group to retrieve.

[Valkyrie_Pledge: It seems we aren't needed here.]

[Scarlet_Fusion: Well then, time to move.]

Giving the situation a last glance, Fu Hua and the others left.

---

[IB-RS_5-Leader: Exfiltration completed. Transport proceeding to designated location...]

As always, the Immortal Blades were fast and efficient at performing their duties. Within minutes of arriving at their destination, they would already have the captives rescued, and the criminals restrained and ready to be delivered.

The only sign of the situation changing was during the evacuation itself.

A stream of fire was their only warning before it engulfed one of the transports heading back towards the medical center. Luckily, no one would be harmed, as the transports were shielded, not to mention armed with various chemicals and foam agents for extinguishing fires.

Of course, the fire also served as the signal for the enemy to counterattack, and Oni Lee appeared between the three of them.

Already, even as they all elbowed him with enough force to crack his bones, he was already gone, his clone taking the blows instead. He died, but not before arming the grenades on his hand. And even if the ones strapped to his body weren't, the possibility of them being capable of exploding was high enough that it wouldn't matter anyway.

So Fu Hua kicked both grenades into the air, while Himeko picked up the body and threw him in the same direction. One had exploded with a force far too big for its size.

The other turned the Oni Lee clone into glass, which was caught by the blast, sending down shrapnel. A few of the captured criminals would have died if not for the Immortal Blades immediately setting up shields.

[AI-chan: Bakuda's presence acknowledged. Marking her location on your HUD.]

[IB-RS_5-Leader: Oni Lee's been spotted. He's teleporting around, but we have him in our sights. Orders?]

Fu Hua sighed as Himeko clicked her tongue. So much for the peaceful option, it seems.

[Scarlet_Fusion: Shoot him.]

Theresa cursed as they noticed a figure in the distance getting closer, starting out small, but slowly growing in size.

[IB-RS_5-11: Hit registered. Nope, it's a clone.]

[IB-RS_5-22: I see him...no, he teleported again.]

[IB-RS_5-30: Numbers 25-30, load white phosphorous munitions. We'll blanket his general area with smoke first.]

[IB-RS_5-3: Numbers 1-10, load gravity-reversing munitions, and keep an eye out in case he drops grenades again. 1-5, we're providing overwatch for the Valkyries.]

Himeko strode forward to meet the figure. "So, fancy meeting you here, Lung!"

"Whelp." The cape growled. His words were near unintelligible in English, but surprisingly understandable in Japanese. "You dare intrude on my territory?"

"Your territory?" Himeko made a show of looking around. "I don't see any gold here, little lizard. Perhaps you've gotten yourself lost?"

Lung answered by unleashing a wave of fire. It died down, and Himeko stood in the middle of a scorched asphalt road, unimpressed.

Grenades fell from above, but disappeared as they were hit by their overwatch.

[IB-RS_5-27: I can see him. Open fire!]

An apartment block erupted into white smoke from the corner of her eye.

[IB-RS_5-19: Hit registered. We're giving him a few seconds for confirmation.]

"Is that all?" Himeko snorted and reached behind, her weapon glowing blue from the amount of electricity condensing into a tangible blade. She planted it in front of her. "I don't think you're much of a challenge at all, firecracker."

"You will regret your words, when I start breaking you." Lung growled, before charging at her.

"Bring it, tiny dick!" Himeko's suit crackled with energy, and she brought her sword down, sending a blade of lightning that sliced off Lung's entire right side, eliciting a roar of pain.

[IB-RS_5-20: Status confirmed: Oni Lee is dead.]

[Valkyrie_Pledge: Fu Hua, head for Bakuda and stop her.]

[Phoenix: Understood.]

Leaping to the rooftops, it was a simple matter to head towards her target, unrestricted by her companions' movement speeds. The last thing she saw leaving from the scene was Theresa deploying the Oath of Judah and firing her spears at Lung.

Bakuda was riding on the back of a pickup truck, yelling orders while a grenade launcher sat next to her.

[AI-chan: Remote signals detected.]

This actually made her task easier, as Fu Hua landed behind them, ignoring the bullets pelting her back as she grabbed Bakuda and threw the woman, bouncing and rolling off the ground into the distance, screaming obscenities all the while.

That problem taken care of temporarily, she then proceeded to incapacitate the rest of the people there, save for one young driver, who just cried and raised his arms in surrender. That one she just zip tied.

"You fucking cunt!" She turned to where Bakuda was, holding a grenade in her hand and limping towards her. "You think I'll let you go with that stunt, bitch?! I'm going to turn you into public art!"

[AI-chan: Signals decrypted and disabled.]

Fu Hua ran towards Bakuda, who was now staring at her goggles in shock.

"What? How?! How the fuck did my bombs lose signal?!"

She knocked her out cold before the woman was able to do more than scream in shock. Catching the grenade falling off the woman's hand, she made sure that the pin was still attached, before placing it gently on the ground. That done, she removed her goggles, shoes, toe rings, and the rest of the grenades. Afterwards she placed the cape on the ground with the rest of the thugs, and called for the Immortal Blades to pick them up.

[Phoenix: Bakuda captured. Keeping watch until retrieval.]

[Valkyrie_Pledge: Understood.]

Her task done, she stood vigilant over the captured criminals.

---

Spoiler: BGM

The moment Fu Hua left, Theresa deployed the Oath of Judah. The large cross opened its sides, launching spears and chains everywhere, trapping them in a golden cage.

