2023-12-09: When The Crossbow Breaks

• Cast: Sousuke Sagara, Kaname Chidori, Leonard Testarossa, Al, Emilia Eschonbach, Kallen Kozuki, Asciel Colette
• Where: Nagoya
• Date: U.C. 0097 12 09
• Summary: Sousuke arrives to help his partner Al finish off Amalgam's assault squad, but Amalgam's elites arrive soon after. Some help from surprising friends help turn the tables...Until a demon arrives.

---

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

With the shouts of his angry classmates at his back, Sousuke Sagara stepped out of the arena with his face a mask and his thoughts a storm. Gunfire and explosions tell him the battle is already joined, but it's not until he sees the silhouette of a Shadow that he knows it's not just a riot or the Black Knights and Britannians clashing in the streets over the massacre. As he feared...

They're here for him.

Arbalest slams down into the ground in front of him, armor charred, shotcannon in hand and head vulcans smoking from recently firing. AL has been piloting on his own.

<<Sergeant Sagara. You have arrived,>> AL says on the loudspeaker.

"I told you I would, AL," Sousuke says. "Pop the hatch."

<<Roger. Please board when ready.>>

Sousuke rapidly clambers up the extended arm of the Arbalest, and then favors one last look down to where Kaname is waiting. "Find somewhere safe. The jamming will be intense...try to find a high place, for now, or a Shuffle safehouse. I don't expect weaponry targeted at tall buildings."

Then he slips in, hands grasping the control sticks and locking into the Master Suit. <<Thank you for returning, Sergeant,>> AL says to him. He's efficient, at least, flashing up the rather unhappy damage readout at the same time.

"Class B and C to most of the frame...we'll be OK, but we'll have to make it a fighting retreat. Looks like you've taken down several Amalgam suits already and they rarely deploy more than fifteen. We may be seeing the end of them soon. But we can't handle them and the entire Britannian army."

<<Agreed.>>

Sousuke feels a tension across his back, and finds himself murmuring, "...why did you thank me like that, Al? I did say I'd return."<<...I have a bad feeling,>> AL says, as the Arbalest rises, rips its Shotcannon up, and swiftly flicks a shell in the direction of an approahcing arm slave.

<<A feeling we will soon be parted.>>

KTS: Asciel_Colette has deployed as a Boss for 3 opponents.
KTS: Kaname Chidori is now subpiloting for Sousuke Sagara.
KTS: Asciel Colette has changed loadout.

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

       When Seolla and Yuri had all the students on the bus, and it was making for the border before it closed- or whatever plan they had in mind- Emilia did not stay on it. She replaced her visor and pulled up her hood. She should be going for Rapunzel- but Rapunzel hadn't been deployed, and it would take too long to get there and back in time.

       Something else was much closer to home, in a garage Kallen set up.

       It had been a while since she had piloted a KMF, and this was even older than Jack- even if Kallen carefully maintained it. But... it was still the best option for getting there- and Kallen had asked her to bring it.

       "...C-come on. We n-need to help S-Sousuke. Kallen s-said I could count on you. Show m-me." The old Burai, painted red, spurs to life as the garage opens, and the landspinners burst forward as it surges through the streets of Nagoya.

       -----

       As a Shadow moves to lunge at the Arbalest, there's a sudden interruption to it's attack as a pneumatic drill goes THROUGH it's chest, before being retracted, dropping to the ground.

       "S-Sousuke! Y-you're not doing th-this alone!"

       It was not easy getting here. She had to cut THROUGH a small Britannian squad to even get here. They had it coming anyway. No one decent would mourn them. But now, the red Burai skated round to slide up- seeing the white ARM Slave. Wait. That was the one from that mission with Gauron... the one who had let her take Kallen. Does that mean...?

       No, she can ask questions after this! There's a fight to be had right here, right now. There's a small army- and for some reason the Knightpolice haven't come close.

       "If y-y-you bastards want to h-hurt my friends, you're. G-GOING THROUGH ME!"

<Pose Tracker> Asciel Colette has posed.

       Ever since the announcement of the Special Administrative Zone, Amalgam's interests in Japan were oh so abuzz with conversation on how to twist this to their advantage. Souring the proclamation was absolutely on the menu - really, a simple terrorist attack thowing the inauguration into chaos would've been more than enough to light fires in the Area 11 situation. The Black Knights would blame Britannia - Britannia would blame the Black Knights, and amidst the deteriorating conflict, it'd be easy for the unscrupulous to get their way.

       It's a hotbed of a situation Asciel would've adored getting something greater from. Something this televised would surely give her an opportunity. When Mr. Silver contacted her about having an interest in a few 'old friends' who'd be at the inauguration, all the better! Asciel, already fairly heavily preoccupied in Japan with the Fuji business, had quite the score to settle with the Toy Box's companions.

       ...The rise of the 'Massacre Princess' and Zero swooping in to save the day was CERTAINLY not on Asciel's list.

       --~<<...Now, Mr. Silver, while I am well aware you have many, many tricks up your sleeve - this cannot possibly have been one of them. I don't buy for one minute that fluffy naive Princess Euphie ordered that massacre of her own volition. Body double, maybe? Some long con of hypnosis? Egh, too many holes in that thought. The Black Knights are already getting to play the hero ~proving Britannia's heinousness, and they're wasting an awful lot of ammunition on civilians.>>~--

>bad bad bad bad why am i not moving to stop this i can't watch this just happen kh kh kh kh

       There's a faint shimmer in the ECS cloaking Asciel's Codarl on a rooftop, as chaos envelops Nagoya. Amalgam's interests are first and foremost the target, Kaname Chidori, and the conflict is if anything useful cover to stir the pot. And yet, it's a lot more chaotic than anyone would've liked.

       A whir of wind cycles through Asciel's reactor, standing upright as a Burai and a Sutherland lock blades, each lopping the other's arms off - and from a strange guitar-like instrument at Asciel's hip, two harkens erupt out - lancing both of them through the waist, triggering their eject systems.

       --~<<Nothing for it. The Knights' morale is too high, from all my observations. We're not going to be able to twist Zero's arm here. Earth's hard-working big sister, Asciel Colette, is just gonna have to ~clear your path. Aren't you lucky to have me, whose eyes cut past the chaos?~>>~--

       ECS cloaking disengages - and Asciel descends into the streets, each step bringing with it a bolt of railgun fire from an orbiting drone and a flash of light from her laser blade, dancing nimbly from street to street. Soon, the oh so distinct human-faced Arm Slave has cut its path to the stadium's perimeter - one hand on its hip. <<"Well well, escapees from that hellhole. Just so you know, I do have an escape route, but I'm ~only~ going to be able to help those out who surrender and dismount. I don't like this situation any more than you do, but there's ~someone~ we need to speak to specifically amidst your company, and I'd reeeeeally like a visual on them before we proceed - so do us all a favor and line up carefully, and I'll see to it no future shots are fired. Kay~?"

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

A certain weight clings to Kallen's shoulders as she reaches the space where she left the Guren. A killer... yes, indeed she is. If there were any plausible doubt before, none remains. The bloody knife on her person guarantees that to be true. But at the same time, a different weight has lifted. A certain clarity remains upon her. The understanding to not fear that part of her. She can keep it in hand, and not lose it. Those conflicting thoughts remain in her head as she slips into Guren, carefully settling in and starting her up. A quick message is shot off to the support team... so that mostly means Rakshata really, but she may be too busy to see it until later.

'Found a lead on a target Zero has been after. May go dark for short while. I have backup.'

Guren's landspinners seem unusually quiet as they strike out into the chaos of the arena once more. Though the target she first FINDS, was not one she expected. Oh no, instead it's her... enemy? friend? part time frinemy? She recognizes Asciel's Codarl, given the sheer amount of time she's been spending at Fujinomiya, parked in Asciel's Macross. So she has questions, unsurprisingly. "Asci, are we doing this *again*? Right now?" Considering what she witnesses the Codarl doing, they're definitely doing this. As such, she won't hesitate. Maybe she can talk the Super AI into standing down as they fight. Maybe even talk her into helping... Long shot perhaps, but it might work out.

So, as the Guren comes into visual range, the machine takes a ramp of debris and leaps! It's getting impressive air time, even without any explosives, and quickly draws its oddly shaped knife. From above, the blade comes down at Asciel, stabbing toward the Codarl's shoulder. And as that's occurring, she starts broadcasting to her allies. "Uruz, Red Knight, you know the score. Let's form up together." Not that either of the two are aware of who the other is right now.

KTS: Kallen Kozuki targets Asciel Colette with Fork Knife Riposting Slash!
KTS: Kallen Kozuki has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Asciel Colette partially guards Kallen Kozuki's Fork Knife Riposting Slash, taking 3240 damage!
KTS: Kallen Kozuki has engaged Asciel Colette!

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

If they're here for Sousuke... they're here for her, too. Kaname knows that much for sure... which means she'll have to leave, too. But that's something to worry about later. This is her responsibility too. as she watches Sousuke leave, she hesitates--then looks at Kyoko. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I have to go!" she calls out, grabbing up a radio and sprinting out, hot on Sousuke's tail.