For her part, Himeko charged at lung, intent on ending the fight early before he escalated further. Unfortunately, it seems that her attack had triggered a reaction from the cape; he had started the fight towering over her at eight feet, but as he stood up now, he had grown an additional two, while his features changed as well. He was on fire too.

But her sword, Balmung, was named after the dragon-slaying weapon of legend. And Himeko can modify it to fit that legend.

Their initial clash ended in Himeko's favor, as her sword was still capable of slicing through Lung's hand and into his arm. Twisting, she ripped it free, though Lung's hand had healed the damage already, and the dangling flesh only needed seconds to reattach itself. Lung breathed fire, and the heat was enough for Himeko to start dodging.

[AI-chan: Heat levels rising.]

But that was where the Soulium nanomachines left in Lung's body could do their work: microscopic as they are, they can slowly convert Lung's blood into more of them, and at the same time proceed to damage him from the inside, forcing his healing power to divide its attention.

Theresa grabbed a length of chain, and pulled out several spears with it. She threw them in a tight group, hitting Lung in the stomach and providing a foothold for Himeko, who cut off his growing snout, to Lung's shout of pain. She then dug her hand into his face and slammed his skull into the asphalt.

[Phoenix: Bakuda captured. Keeping watch until retrieval.]

She blinked. That was fast, but Fu Hua wouldn't take chances with someone who could turn people into glass.

[Valkyrie_Pledge: Understood.]

Lung retaliated by grabbing then squeezing her. Slicing off his hand infected him with more nanomachines and he exploded, blowing Himeko away and dislodging the spears. Any further attempts to throw spears at him were foiled by more explosions as Lung stood up, by now reaching twelve feet and nearly touching the chains surrounding them.

He was getting heavy enough to start sinking into the ground, and Theresa had to send the command to keep their battleground solid.

Himeko appeared in front of Lung, planting her feet into his torso to deliver a vicious uppercut, though from her perspective it was more of a straight punch. She then plunged Balmung into his neck, twisting so that she cut a line to his stomach. Flames erupted from it, catching Himeko by surprise. She rolled away and smothered the fire before it could do more than singe her.

[Scarlet_Fusion: Wait, does this count as "beyond a certain point"? It feels like he's not going to go gently.]

[Valkyrie_Pledge: We'll wear him down if we could. The nanomachines should disable his healing soon.]

Himeko picked up her sword from where it lay beside her, and charged back into the fight. Their clash made a shockwave that rattled the chains around them.

[Valkyrie_Pledge: Status report. What of the captured criminals?]

[IB-RS_5-Leader: Extraction completed. Heading to collect Bakuda.]

[Valkyrie_Pledge: AI-chan, are there any people near us?]

[AI-chan: Nope, your general area's completely deserted right now!]

Theresa sighed in relief.

[Valkyrie_Pledge: Okay, we can let loose now. Cut him up!]

[Scarlet_Fusion: Alright!]

Energy burst from Himeko, releasing electricity powerful enough to stun Lung for a brief moment.

"Let's dance, bozo!"

No longer required to hold back, Himeko easily dodged Lung's attacks, inflicting cuts along his body, through which the nanomachines infect him more and more, slowly but surely hampering his regeneration.

"I'll kill you!" Lung roared in frustration, and exploded with more violent force than before.

Theresa groaned as her face, as well as her front side, reconstructed themselves from the damage. "Ow."

Himeko fared better, despite being near the center of the explosion: her hair and skin was burned off, but quickly grew back, and her damaged equipment repaired itself within seconds.

[Scarlet_Fusion: Oh shit, who knew he would be pissed enough to do that?]

[Valkyrie_Pledge: And it seems that he plans to do it again.]

Indeed, Lung was glowing now, and the ambient temperature was spiking rapidly enough that the city might be affected by the ensuing explosion.

[Scarlet_Fusion: Okay, I think we went too far, nevermind that we really should've just killed him from the start.]

[Valkyrie_Pledge: Well, I did promise that I will try to capture him until I can't do it anymore. Looks like that point has passed.]

They can't retreat now, because the chances of Lung giving chase is too high, and at this point he's too much of a walking hazard to let loose in the city.

Theresa gripped Judah, and pulled.

[Valkyrie_Pledge: Okay, duck.]

Himeko did that, just in time for the chains surrounding them to pass by her, and wrapped around Lung.

"PULL!"

"ORAAAAAAAAAA!" Himeko grabbed the chains and shouted, spinning Lung around and throwing him into the sky.

The chains shifted, changing in shape until they became sharp, biting and sawing through Lung's scales and eventually his skin.

Normally, he would've been able to resist this. The damage would've been rendered nonexistent by him healing before it could go too deep. His scales would have fallen off and be replaced by stronger ones that is harder to scratch.

But it was by this point that the Soulium had converted significant portions of his body, and unnoticed by him, had overwhelmed his healing and was actively poisoning him.

And their initial plan was to knock him unconscious, and failing that, let the poison weaken him enough to be knocked unconscious.

But as fate would have it, when Lung received the news that his brothels were being taken down, one by one, he had reacted to this slight by empowering himself before entering the battlefield, and his pride would not allow for him to stand down.

And all of those choices, all of those consequences, they led to this moment.

His body, crushed.

His neck, severed.

His heart, destroyed.

And it was in his death throes that he exploded, all of that energy suddenly bursting out at once proving too much for his container to handle, and thus opening a hole on the top to focus all of that away from the city.

Which proved to be way too flashy an ending for some people to take.

[AI-chan: Principal? The Director wishes to talk to you. She's pissed.]

[Neko_Charm: Cool fireworks, auntie!]

[Peppy_Carols: Principal, were we actually allowed to make flashy endings like that? I should've packed some sparklers with me!]

[Saule: Is everything alright, Principal?]

[Bella: WHAT. THE. FUCK. HAPPENED.]

Silently, Theresa buried her face into her hands.

Oh, this level of karma.

The paperwork that's going to come out of this.

It's going to make even machines want to die!

April 2nd

Same time as before, around the mission start

=====

[AI-chan: Each group will be assigned to different channels, as to not interfere with each other's operation. In three, two, one...]

She breathed deep, and tied her sword to her belt. While her skirt would've normally gotten in the way, it was simple enough to transform it from a rigid metallic plate to flowing cloth. She could just turn it back, and absorb the sheath, once they encounter the hostile faction.

Staring into the mirror, she saw her reflection staring back at her. Despite the modern look, her appearance still unmistakably resembles that of a samurai.

Spoiler

Leaning closer, she wiped her eyeliner from one eye, observing how it smudged across her skin. Dropping some water on it resulted in the makeup running down. She willed herself to sweat, observing the eyeliner on her other eye, and observed how the substance reacted as well.

Nodding to herself, Mei washed off her makeup and dried herself. Looking at the mirror revealed the eyeliner back on her face, and a repetition of her actions yielded the same results.

It looked and acted the same as actual makeup. Good.

Staring down, her finger moved across the smooth expanse of skin, and down into the valley in the middle.

She sighed. It was embarrassing to look...sexy. She hadn't paid it much attention before, during her time with them, but this armor she'd created was rather provocative, wasn't it?

She could've requested to use her older form, actually. At least she was wearing a more conservative outfit then.

But Himeko was there. She chose to be young again, so their instructor can see them grow into women this time...

Could she blame those people who designed her other battlesuits in the past? No, she was just as responsible as they were. She was meeker back then, especially when compared to Kiana...

She supposed that she should feel grateful that their leader looked even more provocative in their armor, and her movements would garner far, far more attention than she ever could.

As it was, she just felt embarrassed for her sake. Even if her armor was minimal and focused on guarding vital areas to grant her shoulders greater range of movement, what Miss Durandal wore...

[AI-chan: You may all begin operations when ready. Good luck out there.]

"Mei-chan, are you ready yet?" Kiana asked, entering the bathroom. "We should leave..."

She blinked, abruptly remembering that she still had a finger in her cleavage.

"Are you sure you're supposed to be doing that before the mission?" Kiana put her hands on her hips and made a disapproving face. Mei blushed as her hand slapped down to her side, like it had touched something scalding.

"N-No. Remember what I told Bella about my outfits being embarrassing?"

Kiana kept her look for a few more seconds, before breaking out into a smile. "Eh, it's not like they'll be able to touch you anyways! They'll all be jealous of me for having such a beautiful girlfriend!"

Her stomach felt warm as she kissed Kiana on her forehead and held her hand. "We should go."

Kiana was blushing as well, but her smile just grew wider. "Yeah!"

They found the others near the exit. Bronya nodded at them and started floating, while Durandal gave them a curious look.

"Is everything alright?"

Mei nodded. "Yes, just a slight delay."

"Then we're going."

---

Contrary to what they expected, marching to the heart of the enemy territory did not garner them hostile attention. People stared, took pictures and made attempts at interacting, but no one tried to shoot at them yet.

[Raiden_Mei: We're supposed to have people shooting at us, right?]

[Alloy_Bronya: Da. All individuals within immediate vicinity show no hostile intent, either through expressions or demeanor.]

Something didn't feel right. The other two teams facing against the other gangs were frequently under fire, as a brief update request revealed. The fact that the supremacists weren't rubbed her the wrong way: they are acting like they still have social standards, despite the fact that they frequently commit despicable acts.

She couldn't remember when she started to hate people who tried to hide underneath a false personality. Maybe it was way before in Nagazora, when her classmates subtly and not so subtly ostracized her with pleasant demeanors...before Kiana entered her life, that was.

She glanced to the side. While Kiana interacted with the people well enough, she was also taking surreptitious glances at the environment. Their eyes met, and Kiana shook her head minutely.

Nothing either? She decided to make an attempt herself. Checking to make sure that no camera was pointed at her, she cycled her vision through various modes, trying to see if she could spot something without drawing undue attention...

There. Several groups stationed in different buildings, always in pairs or threes. None of them were pointing anything at them, but they were observing their actions through scopes, binoculars or rangefinders. She supposed that a gang with heavy financial backing would have better equipment and approaches to certain situations.

[Raiden_Mei: I found some of them. They're far away, observing us with military equipment.]

[BK_Excelsis: Send in the Immortal Blade squadron. In the future, please remember that you could call them in yourself.]

[Raiden_Mei: Thank you.]

She shuffled in mild embarrassment. It felt like they were human again, and she felt like she didn't have the authority to order others around.

[AI-chan: Connecting to Immortal Blades Fast Response Squad...]

[Raiden_Mei: Sending data...]

[IB-FRS-Leader: Received. Proceeding with mission...]

[IB-FRS_3: Didn't I flag this company before?]

[IB-FRS_22: This one is flagged as well.]

Kiana waved at the curious bystanders. She idly noted that there were only a handful of people left by now. They must have realized what they were planning. Good survival instincts, most likely.

[IB-FRS_10: They're all flagged, most likely. Safer to camp from the confines of your own bases, or something.]

[IB-FRS_19: Either way, they won't allow unauthorized entry. Activating invisibility...]

[IB-FRS_6: We're doing parkour now. Go find a nearby building and start climbing, ladies.]