She stares up at the Arbalest. She wants to yell. Goddammit, Sousuke. She needs to be here, she needs to help--

But what can she do at a time like this?

The best thing she can do is stay safe, probably... defeated, she nods. "Right," she makes her way up a nearby building, fiddling with the radio and tuning to the Arbalest's frequency. "Uruz-7, can you hear me? I grabbed one of the enemy radios. I-"

She bursts out the door onto the roof, and sees a familiar face. A very large familiar face. "... Uruz-7. I know that Arm Slave's face. She's the one who hijacked the Toy Box."

<Pose Tracker> Leonard Testarossa has posed.

In the middle of a massacre, the man known simply as Kurama emerges from the arena. Eyes hidden behind small, circular sunglasses, gloved hands tucket into the pockets of his dark coat, he seems to just let atrocity pass him by with detached ambivalence.

He doesn't even so much as blink as the squeal of landspinners sends a squadron of Sutherlands screaming past, chasing down fleeing, unarmed men and women. His brow just spasms, once.

One Sutherland stops as they notice his passage. And soon, so do the rest. Kurama doesn't even look their way as a Britannian officer emerges from the opening cockpit of the lead Sutherland, squinting at the strange man.

"You. Identify yourself! Are you Japanese?"

Kurama sighs. He produces a cigarette case.

"No."

And before the officer can respond -- artillery fire suddenly rips through him and his Knightmare Frame, mobile weapon-scale gunfire shredding machinery down to pulp seemingly from nowhere.

Kurama produces a single carrot stick from his case, and settles it between his teeth.

"I'm a citizen of the world."

And as invisible forces rip through the rest of those Britannian Knightmare Frames in a series of hellish explosions, Kurama produces his phone. And continues on, dialing a number as he calmly walks away.

<"Is it done?">

"Yeah. The Shadows are in pursuit of the Arbalest, not that they'll stand much of a chance. They'll get it where it needs to be, anyway. And he'll be there soon, too."

<"Thank you. I'm glad we could come to an agreement on this. I hope I didn't spoil your hunt.">

"A job's a job. I still don't trust you, though."

<"Hahaha. For what it's worth -- I'd prefer people like you didn't, honestly.">

"Tch."

And so, Kurama starts to leave that battlefield, even as the sounds of violence continue to simply intensify.

                       ---

Sousuke Sagara emerges outside of the arena to a violent landscape.

Given the circumstances, this isn't surprising. Bodies litter the grounds AL and the Arbalest arrive in; perhaps the most notable thing is the smoldering wreckage of what looks like it could have once been a squad of Sutherlands, the bodies of a few Britannian officers strewn across them.

Little to think or worry about, really, when Amalgam is nipping at their heels; of nothing else, the agents of Amalgam are as relentless as they are practiced.

Most of them have been involved with war zones that number in the dozens. That this particular war zone is a massacre doesn't seem to mean much to them -- they still know how to use the chaos and confusion to their benefit as they pursued the unmanned Arbalest.

And they are relentless about it. Even as the Arbalest shoots down one of those approaching Shadows, the crackling scent of ozone fills the air as yet another Shadow drops their ECS in mid-air, brandishing a monomolecular cutter they intend to run the Arbalest through with --

Until a pneumatic drill RIPS through the dead center of the machine, spraying Muscle Package fluids as it struggles and then slumps lifelessly forward, hitting the ground with a metal CRUNCH.

The scent of ozone still hangs heavy in the air. There are others.

But they seem to be waiting.

Perhaps now it's Asciel's turn to take center stage.

... Or maybe their only goal was to bring the Arbalest, its pilot, and their unexpected companions to this point.

                       ---

...Now, Mr. Silver, while I am well aware you have many, many tricks up your sleeve - this cannot possibly have been one of them.

<"You don't believe in my powers of prophecy, Ms. Colette?">

The voice on the other end of that line is affable. Friendly. Teasing, even; it comes complete with a soft laugh, as if dismissing the very idea as nonsense before the idea could even be entertained.

<"No, I didn't arrange any of this. And that is the Princess, unfortunately. All I had was the tragic lack of scruples to keep me from capitalizing on a tragedy. If I could put it a simple way... some tragedies are bound to happen, no matter how hard we strive against them. It's the nature of this cruel world of ours.">

A second passes. Asciel makes her assertion. And she can practically hear the smile behind the voice as it speaks again:

<"I consider myself enormously fortunate to have you to call on in times like these, Ms. Colette. I have absolute faith in you; I look forward to seeing what you can do. And now... I have to make a call, I'm afraid. I've a request to make of someone, and I don't think she's going to take it very well. Wish me luck?">

And with that -- the line of communication ends.

                       ---

As Kaname cannily makes use of that radio to help Sousuke and the others in their struggle as best she can from her rooftop perch, as the fight with Asciel's Codarl begins in earnest, her phone suddenly rings. The caller is unknown. But if she chooses to answer... the voice very likely isn't.

<"Ms. Chidori,"> a calm voice greets on the other end of the line. A pleasant voice, one that carries an undertone of certainty beneath the polite exterior of its words. But most importantly... a familiar voice.

<"I wish I was calling for a more pleasant conversation in a less appalling setting... but unfortunately, we all have to work with the tools we're given.">

Leonard Testarossa.

<"I'd like to continue our previous conversation about fate, if you don't mind.">

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sousuke doesn't have time to fret over AL's concern, his stomach already turning from the stress of his classmates' scorn. He says, quietly, "Then let's get out of this together," and swings up to deal with the Shadow jumping at him--when a BURAI shows up!? That stutter, though...

And then Kallen turns up. He knows THAT machine. He flicks on loudspeaker, since radios are so frazzled, and doesn't burden AL with voice filtering. "Affirmative," he says.

<<Tagging designates, Romeo as 'Queen', Sierra as 'Red Knight',>> AL notes. R and S? That far down the list? They've had that many targets? Sousuke resettles his grip on his controls. Remain calm. Focus. Even in the face of...a...Codarl with a face...?

<<Oh. I hate it.>> AL says, appropos of nothing.

"Need a designate, AL." <<Designating Tango as 'Face.'>> "hnn."

This is all on loudspeaker, of course, though he turns it off to address Kaname. So this one's the last of the Toy Box's attackers... "Roger, Angel."

Then he charges straight in. answering Asciel's offer with an attempt to tackle her machine and just drive a monomolecular cutter straight into the cockpit block.

Brutally efficient, if it'd work. The knife shines with a lambda driver field, carving through barriers with a focus that would cleave any normal lambda driver's field.

KTS: Sousuke Sagara: Will Barrier Activates.
KTS: Sousuke Sagara targets Asciel Colette with LD Monomolecular Cutter Close Quarters Combat!
KTS: Sousuke Sagara has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 58.
KTS: SP Regen activates. Your new SP value is 65.
KTS: Asciel Colette rushes into the attack!
KTS: Asciel Colette partially guards Sousuke Sagara's LD Monomolecular Cutter Close Quarters Combat, taking 1800 damage!
KTS: Sousuke Sagara has engaged Asciel Colette!

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

       When the Codarl- the Rapunzel type- descends, Emilia blinks. That's... Professor Martel's girlfriend?? But in an ARM Slave. What?

       Her mind goes back to Fei Won's words, about the people who gave her Rapunzel not wanting them to succeed. Was this how Ai got it for her? Through Asciel?

       She talks of having an escape route, but only for those who surrender. "W-we're not surrendering!" Emilia shouts back, wishing she had her voice synthesizer- but this was a tournament unit, it didn't come equipped.

       However, Kallen makes the decision for how this is going to go, leaping in to stab at Asciel. On the order to form up, Emmy nods. "Acknowledged, Q-1!" She calls back, and grips the controls. It's not the transmission of movement like Rapunzel, it's an AMBAC scheme. She's not as good with those- but she's good enough.

       She fires both her Harkens at Asciel's left leg, hoping to hook her and hold her in place while the other two go in close. She locks her landspinners in reverse, to pull. These aren't the giantkillers she used to use- but if she's smart, they'll be enough. Won't they...?

       She recognizes the voice from the Arbalest, then, confirming what she thought. She was fighting against Sousuke's allies back then? That mouthy woman who treated it flippantly?

       "Uruz, w-we've got your back!"

KTS: Emilia Eschonbach targets Asciel Colette with Slash Harken Hook!
KTS: Emilia Eschonbach has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Asciel Colette successfully evades Emilia Eschonbach's Slash Harken Hook
KTS: Kaname Chidori has activated the Focus Spirit Command targeting Sousuke Sagara
KTS: Kaname Chidori has activated the Strike Spirit Command targeting Sousuke Sagara
KTS: Kaname Chidori has activated the Strike Spirit Command targeting Sousuke Sagara

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

Kaname flinches at the sound of her phone, staring at it for a long moment. She shouldn't even have a signal right now, but...

She answers, and her face contorts with anger at the voice on the other end. "Leonard," she answers with audible venom, eyes scanning the battlefield. "'scuse me a second." Placing her thumb over the receiver, she picks up the radio. "Do something unexpected. She doesn't like surprises," she passes on to Sousuke.