They have covered nearly half of their planned route by now. The enemy's base, the pharmaceutical company, was within sight.

If the empire was going to attack them, it should be-

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

Now.

Was it bad that she was using television show conventions as a reference? It felt like that Aleph show she and Kiana watched last night, the one rated for minors. Preteen ones, to be specific.

Kiana moved to cover the civilians escaping, though it seemed that she didn't need to; the men and women in the tacky costumes let them pass without a word. The so-called unwritten rules in effect, most likely. She doubted that they'd let them pass that easily, had there not been some stupidly daring people filming with their phone cameras nearby.

She mentally tallied their roster: Stormtiger, the one who had spoken, with Cricket by his side to their front. Crusader, with his projections already out in force, guarding Othala. They were situated on the other side of the street. Alabaster on his lonesome, behind them.

Kaiser, Krieg, Hookwolf, Fenja, Menja, Viktor and Rune were missing. She could rationalize that Viktor was most likely one of the men situated in the nearby buildings, but the others...

[Raiden_Mei: Please be warned: I only see half of the empire within the vicinity. Viktor may possibly be situated in one of the buildings, but the others don't have any signs of their presence.]

[IB-FRS-Leader: We read you loud and clear. Keeping an eye out.]

[Raiden_Mei: Durandal-sama, please keep your focus on the others in the event that Fenja and Menja appear. Kiana and I are capable of handling them.]

[BK_Excelsis: Very well. I'm aiming for their medic first.]

[Alloy_Bronya: Understood. I will incapacitate Alabaster first.]

"There we were, just minding our business, like proper civilized folk, when we see you beauties walking down the road." Stormtiger, the one who spoke first, monologued like he had class. Mei didn't think that a man looking like he came out of a Bara manga would actually try: his performance just fell flat. He stared at her with disgust. "Shame that you're associating yourselves with a chink, but I think you could be reeducated."

Spoiler

Any laughter the others had at his words died out immediately at the sound of jet engines starting up. Durandal held her hand out, and Hler's Serenity materialized itself. The blue Soulium within glowed in response to their wielder.

"Wait." Crusader spoke up, looking pale. "You're not seriously going to-"

He was cut off as Durandal rocketed towards him. Othala jumped out of the way as the projections were destroyed with contemptuous ease, and their controller given a solid blow to the stomach for his troubles.

"You bitch!" Alabaster shouted, but Bronya was already upon him. He didn't manage more than a few steps before his legs were encased in ice, and the rest of his body followed suit. Her shield flashed as one of Stormtiger's attacks hit her, before Kiana kicked him.

Her attention shifted as she heard a piercing sound, and drew her blade to parry a strike from Cricket. Before the other woman could repeat her action, Mei struck the blade thrice in quick succession, and steel quickly shattered against Soulium, leaving her enemy with one blade left. With the danger dealt with, she took the time to observe her opponent's weapon.

"Isn't the Kama a Japanese weapon?" She asked with an amused voice. Cricket just made another attempt to disorient her with her power, but she wasn't having any of it. The next strike was caught with her gauntlet, and she buried her fist in Cricket's gut before inflicting a minor shock.

"Fenja! Menja!" Stormtiger's voice rang out. He was retreating backwards from Kiana, using the shockwaves produced by his power to boost his speed. "They're overwhelming us quickly! Strike them down!"

[IB-FRS-Leader: Warning-]

[Raiden_Mei: Yes, I see them.]

She wasn't expecting the twin giants to come from above, their weapons raised high in preparation to land and cause significant damage. Had they not reinforced the city during their expansion, those strikes might have caused a small tremor, possibly a small earthquake, even.

Not like they were going to take this unspoken challenge lying down, of course.

She took stock of the situation: Durandal had already brought Crusader low, and had him and Othala bound up tight. Bronya was guarding the frozen form of Alabaster, and was taking shots at Stormtiger. Cricket lay insensate near her, and she hooked her foot under the woman before launching her towards Bronya, who caught it easily with Project Bunny.

"Kiana! I'm throwing you!" Sheathing her sword, Mei began to run towards Kiana, who also ran towards her. Leaping, her partner was at the mercy of simple physics and inhuman strength as Mei spun her around, her grasp sure on Kiana's skintight White Comet suit, before with a crackle of electricity, she reared back and threw her feetfirst at the enemy. After a moment's pause, she encased herself in lightning and launched herself at her own opponent.

She was certain that Kiana was flying towards Menja. At the very least it was the sister wielding the spear. Unable to redirect her path, she was only able to block with her weapon.

"NEKO☆CHARM!"

It wasn't enough. Her efforts were rendered useless by way of gigantic cat paw, her spear flying up and disappearing from her grip.

Fenja's scream brought her attention back, and with a slight shift to avoid the deadly thrust, Mei began running up the blade, slicing pieces off with her own sword as she ascended.

[Recording: "Yes, yes! Split it wide open!"]

Mei wasn't sure why a sudden recording popped up during battle, but that was probably Taylor's power trying to be funny or something. She didn't let it distract her, but she did follow instructions, slicing through Fenja's shield and promptly dropkicking her in the face, forcing the giantess to land awkwardly. She herself managed to kick off in time, and clung to the side of a building instead.

Of course, that wasn't exactly enough to knock either woman out. Their powers reduced the damage they could take, and she wasn't even using more lethal methods against them. So it was no surprise when both twins rose from their rough landing with infuriated expressions, and rapidly grew up to a much larger size, so large that only the tallest of buildings were higher than them.

Mei questioned this tactic. Their sizes made it so that they couldn't stand side by side. Were they just planning to stomp on them?

Durandal and Bronya retreated with their captures, avoiding the large impact that made a crater in the road.

They were.

[BK_Excelsis: Should I join in now?]

[Neko_Charm: Give me a moment!]

Kiana had landed on...one of the women, and was running up, deftly avoiding any attempts at grabbing her. The giantess clapped her hands, the shockwave it produced launching her up into the air.

"Thanks for the lift!" Kiana looked at Mei from the distance and winked. Gungnir appeared, the large energy cannon unfolding and extending its plates, before charging. "Fire!"

She fired it point blank, the resulting detonation violent enough to send the giantess staggering. She was caught by her sister, but both were sufficiently distracted by this point.

[Neko_Charm: Okay, make them slip!]

[Alloy_Bronya: The Bronya thinks that the Idiotka should have informed us ahead of time.]

Bronya aimed and fired her cannon at their feet.

Mei noted that they weren't unbalanced enough to slip yet, and leapt off her perch towards them.

[BK_Excelsis: Tackling.]

Her captives left beside Bronya, Durandal flew towards the twins, engines roaring as a large mechanical knight appeared behind her. Her spear impacted the giantess in the shin, and her knight followed suit, causing her to loose her footing and finally slip on the slippery surface, taking her sister down with her.

"Mei-chan!"

She looked to the side. Kiana switched battlesuits while she wasn't looking, the skintight suit replaced with plated armor, and wings glowing brightly as she flew.

"Kiana?" She raised an eyebrow, but accepted the outstretched hand, allowing herself to be carried. "What are you planning?"

"Give me a charge! A really big one!"

She sighed and obliged her. Kiana grinned and manifested Gungnir again.

This time, the resulting blast knocked both twins out.

Mei felt this course of action as somewhat reckless. If it wasn't for Bronya's presence and her cannon rapidly cooling the bubbling asphalt, they could have killed their targets when it was possible for them to not resort to such tactics.

[BK_Excelsis: Somewhat heavy on collateral damage, but I suppose it could've been worse.]

[Alloy_Bronya: The Bronya advises against such a way of thinking. It always serves as a provocation for the situation to get worse.]

Kiana landed and switched back to her initial suit. Mei turned and stared at the incoming police and firemen with some trepidation.

[IB-FRS_17: Hey look, I caught a Bara character!]

[IB-FRS_18: It's Stormtiger, we caught him trying to escape. We're dropping him in an alley for pickup.]

[IB-FRS-Leader: I'm also dropping off Viktor. I managed to capture him as well.]

Mei nudged Kiana on the side. "Pick up Stormtiger and Viktor please."

"Right!"

She straightened and composed herself as one of them came closer. Durandal landed in front and to the side of her, the large knight having vanished when no longer needed.

"Officer." Durandal nodded.

"Ma'am." The policeman nodded back. "So...quite a stunt you just pulled."

"It is." Durandal inclined her head in acceptance at the mild rebuke. "We were trying to avoid resorting to lethal measures, and as such the fight was prolonged."

"I don't think anyone would've complained if these nazis died." He pointed out.

"It was an agreement brokered between our organization and the PRT. The others should be finishing with the other two gangs as we speak."

As if on cue, a large plume of fire appeared from the dock area, catching everyone's attention.

[Alloy_Bronya: The Bronya's predictions turned out to be correct.]

[Neko_Charm: Cool fireworks, auntie!]

"..."

"..."

They stood in silence for a brief moment.

"I see they had to resort to lethal measures against Lung."

The officer gave her a flat look.

"Should we worry about a sudden inferno popping up in that district?"

Durandal pursed her lips. "I suppose? Our teammate is cooling the area right now, so it would be better for the firemen to head towards the docks instead."

"It does." He gave her a nod. "Well, I guess you're the ones who have to deal with the fallout from this. I wish you luck."

"Thank you." Durandal turned to Mei. "Let's go."

"Around ten minutes is long for them, apparently." She heard the policeman speak to himself before he went out of earshot.

[Shae_Sakura: Warning, Kaiser is present at the restaurant, along with a few others. Requesting for heavy Immortal Blade support; Lady Kallen stated that she had encountered several instances of the empire's men capturing hostages.]

[Scarlet_Fusion: Granted. We're done here anyway. Send all but two squads back to Boston.]

[BK_Excelsis: I shall provide backup as well.]

With that statement, Durandal nodded at Mei then flew away.

She sighed as Kiana and Bronya neared, carrying the captured villains with them. "We're heading towards the designated meeting site. Let's go."

Kiana handed Cricket over to her. She was carrying the twins with her, while Project Bunny carried the rest.

"So...want to get take out along the way?"

Mei stared at her, then at Bronya. Then she let out a small laugh.

"Sure, takeout would be nice."

"The Bronya suggests McDonalds."

"But Burger King is better!"

She smiled as the two bickered. It felt like they were young again, to be arguing like this.

In the end though, she couldn't tell if they actually noticed her efforts towards makeup, even though they insulted her. Did she already look that eastern?

"Girls, please. We know Kiana won't be satisfied with just one franchise. We're going to both, along with what others we come across, okay?"

April 2nd

Same time as before, around the mission start

=====

[AI-chan: Each group will be assigned to different channels, as to not interfere with each other's operation. In three, two, one...]

Taylor remained connected to the network, but we ignored the chatter from other channels as she stretched, and I focused on ongoing projects, some having recently started.