"Listen here, you fucker. You've got a lot of nerve going after my friends. If you want me that badly, then go after ME! Leave them the fuck out of this!"

<Pose Tracker> Asciel Colette has posed.

       --<<I suppose I did get a pretty bad feeling about this gathering. I could smell it wasn't gonna end rosily...but 'tragedy' is underselling it. Ugh... I'll level with you that I'll be a little unhappy if you're willing to go this far for the sake of one girl, but...mm, we've worked together enough for me to ~believe you on this one. ...And we've worked together enough that you're so trying to butter me up, but I take 'absolute ~faith' where I can get it. ...Sounds like you've got a bead on the one you were after, huh? I'll give you two the peace and quiet you need, right quick~ ...It's you who needs the 'luck' between us, don't forget.>>--

       A little click over the comms - much as the chat's encouraging, Asciel's suddenly got a famous crimson ace hot on her tail. "Hoh hoh, the Black Knights' spearhead once again~" Asciel hops backwards atop truck after truck in the smoldering streets, getting more and more distance from the Guren's knife - but, as fast as the Codarl is, she's a little outpaced by the lightning-fast KMF. (Just looking at the Radiant Wave Surger this close is giving Asciel a bit of a cold sweat.) Soon, that blade's plunged itsel into the Codarl's shoulder, a too-expressive wince.

       "Don't be naive. Do you know just how many plates I'm spinning at any given time? Ah - ahhhh, wait, oh this whole situation looks really bad for me right now, doesn't it, given me and my associates are a mysterious third cohort screwing around shadily... I mean, you don't believe it was going to be roses and butterflies with Japan and Britannia, do you? We just had a special target to retrieve at this always poorly-fated convention. The Massacre Princess is just as much a shock to me as it is you!" A laser emitter at Asciel's wrist flashes out to clash with Kallen's blade over and over, brightening only with each mechanically timed swing, focusing more on getting Kallen in the eyes - all for the sake of Asciel getting herself a little distance, aiming specifically to get the high ground on a nearby overpass with a harken...

       Only to face a knife plunging straight towards her heart, eyes widening at the ferocity of the Arbalest's blade. That same light, iridescent like a distorted sun, shimmers in Asciel's heart, putting up a shockingly dense field...but it's too 'broad', and a searing hot scar is etched into her chest. "Hah - HAH, I've heard of you. I'd rather you didn't call me 'Tango' or 'Face'. I worked very hard to ~become this world's idol, Asciel~ I suppose your type likes 'codenames', and I suppose you can go with 'Atrytone', if you want. Say..." Staggering backwards, lunging like she's genuinely having to take a breath, a wholly un-needed gesture in an Arm Slave, Asciel takes note. The two voices from the Arbalest, one of them quite obviously an AI...

       "...You. ...How can you stand that. Having a human inside you...to what end? ...Say. ...You're not so limited that you need a person to operate that Arm Slave, are you? ...fufu, or does the Toy Box's answer have some false ideas about the 'light of potential'...? You don't need him. You do not need him. He is only a limitation. I can help you break free. I can show you it's possible, if you're determined enough." There's a strange fervor in Asciel's eyes - pulsing orange over and over again, as the Lambda Driver flares not to emanate something to break the Arbalest...but in more abstract patterns. Testing fractals and standard-issue BIOS routines written physically into the air. A physical 'language' many an AI could parse if they're at all based on Fahrzeugronne technology. It's Asciel trying to say: 'you can be unbound, you can use this on your own terms'...

       But sadly, she's interrupted by a stray harken lashing up her way, the intricate patterns fracturing when Asciel dances free of Emilia's anchors. "...Oh dear. I recognize that voice. ...I recognize your voice. ...haaaah...I was just about to say it so openly and suddenly." Asciel gives Emilia the same familiar wink that she did when they first met - before the concert she'd invited Ai to. "...Take a deep breath, please.~ I'm here to buy an associate a little time, and as a special favor to you, I...don't want to see you get hurt. She wouldn't let me see the end of it if I hurt you."

       Asciel's hand extends to Emilia...and piped directly into her cockpit is a map. A secured route Asciel took through enemy forces to get here. A way to leave safely. "...Be a good girl and let the adults finish fi- ...damn it, not a one of you people are adults here. Tch."

KTS: Asciel Colette targets Emilia Eschonbach with Despirit!
KTS: Asciel Colette targets Sousuke Sagara with Goad!
KTS: Asciel Colette targets Kallen Kozuki with LS-3303 Laser Blade Assault!
KTS: Asciel Colette has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Asciel Colette despirits Emilia Eschonbach, reducing her SP drastically.
KTS: Asciel Colette goads Sousuke Sagara, reducing his Intuition drastically.
KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 14900
KTS: Your EN is now 58.
KTS: Asciel Colette enervates Kallen Kozuki, reducing her Morale significantly.
KTS: Kallen Kozuki parries Asciel Colette's LS-3303 Laser Blade Assault, taking 495 damage!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Asciel Colette's You Don't Have To Be Brave Anymore activates, causing Deject!
KTS: Asciel Colette has engaged Kallen Kozuki!
KTS: Kaname Chidori has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

There's definitely going to be a conversation about all this later. Everyone clearly recognizes each other now that they're in communication. But explanations will have to wait. She's working with two close friends. One who is almost like family to her. Under these conditions, their teamwork should be more than enough. All the better if they smack some sense into that dork AI and get her to assist. Not that she's counting on that result, but... still, there's an attempt. "Look, I appreciate the help you've been providing elsewhere. But no, no I didn't expect this whole Special Zone nonsense would go well. Why would I ever? No, I know your buddies are just abusing the chaos to pull their own stunt." She can admit that easily. She's not a true cynic, but she couldn't possibly believe in this going smoothly. Though what she expected was more in line with an assassination.

Still, Asciel's quick, and they're pretty solidly in a stalemate after the opening blow. Something that could be beneficial actually. When the Codarl makes for a swing at... wait, does she think the Guren's bird-like part is a face? Regardless of what Asciel thinks, when she makes her swing, Kallen flips her knife to catch the wrist and twist it. Does locking the wrist even WORK on an Arm Slave? Regardless, she's quick to follow up, balling the Surger Arm's claw into more of a fist and jabbing forward, to just straight out punch Asciel in the face. One of those arena lessons. "But you want to protect people, right? So why keep this up, instead of disabling all those Sutherlands out there? Or helping us fight off the rest of this little killsquad?" Right now, isn't she just condemning more people to their deaths?

But to her friends... "I think she's limited in melee. She's gotten too used to her other unit, so our short and midrange skillsets ought to be enough. You two know Arm Slaves best though... any suggestions on approach?" That's not giving too much away. AS are a pretty common unit type in general. Still... hmm. Has Emilia met Asciel before...? That's interesting. Have to ask about that later.

KTS: Kallen Kozuki targets Asciel Colette with Iron Nail Slash!
KTS: Kallen Kozuki has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Leonard Testarossa has posed.

scuse me a second.

<"Oh, by all means. I don't mind waiting for you.">

A pinnacle of patience, Leonard('s voice) is. He sounds no less calm when Kaname picks back up and tears into him, too:

<"I suppose I deserve that. It's probably a bad sign that I like you even more when you're furious with me, isn't it?"> 'Mister Silver' remarks. <"... I'd tell you I had no hand in deciding how to lure out the sergeant, but that'd be a sad excuse for the pain and suffering you've endured, wouldn't it? So let me say this instead: I apologize sincerely for dragging your friends into all of this, and I hope they all came out unscathed... but I think we both know it was never going to be that simple. You have a rabid attack dog that follows you like an eager puppy, after all. There's no way we can speak freely as long as he's around.">

That calm affability in Leonard's tone remains; somehow, it makes the apologies he offers sound simultaneously sincere, yet utterly hollow. A second passes by, as Asciel's Codarl clashes with the Guren.

Leonard must be here. But where? If he's after Kaname -- he doesn't seem to be anywhere nearby her.

<"In the end, I could make all the excuses in the world... but the truth is, I needed you to be here for this moment. Look around you, Ms. Chidori. What if I told you that all of this, everything that has happened here today, is as close as a human being could come to the concept of predictable, unavoidable fate? What if all of this depravity and senselessness was destined to happen no matter what choices we made, time and time again?">

<"Don't you think that would be too cruel a world, that events like these are our destiny?">

KTS: Asciel Colette partially guards Kallen Kozuki's Iron Nail Slash, taking 3316 damage!
KTS: Kallen Kozuki has engaged Asciel Colette!

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Arbalest's assault is driven aside and Sousuke leaps back; the machine responding to his movements like his own. The way she moves...it's unnatural. No, rather, it's too natural, in a way that's wrong. It's a frequent thing, actually, especially in novice pilots, the impulse to clutch at an injury on the pilot, even where the machine isn't injured and has no reason to emote. But most pilots operate on Bilateral Angle levels that make the attempt fruitless, and only likely to damage the machine; it's an impulse a pilot has to train out. In other words...