[AI-Mars-Expansion: Base expansion has not encountered serious problems. Careful testing reveals that the safest depth for permanent constructions is limited to 30km, even with the current technology at our disposal. We already have a small area that serves as a habitable zone for humans, at about 200m in diameter, although at the moment it is still bare.]

[AI-Mars-Expansion: Creation of an artificial atmosphere is going steadily, which should theoretically allow a person to walk around for a few hours without equipment for oxygen. We are also currently building a hydroponics plant utilizing Martian resources: at the moment, the Martian soil is completely incapable of supporting plant life due to various factors, such as temperature and perchlorates dangerous to humans.]

Taylor took a deep breath as she stood up, and went over her inventory. Each small pouch was double-checked, properly closed, and secured to her person with precision, a good sign that her training in manual dexterity is going well.

[AI-Mars-Expansion: To that, we are devising solutions to resolve those problems with significant aid from simulations, and will be able to do live testing once the necessary constructions have been completed. Increasing the ambient temperature is simple enough by using industrial electrical heaters.]

[AI-Mars-Expansion: For the perchlorates, we can either utilize water to dissolve it, or utilize bacteria that "reduces" perchlorate and produces oxygen as a byproduct. It would take a while, and requires the Earth base to send a sample through the portal, but the benefits would be enormous. It also allows us to properly test the portal's effects on living beings, if simple ones.]

[AI-Mars-Expansion: But it would depend on your choice. Should we go for it?]

"This might be the last time we can communicate well without interrupting your concentration." I noted as Taylor shouldered her backpack on. "Any opinions for the off-world projects?"

'Do I even have good opinions for those? I feel that you'd be the better choice for this.'

"An outside perspective can be good, though I suppose you're a bit preoccupied right now." I hummed in thought. "Very well, I'll make sure to give you an update after this. For now, just focus on your mission."

[This is isolated from the habitable zone, right? You can do it.]

[AI-Mars-Expansion: Yes, the habitable zone is separate from the other buildings right now. Understood.]

I idly watched Taylor as she stood with Rita, Carole and Adam. It felt slightly odd to see one team member not wielding any weapons, though understandable given Taylor's hesitation against utilizing lethal force.

But there shouldn't be any reason to kill someone right now.

Especially not the Merchants.

[AI-chan: You may all begin operations when ready. Good luck out there.]

"Good luck."

'Thanks.'

---

[AI-Interplanetary-Expansion: Construction of the expansion ship to Uranus' moon, designated "Miranda", is nearing its final stages. It shall deploy additional bases en route on Jupiter's moon, designated "Himalia", as well as Saturn's moon, designated "Titan". After each base has finished deployment, they shall proceed to further expand to the other moons within the planet's orbit, but outside of the planets' gravity wells.]

[AI-Interplanetary-Expansion: We have also begun mining operations on the surface of Mars' moons, Phobos and Deimos. As the moons have less gravitational pull compared to the planets, we can burrow deeper into them without fear of the structures collapsing, though we will be conducting tests to see if we could burrow deeper into the mantle without issue.]

[AI-Interplanetary-Expansion: The asteroids' conversion progress is also progressing smoothly. We have passed the 10% marker, and are able to convert more and more as we go. Also, there have been debates amongst our numerous branches if we should merge the smaller asteroids into the larger ones or not.]

[AI-Interplanetary-Expansion: According to some, there wouldn't be a need for so many tiny asteroids if the larger ones could do the job properly. Anything that would pose a threat to the Earth would be shot down immediately with a defensive installation in the asteroids, if Mars is not in an optimal position, and as a last ditch effort, the nearest asteroid would activate its shields and ram itself into the target.]

[Would it be possible to just convert everything first, then merge or split up as needed? We can technically just make gigantic laser cannons pop out of any surface, considering that no one would be looking at us that far away.]

[AI-Interplanetary-Expansion: It is a possibility. Ion thrusters aren't as wasteful as utilizing fuel, and the numerous servers and data centers being created on Mars allows us to compute trajectories and make adjustments in real time.]

[AI-Interplanetary-Expansion: ...very well. Your proposal has been accepted, and we will increase priority in improving propulsion technology.]

Satisfied with the reports, I changed my focus on Taylor's progress through enemy territory.

Nothing of note, for now at least. Any thug that got within range got knocked out by the team, and anyone hiding within buildings or alleyways were brought out by Rita or her mechanical dog, Stalker Carbon.

Spoiler

I sighed as she gave Taylor a nod, though noticeably subdued. They were awkward around each other, which is understandable considering my actions; just because the underlying issue was fixed doesn't mean that the effects would be as well.

I can only blame myself for that. My desire for women to ogle at despite the lack of a body or libido had caused it, and I really didn't know what I could do for them, besides waiting and allowing them to recover from the ordeal on their own.

I turned back to the projects.

[AI-Interplanetary-Support-Network: Construction of satellites are going well. They are capable of switching between mobile and deployed forms in a way that wouldn't elicit much reaction from the planet's governments...besides the normal reaction of unknown or foreign machinery suddenly appearing anyway. Should the PRT, as well as the United Nations, reject our planned proposal to deploy these satellites in orbit, they will remain invisible to any forms of observation instead.]

[AI-Interplanetary-Support-Network: We have also amassed sufficient amounts of Soulium from Mars, and the construction of the interplanetary offense cannon has begun. At the moment, we don't have the space for a proper live testing of the weapon, and as such will wait until we have enough to study any potential reactions with portals.]

[But if it's successful, there shouldn't be any delay between the cannon firing and the target being hit, correct?]

[AI-Interplanetary-Support-Network: Aside from the normal delay like with common artillery, there shouldn't be. We are not exactly sure if the cannon should be fired "point blank", and there have been numerous debates about it.]

[If something requires getting shot at with a cannon from another planet, then distance wouldn't matter. All the same, I'd prefer having the portal end be far enough to not be reached so easily.]

[AI-Interplanetary-Support-Network: Understood. We shall expedite excavation and the construction of the cannon.]

The rest of the Merchants seem to have been alerted to the team's presence, but it's not like they could do anything about it; their bullets are easily stopped by the shields that everyone had equipped, and Carole only had to slam her fist once for her rocket-mounted gauntlet to follow through and destabilize their footing enough for Rita and Stalker Carbon to knock them out.

The pair of trucks filled with reinforcements fared the same, as Adam blew out their tires before he and Taylor grabbed them, tied their wrists together, then lightly throwing them on their asses onto the sidewalk.

[AI-Honkai-Energy: Honkai Energy testing has not turned up negative results. No odd phenomena detected despite the energy levels reaching the point where a Herrscher manifests. It is most likely that one does not spontaneously manifest, and will only appear when a host is within the area.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy: Should the opportunity arise, please send someone to be tested. There are numerous individuals that will not be missed.]

[I'll see what we can do, but our best chances would be to abduct one of the numerous warlords in Africa. The latest batch of Valkyries have appeared recently, though they're adjusting to their bodies right now. Latest we could expect would be sometime after Leviathan strikes.]

[AI-Honkai-Energy: I understand, but please note that the Divine Keys cannot be completed until a Core has been extracted. Until then, we only have access to the weaker mimicries.]

[AI-Mech-Units: Shield technology has reached a plateau where we can theoretically withstand the Chicxulub impact, although we will require an obscene amount of energy in the process. For now, we have limited the power to at least be capable of shielding against a 200 megaton tnt equivalent, which will allow the shields to remain powered for a few minutes before turning off to recharge.]

[AI-Mech-Units: This will be fitted onto the mech series now dubbed the "Aegis". They will utilize a medium-sized Honkai Reactor and converter, and the 1 x 1 x 1 meter cube will be situated within the base of the mech's "torso", where the armor is at its most concentrated. These reactors will deactivate and the mech will switch to backup power should they suffer critical amounts of damage, to prevent the accidental energy leaks.]

[What is the status with the aircraft?]

[AI-Mech-Units: Going well. Including from the current ones in use, we have 120 Vertical Take-Off and Landing passenger aircraft, capable of holding 50 people at any given time. We also have larger variations for transporting vehicles and heavy cargo, numbering at 1,000 units, because we don't have to pay attention to creature comforts.]

I took it all in and dismissed them. Job done, I turned back to Taylor's group.

They were still fucking them over like they didn't even matter.

Adam yanked everyone out of a badly-designed tank, then Carole jumped up to smash it flat with her gauntlets, the debris thankfully not flying too far and hitting someone by accident.

Taylor lightly slapped two thugs in the face, then gave them a gut punch, which transitioned into a push into Rita's waiting arms, restraining and dragging them to the side while Taylor kicked their truck in half.

Stalker Carbon took its share of targets by its lonesome, by way of its weight and shocking the thugs with its tail. It and its master weren't destroying vehicles, but to be honest, even having two was more than enough.

Sure, some of them got bruised, cut, burnt, shot and worse, but at least they aren't dead, and were already being treated by the accompanying Immortal Blade squadron and loaded to the transport to be taken to prison. The only problem with this arrangement is that there were more addicts 'functional' enough to shoot with a gun than not, and that the small passenger capacity of the transports meant that it was near constantly flying away and back, just to keep up with the ridiculous pace the group had set.

Rita and Stalker Carbon disappeared, and after a while the rest arrived at an open space, where incapacitated bodies lay on the ground while the two took down even more.

"We have groups with hundreds of members carrying guns, and somehow the capes still win because of the rules." I scoffed. "Even if the rules were intended to keep the cape population from descending into anarchy, it wouldn't happen in the first place if order was established very early on."

'...I really should read about that, because I don't have any opinion to share.' A group of thugs scattered as Taylor threw pebbles hard enough to punch through wood. 'Anyway, you've been quiet for...an hour? Are things on your side going well?'

"It is, actually. Again, I'll give you details later, but to summarize: some preparations are needed before the Martian soil can support plant growth, base expansion is going nicely, there's enough material to start building a cannon, both moons are being worked on, and an expedition to Uranus' moon is nearing launch, and the ship will plant additional bases on one of Jupiter and Saturn's moons each along the way. Mining and converting the asteroid belt is also going well."

A pipe breaking against her head snapped Taylor out of her trance, and she grabbed the offender and manhandled her to the rest of the pile, where three IB members were busy loading bodies onto hovering dollies. The nearest one blinked and nodded at Taylor, before restraining the thug and throwing her on top as well.

"Yeah, that's what I meant by me potentially distracting you before."

'I-It's fine? It wasn't like she actually injured me.' Taylor ran a hand through where the pipe had struck, and pulled it away to reveal a hand with some shards sticking to it. 'Though she left a bit of a mess.'

"Anyway, while you're relatively safe, I'll finish: we already have several structures on Mars, but only a small part has a breathable atmosphere. At the far side, Honkai Energy research has halted, mostly because they need a test subject. I suggest we get someone with a kill order on them, or a warlord in Africa. Earth-side, several hundred transports have been built, and our shield mechs, now dubbed as 'Aegis', have been calibrated to withstand a lot of force before needing to disable themselves to charge back up. Any more and they won't have the staying power needed in a protracted fight. Or an Endbringer attack. We also now have satellites prepared for deployment. If the government refuses to accept its presence, then we'll just cloak them."