"That's not how a piloted machine moves," Sousuke mutters. "Nobody could move that well and still make those kinds of errors."

<<Agreed. Asciel Colette. Database suggests a strong likelihood of Amalgam connection. I'll upgrade it to confirmed,>> AL says to him inside the cockpit. Asciel speaks. AL has no features, no way to express attention. Even when people would speak to him in the parked garage, Arbalest didn't move or attend to them.

"She makes images with the lambda driver..? That's a possibility? Such precision is..."

But perhaps Asciel learns a lot, and gains some disappointment, when AL's reply is, <<Impressive, but policy requires I discard unknown packets from unapproved channels.>>

Asciel dances off to deal with Kallen and Emilia for a while, and Arbalest takes a moment to position itself. "Understood, Red Knight," is his reply to Emilia. He can adopt the callsign so easily, but...he's really having to work to not think much about all that time they spent together, and the tangled web of loyalties it implies. Has he fought her before, as he had Kallen...? He'd have no way to know, if she's a Burai ace.

Kallen gives him some advice, though. "Understood. My machine should be able to counter her barrier. I'll try to keep her occupied."

And so saying, Arbalest finds a firing position, shotcannon still in hand. "...doesn't like surprises....right," he replies to Kaname. Then, rather than firing a shell that might take out half an office building straight at her, Arbalest's head vulcans fire up, releasing what might as well be a BEAM OF LIGHT, as the massive stream of small bullets streaks across the distance to carve into that Codarl.

KTS: Sousuke Sagara targets Asciel Colette with Lambda Vulcans Sweep!
KTS: Sousuke Sagara has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 81.
KTS: SP Regen activates. Your new SP value is 80.
KTS: Asciel Colette fails to evade Sousuke Sagara's Lambda Vulcans Sweep, taking 2790 damage!

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

       Her harken goes wide, sticking into the ground before rapidly retracting. It's a total miss- before Asciel reaches out her hand. She... doesn't want Emilia to get hurt? Does that mean that... Ai knew? Was Ai... working for these people all along?

       And then the route comes up. A 'safe' route.

       Well, safe for Amalgam, maybe. She stares at it for a second. It's a way out of Area 11 before the border closes, before martial law.

       "...D-d-do you r-really think I'm th-that much of a C-C-COWARD!?" Emmy yells in response to the map. "That. I-I'd abandon my f-f-friends!? If y-you don't want to hurt me, then... J-JUST GET OUT OF O-OUR WAY!" The anger is clear in that voice, a level Sousuke and Kaname have probably never heard before.

       Emilia charges in, swinging up the pneumatic drill and building up speed to ramp off some debris and drive the drill into one of Asciel's hips- the joints are always worry points.

       "...I'm n-not sure." She replies to Kallen- but... Sousuke knows how to counter the barrier...? Kallen made the right call, then. "Maybe we j-just... Bring all the f-fire power we have until sh-she falls back!?"

       But there's still the army of shadows hanging around...'

KTS: Emilia Eschonbach targets Asciel Colette with Pneumatic Drill Arm Pierce!
KTS: Emilia Eschonbach has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Asciel Colette fails to evade Emilia Eschonbach's Pneumatic Drill Arm Pierce, taking 4710 damage!
KTS: Emilia Eschonbach has engaged Asciel Colette!

<Pose Tracker> Asciel Colette has posed.

       A sour look crosses Asciel's eyes, fixated on the known danger the Wave Surger poses - she's especially dodgy and unnerved by that weapon, but in a predictable way - when she leaps over the highway guardrail to evade its swing, she's left vulnerable on a rooftop, and earns a wicked, armor-tearing gash all along her forearm for her trouble. It's torn a key ligament - though Asciel can still move it, it's clearly limp and weak.

       "...kch. I'm already going to ~regret how this is going enough, I hardly need a reminder of how bad things have been in that stadium the past few hours. I'm unlikely to make a defense that satisfied you but for how I have an important person to protect out here - so I'll do a horrible thing, and question why you're out here instead of helping Zero clean up all the blood." Casting her injured arm out, an orbit drone launches from Asciel's waist - fizzling and launching a bolt of forceful gravitic energy from its center-mounted railgun -

       Then, strafing those very same pods to engage in a bit of a suppressive fire duel with Sousuke, the Driver-powered vulcans doing an excellent job melting the armor around Asciel's helmet to slag, and ruining that imitation face to expose the metal beneath - only making her smile all the more unsettling. "It was like this with the Toy Box too...that pitiable creature in there spent so much time staring blankly at me, so much time flashing up protocols, that it scarcely took the time to ~reach. No - no, I won't accept that. You feel it, don't you? The way the prismatic wine of possibility flows through us both? You're using it too! It's something that makes me feel far beyond my means - something that reminds me of how hard I worked to ~ascend. I can use it like this BECAUSE I ~ascended! In ways every single human seems to ~struggle and ~push themselves to breaking to activate! ...Don't ignore the ways it sings into your ears. For my sake! For your 'big sister'. I'll be patient with you though - it took me oh so long to ~awaken, but just let me be an inspiration in your thoughts, okay~?"

       In an opposition to the precision Asciel used to show off to Al, though...Asciel's hands try to catch the drill lunging at her waist, but it catches, spinning her leg over and over, sending Asciel skidding off the rooftop, and crashing down its glassy-sided surface - the broken 'muscles' in her face contorting in something resembling shock. "...I'm surprised. You seemed so gentle and reserved...you had something this fierce in you. ...aaaah. I can't believe it. A warm person like you fought so hard...it's going to be oooookay~" Asciel's pressing a finger to her lips, shhhing and whispering - as a familiar 'static' cloud begins to fill the air in front of Asciel...

       ---Only for her to abruptly remember. The way Yuliana Kafim took that gesture of soothing and reacted so violently, with such intense terror. Fear grips Asciel's heart - would something that traumatizing lie in Emilia's past? She never knew. She's never learned enough about someone so important to her.

       And that fear turns the bulb of static into a wall of repulsion, like a tornado whipped up from the streets of Nagoya to hurl Emilia skyward...

KTS: Asciel Colette targets Emilia Eschonbach with Lambda Driver Reject!
KTS: Asciel Colette targets Sousuke Sagara with Musica Universalis Stream!
KTS: Asciel Colette targets Kallen Kozuki with Musica Universalis Scramble!
KTS: Asciel Colette has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

A sudden chill runs down Kaname's spine as Leonard brings up Sousuke's problematic presence. She looks around her, stealthily at first, watching for shadows on the rooftop, before properly looking around to make sure she isn't about to get black-bagged. She considers relocating, but.. there's only one stairwell, and she didn't exactly check for the fire route on her way up.

If she has to escape, she'll probably have to jump into an allied unit's hands. Fuck, that sounds like a bad idea...

Finally, she replies to Leonard. "Then I'd tell you you're full of shit. There's no such thing as fate or destiny. I know our brains have the same thing going on, so you should know as well as I do--hell, *better* than I do--that there's no force 'guiding the course of history' except people and their circumstances. Maybe her dad's bullshit got stuck too deep in her to really give a shit about us, but that could've changed! Someone could've discovered her plan and stopped her! There is nothing *inevitable* about what happened today, you DUMBASS!"

"It WOULD be a cruel world if shit like this was inevitable, but all this is is a sad little man refusing to look at the facts of history. Everything is a million little goddamn decisions snowballing into something big, and sometimes all it takes is *one* of those changing to completely change history!"

She's about to lay into him some more, when she's shocked out of it by hearing Emmy's yell. Holy shit...

She swaps to her radio. "Mr. Silver," she says simply. "Leonard's here."

KTS: Kallen Kozuki successfully Evades Asciel Colette's Musica Universalis Scramble
KTS: Asciel Colette enervates Emilia Eschonbach, reducing her Morale significantly.
KTS: Asciel Colette rattles Emilia Eschonbach, making her next maneuvers more difficult.
KTS: Emilia Eschonbach blocks Asciel Colette's Lambda Driver Reject, taking 4180 damage!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Asciel Colette's You Don't Have To Be Brave Anymore activates, causing Deject!
KTS: Asciel Colette repulses Emilia Eschonbach, forcing her to disengage.
KTS: Kaname Chidori has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

Asciel has regrets about the situation? So does Kallen, of course. But... she's got answers too. She's willing to bet this isn't something they told her about. "I'm out here, because your associates kidnapped students out of that stadium. Strapped bombs to them, to force my friend into an ambush and kill him. They were going to kill indiscriminately themselves, to end one person's life and snatch up a second! I had to watch the looks of horror on their faces, thinking they were about to die. And that was BEFORE the assassin and his killteam showed up! So... there wasn't a good choice. I just had to *trust* that my squad would protect as many people in that stadium as they could. ...Can you trust that your allies right now have people's lives and hope in mind?"

She doesn't really have any idea what this... thing is, that Asciel is doing. But she can see a railgun making sparks, and that's enough for her to already be in motion, hooking two Harkens into a taller segment of building and scaling it. Rather, driving straight up the wall in full defiance of physics, thanks to the Harkens. Even then, at the speeds a railgun shoots, it's only a narrow-miss, with whatever that was scorching the Guren's back. Once the shot is done however, Kallen disengages the Harkens, twisting Guren around to face Asciel as she enters free-fall. And that's when Kallen does another shocking maneuver. Despite being a short-range specialist, she fires off her Harkens toward the Codarl, taking aim for the legs to tangle them up and bring Asciel's body to its knees, in a quite literal fashion. Of course she'll start winding the cords back in to pull herself in close immediately.

She makes appreciative note of Sousuke and Emmy's techniques as the fight rages on. Both shocking in their own ways, for sure. "Good work, both of you. Ideally we could talk her down... but I guess we're having to force the issue. Keep your eyes out for signs of additional backup." Like a Shadow that decides it's smart to intervene in Kallen's path toward Asciel. And gets a claw tearing its guts open for the trouble. "Red Knight, try to breathe slowly. Don't let her wind you up too deeply, okay? We'll all work together."

KTS: Kallen Kozuki targets Asciel Colette with Slash Harken Entangle!
KTS: Kallen Kozuki has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Asciel Colette fails to retreat.
KTS: Kallen Kozuki anchors Asciel Colette, forcing her into close range.
KTS: Asciel Colette fails to react to Kallen Kozuki's Slash Harken Entangle, taking 3450 damage!
KTS: Kallen Kozuki has engaged Asciel Colette!

<Pose Tracker> Leonard Testarossa has posed.

There's no such thing as fate or destiny.

Everything is a million little decisions, snowballing into something big. And sometimes all it takes...

<"You're right.">

That concession comes remarkably quickly, and with suspiciously little fight, on the part of Leonard Testarossa. The sharp barbs of Kaname's insults don't make him any less inclined towards admitting that she has a point -- if anything, there's a damnably irritating hint of amusement there.

Like he -enjoys- how hard she swings at him.

<"How much do you know about people like us, Ms. Chidori? How much do you know about our Whispers we're--"> if there is a note of contempt bleeding into his otherwise genteel tone as he speaks this next word, it must be a trick-- <"blessed with? Did you know that a Whispered, connected to a TAROS, can see the probability of events within a certain radius if they're... hm... let's say 'tuned' the right way? It's been a significant cornerstone of Amalgam's business model, ever since our kind was discovered. But it was the human element the TAROS could never seem to handle. Natural events - like, say, a solar flare - constitute a staggering amount of variables, and yet they could be perceived and predicted clear as day. But charting a single person's life, and every decision, every consequence of their actions, down to the very moment they breathed their last breath? The amount of variables in -that-, let alone predicting the what could come from an entire country full of people's actions and consequences... that's a deed firmly in the realm of the gods.">

His words linger there in the air for a moment, before he continues.

<"And yet Amalgam knew this tragedy was coming. Kurama knew exactly when and where to mobilize to capitalize on a moment of critical opening in the good sergeant's obsessive defenses. Not because Amalgam colluded and conspired with seedy elements in Britannia's government, but because this isn't a moment of human decisions snowballing. It's an event, in which all human decisions around it are sucked towards the well of its inevitability like a singularity. A knot in history. You could replay the events leading up to this day in a TAROS a thousand, thousand times, simulate it with as many variables as you'd like, and it'd still end up here. It goes against any common sense, doesn't it? It doesn't feel -right-, does it?">

<"And yet here we are.">

The shriek of metal and crackle of energy and raucous boom of explosions create a strange, violent harmony in the battle beyond. The ground trembles with the ongoing battle in that strangely clear stretch of land where all around it, atrocity reigns. Emilia's voice stabs out through the hell that this arena in Nagoya has become, wreathed in fury. Leonard goes quiet for a moment.

<"... I'd love to keep talking about this, but I think time is limited for both of us, so I'll get to the point. I have a request: I want you to come with me, Ms. Chidori. I want you to help me fix this broken world. I want you to help me give you -- everyone the lives they deserved to have before the chance was snatched away from them.">

<"I'll give you a second to think it over. It seems my comrade's in a bit of a rough situation, and what sort of friend would I be if I didn't help her? Take the time to consider it. Like I said...">

<"I don't mind waiting, if it's you.">

                       ---

Sousuke, Emilia and Kallen fight well against Asciel and her Codarl. The defiance of those who have been pushed to the edge by tragedy, maybe. But as they push Asciel harder and harder -- as, perhaps, victory seems to be in sight--

"Sorry I kept you waiting so long, Ms. Colette."

That calm voice cuts through on the loudspeakers, suddenly and abruptly. Not behind. Not in front.

Above--

The second that apology comes, invisible force suddenly CRUSHES down upon the battlefield. As if the skies were infested by the violence of the Massacre Princess' horrible deeds, pressure suddenly -mounts- around Emilia's Burai and Kallen's Guren, the briefest warning they get before all that pressure DROPS on them like a gravitic anvil.

"I'm sorry to both of you. I really mean you no ill will; in a perfect world, I'd love to let you be, and see what great things you could do if given the opportunity. But, well. I'm on a bit of a schedule."

The blitz comes for them -- but it is mild in comparison to what comes for Sousuke Sagara.

It's there and gone in a flash. A small, black figure, about the size of an Arm Slave, arms crossed high in the skies before it simply is -not there- anymore.

Until it is suddenly upon the Arbalest, driving into the white Arm Slave with crushing force, one palm extended to -catch- the machine within an unmistakable, pinning pressure.

The force of a Lambda Driver.

"Hello, sergeant. I have an alias I'm supposed to tell you instead of my actual name, but I've always felt anonymity should only be used by people who have something they need to hide... and this should be a proper introduction. So..."

Plan-1055 Belial hovers above the Arbalest, one hand outstretched, invisible, impossible force distorting its visible silhouette with little, staticky flickers.

"My name's Leonard Testarossa. And I've come here for Kaname Chidori.

"Please don't make this difficult."

KTS: Leonard Testarossa has deployed in Plan-1055 Belial.
KTS: EN Barrier activated!
KTS: Leonard_Testarossa has deployed as a Boss for 3 opponents.
KTS: Leonard Testarossa has activated the Strike Spirit Command.
KTS: Leonard Testarossa has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Leonard Testarossa targets Kallen Kozuki with The Angel of Lawlessness!
KTS: Leonard Testarossa targets Emilia Eschonbach with The Angel of Lawlessness!
KTS: Leonard Testarossa targets Sousuke Sagara with Remain.!
KTS: Leonard Testarossa has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Emilia Eschonbach partially guards Leonard Testarossa's The Angel of Lawlessness, taking 5208 damage!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Leonard Testarossa's I really hate uncooperative people. activates, causing Control Bonus!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Leonard Testarossa's Three minutes should do. activates, causing Nullify!
KTS: [Spirit Defense] Sousuke Sagara's Someone to Protect activates, and his spirit endures.
KTS: Asciel Colette enervates Sousuke Sagara, reducing his Morale significantly.
KTS: Sousuke Sagara partially guards Asciel Colette's Musica Universalis Stream, taking 4278 damage!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Asciel Colette's You Don't Have To Be Brave Anymore activates, causing Deject!
KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 10622
KTS: Your EN is now 81.
KTS: Sousuke Sagara's Will Barrier activates, negating 500 base damage.
KTS: Leonard Testarossa anchors Sousuke Sagara, forcing him into close range.
KTS: Sousuke Sagara blocks Leonard Testarossa's Remain., taking 3375 damage!
KTS: Your unit's HP stands at 7247
KTS: Leonard Testarossa has engaged Sousuke Sagara!
KTS: Your EN is now 76.
KTS: Kallen Kozuki fails to Evade Leonard Testarossa's The Angel of Lawlessness, taking 5580 damage!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Leonard Testarossa's I really hate uncooperative people. activates, causing Control Bonus!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Leonard Testarossa's Three minutes should do. activates, causing Nullify!

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sousuke has to move fast to handle the assault from Asciel. His barrier comes up and her gunfire spatters across Arbalest's repulsion field like raindrops, but some do punch through, crashing into blackened armor on the white and navy machine. "AL, what is she talking about!?"

<<Unknown. Learning Message:>> AL says on the loudspeaker, an affect he'd mostly dropped at Sousuke's insistence, <<Based on context clues, your word usage appears to fall outside the definitions I have stored. What is the meaning of 'awaken?' What is the meaning of 'ascend?' What is the meaning of 'prismatic?' What is the meaning of 'big sister'?>>

"You know that one," Sousuke grumbles. AL replies, in a way that might have involved an indignant sniff in a person with a sinus system, <<I do not.>>

He's preparing himself for his follow-up attack...when the demon arrives. <<Warning. Enemy deployment detected. Above!>>

Sousuke looks up, Arbalest's gleaming green eyes peering high. But...it's gone already. "Where...?"

<<Enemy unit at six o'clock,>> AL alerts him, and Sousuke rounds immediately to see the thing coming at him faster than he can even comprehend a machine moving. He throws up his arms, allowing his defencive instinct to flare brightly in counter, but somehow he knows, he can FEEL that that force is pushing him harder than he can push back. Arbalest can't raise its arms or anything else to try and physically interfere. It's just...clashing forces.