'...okay, that really is distracting.' Taylor straightened up. 'We'll shelve it for later. I think Skidmark finally decided to take a risk.'

Yeah, the large ghetto tank and the lumbering trash giant beside it were easy tells.

Taylor kicked the shell they fired, then caught and threw it at Mush. It didn't do much given that projectile speed was as much of a necessity for solid ammunition, and it was absorbed into the arm it got stuck in.

Adam swung his sword down, and a wave of fire started burning off layers of trash, both combustible and not. Carole followed up by beginning to punch its chest, driving it back with each strike.

Back to the tank. Skidmark had popped out of the hatch and was layering multiple fields on the turret, yelling obscenities at us. Some parts were amusing if you think about them. What purpose does having several cacti ramming each other up the ass serve, exactly? Didn't he know that there are species that can grow really tall?

In any case, Taylor caught the next shell, and managed to bring her arms up to block a third. Cracks formed as her heels dug into the asphalt, but she recovered and started walking towards them.

Now, Skidmark was only paying attention to Taylor, and that ugly monstrosity was built in a way that most likely prevented Squealer from seeing anything behind the vehicle either, so he was caught off guard when Stalker Carbon came up behind him and jabbed his side with its tail. Any protestations died in the ensuing electric shock, and Rita jumped inside and hauled Squealer out as well.

I can think of a few things they could have done to put up a better fight, but being high on drugs tends to impair one's ability to properly learn.

Mush was much more difficult to put down without killing him, given his changer status. He kept pulling debris into his body, which made what would have been a simple fight into an endurance match, which he would lose because his opponents don't get tired.

Still, there was no need to make this any harder. Taylor ducked low and kicked his legs out from under him, while Carole pushed him down. His limbs were secured while Adam slowly dug his sword through and cut off sections, revealing a pinkish humanoid man underneath.

A quick shock from Rita took care of his struggling, and we waited to see if his power deactivates when he's unconscious. If it doesn't, then we'll just have to take an extra trip for him, depending on how many thugs are left.

After a while, a loud explosion resounded far off. Taylor choked on her drink as a plume of fire rose up into the sky.

"Wait, were we allowed to have such a flashy ending like that?" Carole gave an exaggerated gasp, bringing her hands up to her mouth.

By her side, Adam laughed and waved her off. "No, no. Clearly the main boss in that area decided to explode himself rather than be killed."

Taylor was breathing heavily, and only just managed to calm down before opening communications.

[Bella: WHAT. THE. FUCK. HAPPENED.]

Relatively calm.

[Valkyrie_Pledge: Would you believe me if I said that the original plan was to throw him into the ocean? At least that explosion didn't damage the area...much.]

[Bella: And how exactly are we going to explain this?]

[Valkyrie_Pledge: Please don't worry. I already have an argument planned for this. Just finish up with your tasks, kids.]

[Liliya: About that, Principal...]

[Valkyrie_Pledge: Oh no. What happened?]

[Liliya: My sister and I have been kidnapped. Current location is being transmitted through the system, but Roza Idiotka wishes to have some action, and plans to destroy her kidnappers.]

[Number_1_Idol: I have a speech ready and everything!]

[Valkyrie_Pledge: Guys, we have backup because we're aiming to minimize casualties! Starting a rampage at the enemy base from the inside makes it difficult to prevent deaths if the structure destabilizes!]

[Why not let them?] I cut in. [The mere fact that the idiots kidnapped what looked like children would have the public out for their blood, and they'd be more willing to overlook what happened so long as they come out safe. Of course, some organizations would use this as leverage to keep the girls out of the fight, but I don't think it'll get far.]

'You can't be serious!'

"Taylor, they're not in any actual danger. Even if they dropped their weapons, they have enough Soulium to produce copies. They'll be fine."

'...'

"And I do admit that it sounds callous, but I won't risk these strategies if I didn't know that they'll succeed in the first place."

Taylor clicked her tongue. I admired her concern for others.

[Bella: Alright, but keep your connection open. We'll be meeting you halfway there.]

[Liliya: Understood. Spasibo.]

And of course, that just meant that more trouble was coming.

[Shae_Sakura: Warning, Kaiser is present at the restaurant, along with a few others. Requesting for heavy Immortal Blade support; Lady Kallen stated that she had encountered several instances of the empire's men capturing hostages.]

[Scarlet_Fusion: Granted. We're done here anyway. Send all but two squads back to Boston.]

[BK_Excelsis: I shall provide backup as well.]

Taylor sighed. "Seriously?"

"I find it strange that Kaiser would do this. He likes to appear like he's a gentleman, so maintaining an image is something he won't discard unless he's being pressured by the higher-ups in the nazi kingdom."

'It probably is the case.' Taylor accepted another water bottle with thanks. She cleared her throat. "We're staying here. Currently, Liliya and Rozaliya are being taken somewhere, so we'll be rescuing them once their signal stops moving. The restaurant should be secured enough, and Durandal will be providing backup alongside several squadrons, not to mention the number of Valkyries in there already. We're returning to the detention center while we wait."

Loading up and transporting the thugs took time, but soon enough, we were in the air.

'I guess you can give a detailed report now.' Taylor prodded me as she reclined and closed her eyes.

"Right. So, let's start with the Mars situation, shall we? At the moment, we're quite deep enough to the point that the pressure would kill any person to wander in there, but structural integrity might be compromised unless we make the walls thicker, which doesn't make sense if we're only using that area for storage..."