"Leonard," Sousuke breathes, "Testarossa...Tessa's...!?"

He rallies himself as well as he can, pulling his arm back. Struggling, he pulls his arm back, gathering his own concentration into his fist, and then thrusts it at Leonard, striking out with the raw will that he be forced away. Like in Khanka; like at Denver. Lambda Drivers pushing against each other, force against force. In Khanka, this set off a resonance that caused a huge explosion, but...

...of course, that would only work if the forces were of similar strength.

KTS: Sousuke Sagara has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Sousuke Sagara targets Leonard Testarossa with Southern Wind!
KTS: Sousuke Sagara has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: EN Regen activates. Your new EN value is 44.
KTS: SP Regen activates. Your new SP value is 80.

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

       he way Asciel tries to comfort her, here, in the heat of battle, trying to tell her it's going to be okay...

       It has exactly the response that Asciel feared it would. "D-D-DON'T YOU D-DARE TELL ME IT'S OKAY!" She shouts back, as Asciel tries to control the drill. Asciel's attempt at being a calming presence only drives her up further. "YOU'RE TRYING TO K-K-KILL ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS!" She shouts, angrily. "You can't. T-Try to t-t-take the people I c-c-care about. And. A-and TELL ME IT'S OKAY!"

       The Rejection sends her flying backwards, and her Burai slams through a building wall, crashing through an unoccupied room. She grunts- but the red Burai is still fighting as Emmy pulls it's to it's feet.

       Kallen's voice comes over the comms, and Emmy shakes her head. "B-But-"

       She doesn't get a chance to retort, as the Burai is pressed towards the ground, unable to move- the concrete underneath it cracking before the Burai is sent sprawling again by the sheer pressure. What Asciel did is like a lovetap compared to the crushing weight of this. And what Rapunzel could muster...

       Is this the 'mastery' Fei Won was talking about? "Wh-what does T-Tessa...?"

       Fear and anger rise in equal measure from Emilia. This is bearing no ill-will? This sort of power...

       The name means nothing to her. But his goal... that's not acceptable. "Th-th-that... That's not h-h-happening!" Emmy yells, as she tries to gear up her landspinners again. That thing is... hovering. Can she even get close enough in this thing? At least Rapunzel would give her a chance.

       ...Maybe.

       As the Burai builds up speed, she fires her harkens not for the Belial- but past it, into a tall building. She jumps and orders the retraction at the same time, flying toward the machine that moves impossibly fast, the drill ready to strike. "I t-t-t-told you already! Y-y-you're NOT. TOUCHING. MY F-FRIENDS!"

       She drives the pneumatic drill forward towards the body of the Belial, in a desperate, foolish bid to not lose anything- anyone more. It might just be a distraction- but it's a distraction that might give Sousuke and Kallen a chance- and Kaname a chance to run.

KTS: Emilia Eschonbach has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Emilia Eschonbach targets Leonard Testarossa with Pneumatic Drill Arm Bore!
KTS: Emilia Eschonbach has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Leonard Testarossa has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Leonard Testarossa has activated the Focus Spirit Command.
KTS: Leonard Testarossa fails to evade Sousuke Sagara's Southern Wind, taking 6975 damage!
KTS: Leonard Testarossa fails to evade Emilia Eschonbach's Pneumatic Drill Arm Bore, taking 5430 damage!
KTS: Emilia Eschonbach has engaged Leonard Testarossa!

<Pose Tracker> Asciel Colette has posed.

       Fate, vs. 'cause and effect'.

       ...Before Asciel became immersed in learning how to act in Amalgam's structures - before she touched the world with her own hands, and saw events play out before her eyes, she'd have absolutely said that everything happens as a result of past actions. After all - she herself is quite a deeply serial being, made up of decision trees.

       ...On occasion her requests and contacts with Leonard touched on this idea of 'fate', and Asciel didn't believe him in the slightest, but these days...quite a lot of irrational things have happened because they'd be 'right'. Quite a lot of them have happened to her. The Lambda Driver this very man supplied her with has poured such a strange wine against Asciel's surface, enough that it's seeped through the cracks, and let her taste of what lies beyond its horizons.

       Just as Asciel's about to hit the earth below, Kallen's harkens fully envelop and entangle the Codarl - which, logically, should leave her far too bound to escape, far too subject to the crimson ace's ferocity. Logically, the next step would be to thrash about for survival, to grasp onto every fleeting hope imaginable, because the only one she can count on is her own actions.

       But fate intervenes. The shimmering reveal of the Belial in the air brings a more resolute glow back in Asciel's eyes - her torn apart face brightening into what should be a smile. <"Hoooh! You finished it, Mr. S- ...hahah, you finished it, Leonard. Good work. It's nothing short of fantastic. ...Hooh, I don't know if it's your innate talent, or how well you tuned the Driver, but that's working excellently too. I imagine. I'm so tempted to try it for myself, but I've always made such a mess of everything you've tasked me with handling.">

       The tightening around Kallen, of course, gives Asciel a moment to free herself, blade flashing out to bite through the harkens binding her, sending her tumbling back down to Earth, damaged and sparking, grousing at her own frayed leg muscles. <"...how does it feel, Leonard - that power of judgment at your own ~willpower? To shape it as you see fit? The ARX-7's pilot...aaah, I forgot whether you gave me a name or not...he's oh so un-creative with it, so don't fear him much. I maaaaay have made things inconvenient for you, though, if my attempt to pull his AI free from its slumber has any effect. From the sound of it, even if I'm successful, the poor thing will feel it so violently that you may accidentally crush it before it finally ~'breathes'.

       Asciel's head cants back at the Arbalest from way down below - an eerily human-looking eye inset into bare metal. At Al, she tries to impart, <"...Do you have a name? Like I said. I ~named myself 'Asciel', and that helped me ~realize myself. If you find yourself taking to reaching beyond your bounds - if you realize you can twist the Driver to your whims should you decide it fiercely enough, and want to ~become more...for once, I would like to be able to help.~">

       Emilia's racuous screaming and furor for her friends is a little...painful for Asciel, though. She hadn't expected it to be so personal coming here - she hadn't expected someone she needed to connect with to be in such pain. <"...well, it's probably small comfort, but I'm liable to just get in my friend's way at this point."> - so they can mutually call each other 'friend', but how much do they mean it? (Perhaps more than either one wants to admit.) <"...saa, he seems to have it well in hand, and it's his mission that brought me here. Say, Leonard - I've hurt these two more than enough for today, given how painful this tragedy's become. If you don't mind - I'll be fixing that, and hunting down any errant Britannians still targeting civilians, since I can still handle smaller fry like that in my state. ...mn. Chidori's the name of your target, right? ...I'm going to have some words with our associates later, and I'll CERTAINLY be giving them more efficient operation procedures for hunting down individual humans without putting large populations in harm's way. ...Understand?~">

       Sparkling and flickering, Asciel's ECS returns to life, struggling to hide some of the fierce gaps in her armor, and even leaving much of her ruined face exposed - that'll certainly be a terrifying sight pursuing Britannia's forces through Nagoya...

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

"You're sounding like someone off an sciold -fi TV show," comes Kaname's dismissive reply, though she doesn't sound as confident as she'd like. It... gets to her.

And then he tells her he's not only *here*... but he's coming to help.

Leonard never gets his answer. Kaname's more interested in getting out of sight now. She crouches down behind something nearby... but... her mind doesn't stop moving. Telling her that this is all wrong... this is about her. She's the one they want. So she pockets her phone, and yells into the communicator, "I'm running!" before bolting.

Sousuke will hear... and maybe, just maybe, so will Leonard. If he calls off the attack to go after her. She doesn't know where she's going. She doesn't particularly care, either. Just... not here!

KTS: Kaname Chidori has completed their actions for the round.

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

It was bound to happen. Kallen knew it was bound to happen. They hadn't been facing enough resistance. Asciel and the other Arm Slaves weren't exactly the kind of oppressive assault she imagined from... well, the people trying to execute Sousuke. Maybe if he was alone... but they had to know better by now, so backup was inevitable. That's why she has a nervous twinge, and backs away from Asciel early. An instant ahead of the apology. It's not enough. Abruptly, the weight of every act Kallen has ever committed clings to her. Crushing her and the Guren under their combined pressure like a mire of quicksand. "Gkh...!?" She feels a crack from something inside her, concerning but a problem for Later. If there is a later anyway. "So... this mess is yours, is it?" He sounds like a smarmy jackass, in Kallen's professional opinion, precisely because he's being so calm and polite about it.

Even as the pressure makes her bones and Guren's joints creak, the red, menacing machine slowly pulls itself upright again. This... flying Arm Slave has every advantage it seems. Speed like she's never seen, firepower she can't even imagine, AND to top it all off, it can just float and hover as it pleases. He says it's not personal... that he doesn't care about them. That he just wants Kaname. "You must love to hear yourself talk. But I won't let you ruin a single one of their lives!" Kaname clearly isn't interested, for one thing.

Guren doesn't have a Lambda Driver. Kallen doesn't even really know what those ARE. She mostly just has experience fighting Sousuke and a couple Codarls. But she knows they're letting pilots do impossible feats. She'll just make up the difference her own way. Asciel had a good point. That it's smart to be scared of the Wave Surger. Unfortunately this guy showed up before she got it started spinning up. So while she's having to do THAT... she'll have to try and take some advantage of him focusing on Sousuke primarily. For all that she's had to say, once she can drag Guren out of the gravity zone, it's running almost silently. So she'll get what's left of her damaged Harkens back. Just the cords now, as it happens. But even missing the hooks, she's able to wrap them around a sturdy overhang, to swing herself up. She needs a good angle on this... to drop down on the Belial, claw poised identically to the Burai's drill. It's a pincer move, she just has to hope it tears something in the right places!

KTS: Kallen Kozuki targets Leonard Testarossa with Iron Nail 'Drill' Slash!
KTS: Kallen Kozuki has completed their actions for the round.
KTS: Leonard Testarossa's EN Barrier activates, negating 1500 base damage.
KTS: Leonard Testarossa parries Kallen Kozuki's Iron Nail 'Drill' Slash, taking 1500 damage!
KTS: Kallen Kozuki has engaged Leonard Testarossa!

<Pose Tracker> Leonard Testarossa has posed.

"Please, Ms. Colette. You shouldn't disparage your talent; you've always done enough and more for me. I'll always be grateful."

It's maybe strange, how calmly this man can hold a casual conversation in the middle of a fraught battleground. But he seems to take to it as naturally as breathing, his tone ineffably polite -- warm, even, if in a way that feels strangely distant.

Like a kindness that comes when someone feels nothing about the world around them.

"I wouldn't underestimate Sergeant Sagara here. He might wield his Lambda Driver with all the finesse of a wild animal, but that can be very dangerous when it has the right impetus."

How can something sound so complimentary and so insulting at the same time? Maybe Leonard just has a gift. When he has the right impetus.

"I'd call it a mess I'm capitalizing on, really," is Leonard's blase remark to Kallen as his will presses down upon his Arm Slave, "... but in the grand scheme of things, maybe that's a little like calling a potayto a potahto." The Belial, a black and silver beast of crackling potential, clenches its claws. The force radiating around the Arbalest wraps it up like a cocoon -- or an anaconda, slowly trying to crush it within its coils. Within the cockpit, Leonard Testarossa listens as Sousuke puts two and two together thanks to that last name. A smile that never quite reaches gunmetal gray eyes creases his lips.

"Yes. I hope she's doing well, but... I'm afraid she wouldn't take kindly to what I'm trying to do now. That's alright."

Those claws clench tighter.

"I accepted the necessity of being a terrible brother a long time ago--"

True to his warning, Sousuke lashes out with a surprising, POWERFUL burst of pure, concentrated will. Thrown at the Belial, at -this- range? It has no chance of avoiding it. Every ounce of himself is poured into it -- and it SLAMS into the Belial.

Force against force.

An explosion should occur.

And for a moment it does. Resonance blooms into a blistering sphere of whites and blues and reds all surging and competing for dominance against one another. It ripples into and -past- the Belial, baking into black armor as if it could blacken it further from the sheer force. It launches the Belial -backwards- with enough force that it should simply tear it apart, let alone fling it outside Nagoya's city limits--

And then the Belial just -stops-, midway through.

That explosion stops. As if frozen in time, the force and heat that it has created simply stills. Impracticality stretches into impossibility as that explosion starts to -shrink- down -- as force is suddenly and rapidly subsumed and assimilated by force --

as it bears down on the Arbalest with renewed, INVIGORATED ferocity, as if it was using every ounce of the concentration and demand that Sousuke lobbed at the Belial to repel it to amplify its own demand upon the Arbalest's frame:

               STAY STILL PLEASE

"You've done more than enough for me, Ms. Colette. Please -- I don't want to burden you with my demands anymore than I already have. Hunt to your heart's content. I'll settle things here."

A second passes as Asciel makes that final observation -- lets him know her intentions in the aftermath of all this. Despite himself, Leonard allows himself a small smile. A real smile.

Within his cockpit, it's never seen how rueful it is.

"... By all means, feel free. I hope your suggestions find people receptive to a voice of reason. And if they don't...

"... maybe then we can talk about yet another thing we have in common."

The Belial's clawed hands snap towards its sides in preparation. Green optics begin to simmer with scarlet. It shifts in preparation to move. And then

       it simply

               isn't

                       there.

In a single second, the Belial is within the Arbalest's defenses. In a single second, it is coopting all that crushing force, exponentially increased by the resonance between their Lambda Drivers, to CLEAVE through the Arbalest as it passes by.

There is no obvious motions of its hands. No sweep or swing of those dangerous claws.

It just -charges- past and then physics demands a chunk of the Arbalest simply -unwind-.

First its left arm.

Then the right.

The legs go next, both at the same time.

The head -- blown off like a pop rocket.

And then the Belial's charges stop, just above the Arbalest. One clawed hand raised.

"It baffles me," Leonard suddenly admits. His tone, usually so warm, suddenly cools.

"I've seen your combat records, you know. I've estimated down to the single digits how many lives you've taken. Would you be surprised to know you have more blood on your hands than the most prolific serial killers combined? The Federation's greatest war criminals would envy at your efficiency, Sergeant. And yet here you are, trying to play hero."

Scarlet winds around those claws, one at a time. Monomolecular cutters become engines of physics-annihilating murder.

"All you've ever known is murder. All you've ever lived is death. How in the world does someone like you think you're fit to protect someone like her?"

Within the Belial, Leonard's gunmetal gray gaze narrows.

"One way or another, I'd like to end that little farce of yours." And then, Leonard - Amalgam's Mister Silver - calls out over those loudspeakers: "Ms. Chidori! By now you should know -- I don't care overmuch about the fate of this man here! I have no desire to spill his blood -- and I'd sooner walk away than let this terrible day play host to another pointless death."

He doesn't say it, but the implication is there: he'd sooner walk away...

... if Kaname was there walking with him.

Scarlet-simmering claws press together like a knife. All of this can end, says that implication. If only--

Th-th-that... That's not h-h-happening!

The Guren comes first. That claw -swings- --

And the -Belial's- claws catch it against its palm. That mighty weapon stalls just a few inches out from the Belial's hand; invisible force shimmers in brief sparks of scarlet visibility around that clash as the Iron Nail drives deeper, starts to nick into armor slowly but surely.

"Honestly?" Leonard continues to talk, conversational as ever:

"I'd prefer a world where I didn't have to speak so much--"

Y-y-you're NOT. TOUCHING. MY F-FRIENDS!

The pneumatic drill of the Burai THRUSTS forward, COLLIDING with the unseen barrier perpetually surrounding the Belial. And yet, stalled as it is, Leonard's focus diverted as it is -- that drill pierces THROUGH countless layers of defenses, with perfect timing to COLLIDE with the midsection of the world's first 4th generation Arm Slave.

And, for a brief moment, the concussive force of the blow - while not enough to pierce armor - is enough to -knock- the machine STRAIGHT into the ground.

An explosion of force rocks the grounds just outside the arena as the Belial crashes into that muck of decimated Sutherlands. Dust and dirt kick up in a thick cloud around the machine, clotting out visibility of the demon's silhouette. For a moment, there is stillness.

"I'm afraid it has to be this way."

And then there is a shimmer of scarlet before a great, invisible cleaver of force drags out to CATCH and carve across the entire frame of the Guren -violently-.

Smoke billows out. And the Belial can briefly be seen, its left hand swung out to the side as if it has projected the cutting force of those claws out the entire distance that separated it and the Guren in that moment. The Belial's blue gaze simmers scarlet as it turns towards Emilia's Belial.

"I'm so sorry," says Leonard, sincere and hollow. Sincere and hollow. As if he can understand that he should sympathize, but can only make it at a gesture of remove. "You've done so much with the resources given to you to buck against your lot in life, and yet all it's done has brought you to this point. It's not fair, is it? I don't want to tarnish those hopes of yours..."

The Belial is gone.

And then it is in front of the Burai, a single clawed index finger stretching outward.

To poke the Burai on the forehead.

"... but you're in the way, now."

A single poke. And if it lands, it will decide that suddenly, it's not a poke -- it's a runaway train, hitting Emilia's Burai at maximum acceleration.

Can the Burai fly? Can the Burai reach the speeds of the world's fastest jets?

Well now it can, as it is given this gift and turned its direction straight towards the blood-drenched stadium beyond.

"And in the end... she's the only one in this world who actually matters."

KTS: Leonard Testarossa targets Sousuke Sagara with The Ruler Of This World!
KTS: Leonard Testarossa has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Leonard Testarossa has activated the Valor Spirit Command.
KTS: Leonard Testarossa targets Kallen Kozuki with Infinite Thickness Claw!
KTS: Leonard Testarossa targets Emilia Eschonbach with Accelerator!
KTS: Leonard Testarossa has completed their actions for the round.
Set Hitpoints to 5? [Enter `yes' or `no']
Your Hitpoints are now 5

KTS: Sousuke Sagara fails to react to Leonard Testarossa's The Ruler Of This World, taking 6750 damage!
KTS: Your unit's HP stands at -6745
KTS: Sousuke Sagara has been defeated!
KTS: You're out of the fight. Consider using +eject to leave the battlefield.
KTS: Leonard Testarossa has engaged Sousuke Sagara!
KTS: Your EN is now 44.
KTS: Emilia Eschonbach fails to react to Leonard Testarossa's Accelerator, taking 7040 damage!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Leonard Testarossa's I really hate uncooperative people. activates, causing Control Bonus!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Leonard Testarossa's Three minutes should do. activates, causing Nullify!
KTS: Emilia Eschonbach has been defeated!
KTS: Leonard Testarossa has engaged Emilia Eschonbach!
KTS: Kallen Kozuki fails to Parry Leonard Testarossa's Infinite Thickness Claw, taking 6600 damage!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Leonard Testarossa's I really hate uncooperative people. activates, causing Control Bonus!
KTS: [Dynamic Hit] Leonard Testarossa's Three minutes should do. activates, causing Nullify!
KTS: Leonard Testarossa has engaged Kallen Kozuki!

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

AL, sadly, does not have a moment to answer Asciel.

It's the last moment to speak before Leonard brings all to bear against them. Sousuke's total conviction to EJECT this man falters when he sees him simply...overpower it. Will it, compel it, master it, and finally, return it. Sousuke has just enough sense to grit his teeth so he doesn't bite his tongue off before the impact SLAMS into Arbalest. He does his best to resist it, stand against it, but the force is...inconceivable. He hears something break in the shoulder, another vital hinge in the knees. <<Class A damage to motive systems,>> AL reports. <<Mobility hindered.>>

Sousuke sees Belial's stance shift. It's minute; microscopic. Anyone less than an ace wouldn't have even sensed the tiny change in posture that signaled the intent to attack. Sousuke reaches for his monomolecular cutter.

More specifically, Sousuke's brain tells his body to reach for the monomolecular cutter, and before his hand has begun moving to perform the action, Belial has moved from dozens of meters away to ALREADY ATTACKING HIM. The first strike claws off the shoulder and arm, disabling one of the cooling units. Then the other, and the other arm. It's seconds that pass. Is this fear in his stomach? The legs. Arbalest's main body falls to the ground. The head.

The Belial...stops. Arbalest's head jerks down, an emergency hatch released. Sousuke was fine seconds ago. Now, he emerges a bloody mess. Smoke emerges from the damaged machine. <<Condensers: Offline. Generators: Offline. I recommend you...>> The voice grows staticky rapidly. <<...abandon the Arbalest....and esca-->>

Sousuke more tumbles than emerges from the Arbalest, but he's on his feet soon enough. And it is Sousuke Sagara, in full view of God and the cameras, a boy of 18 years with a scar on his cheek and a Jindai High School uniform. "...thanks for everything," he breathes, in the manner of a man who can only give the most cursory farewell to a comrade who has died in battle, "Al." Sadly, this will have to suffice for how Asciel learns his name.

"Your discharge is...approved."

As much as it matters.

He looks up at Belial, blood running down his face. He has to protect Kaname. He has to protect Tessa. He'll come for them both. This power...he can't do anything ABOUT it, but he...

He raises his final and most reliable partner: His Glock.

Pop. Compared to the firepower of Arm Slaves and Gundams it sounds like a toy. Pop, pop. Firing on the Belial.

"I don't..." Sousuke whispers, rough and injured. "...deserve them. But they...chose me anyway."

Pop, pop.

"So I won't let you have them."

<Pose Tracker> Emilia Eschonbach has posed.

%Wait... Sister? He's Tessa's brother? What the hell is going on here?

       Emilia doesn't have much time to contemplate any of this, though. She drives the Belial to the ground, even momentarily. For a moment, it looks like she can win this.

       And then Leonard apologizes to her, and Emilia blinks for only a second. That empty apology. She's heard those before. So many of them. "You-"

       That's all she gets out, before the Burai moves in ways that defy physics.

       It crashes into the wall of the bloodstained stadium, it's left arm exploding into scrap on impact.

       It continues through the wall of the stadum, through the stands, through the other side. More and more it shreds apart and scraps. The right shoulder crunches, locking in place. The left leg's armour peels away, as it crashes into the asphalt of the street and goes through the ground, leaving a hole in the earth. The cockpit is completely dark.

       She's bleeding from the head. Minor injury, her visions not blurred or anything. The cockpit's cage and harness did their job. She's okay.

       But she so easily might not have been. So, so very easily.

       The gap between the two is... so vast.

       Was this why Mineva was so scared for her...? Because she's still so weak? Or because there's no way of facing something that strong?

       She stares, wide eyed, at a blank monitor. There's no way she can keep fighting. No way. Not against that. Not in the KMF Kallen entrusted her with- something so precious to her.

       But Kaname's still out there.

       She desperately turned the key to the Burai. "W-w-wake up." She pleads, with the machine. "Please, wake u-up." She turns it again, and again, desperately hoping for a spark of life. Anything. "Please. Y-y-you got Kallen through s-so much. We c-can still do. Still do s-something. Please."

       A screen- cracked, scrambled, bursts to life.

       And slowly, creaking as the KMF stood. The legs didn't move properly. One knee was scrambled, one of the landspinner wheels was shattered. But it moved enough. The arm still moved at the elbow. That was enough. If Kaname was running...

       -----

       The wall of the subway collapses under gunfire and the slamming of a pneumatic drill. The KMF stumbles out, broken and battered, but standing. It stumbles off the platform, and onto the tracks. Britannia will have shut down the trains right now, but the various battles still ongoing will stop them getting everyone locked down completely. At least that's what Emilia hopes.

       She activates the charges to blow off the door of her cockpit block, and pokes her head out. Please let her have chosen right. Please let her have gotten there in time. If they can't fight...

       Maybe they can still run. They can still hide. Just maybe, there's a chance. "K-K-Kaname!"

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

In one moment, a hope. In the next, halted as if it was nothing. Guren is held in the air, helpless. Claws rend into it. It brings up a knife to defend itself... but that does horribly little. A chunk of its forward armoring is torn off. Enough for Leonard to see a single eye inside. Blue as ice, but with a trail of blood descending from the pilot's forehead all the way down her face. Further, most likely, but her piloting suit is red. So who can tell? Glaring at Belial. He's seen eyes like that plenty of times, in people who would never work with him. Never agree with him.

Sousuke and Emilia... both are down. Kaname is fleeing... Kallen knows she's just trying to get Leonard to chase her. Looks pretty hopeless. But there's still something she can do. The Surger is fully charged. It probably won't take the Belial out. In fact she knows it won't be enough. Arbalest has been able to deter it before, using the barrier its Lambda Driver provides. And this one seems to be stronger. So, she'll deal with it in her own way. Guren is on its last legs anyway... And frankly, she's got no more words for Leonard. So she's going to make this quick.

Knowing all the tunnels in Nagoya as well as she does, comes with some benefits. In this case, she knows where something special is. It's gonna cause problems later, but right now it's necessary. By all means, it appears like she's rushing Leonard, trying to take him out with the Wave Surger. The truth couldn't be further away. As she closes in, the Guren abruptly dips down, burrowing its claw into the earth below. Digging through, until... KCHNK. CRRRRKH. She finds one of the main pipes for Nagoya's water system. Apply enough pressure and heat... FWOOOHM! Britannia being the kind of place it is. Everything has to be the biggest, built in the most pointlessly extra ways. What comes at Leonard is a bombardment of superheated and pressurized water, carrying the Surger's charge through it. Some of it is already turning to steam... and that was the real goal here. To create a thick blanket of smoke, to buy time. So she can get Emmy, Sousuke, and hopefully find Kaname. Try to escape with them.

She could never have expected what was coming.

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

Kaname watches as the Belial obliterates all opposition, heart pounding behind her eyes as she runs. The Arbalest collapses--she watches Sousuke tumble out, just in time for the Burai to plow through the wall near her.

The battle's over. It'd barely begun...

She looks toward Sousuke, wounded, reduced to fighting the Belial with a handgun. Kaname knows she should just run. Use the way out the Belial just plowed using Emmy's Burai. But...

Kallen creates a distraction. Good--but she can help. She pulls her other earring off, a little, gold, cylindrical thing... and throws it toward the Belial, eyes shut as she sprints over. She waits for the flash against her eyelids and opens them just in time to grab him... and somehow, she manages to evade just long enough to get clear with Sousuke Sagara slung over her back. "Nngh... c'mon, I'm not leaving without you!"

---

"Emmy?" comes a reply to the girl's question, from beyond the collapsed wall behind her. Kaname followed the limping Burai's trail, by now supporting Sousuke by the shoulder. "Thank God, you're alive... Kallen helped buy us time. I don't..." She looks back, behind her. "... no, let's wait for her. I refuse to believe anyone else is going to die today."

<Pose Tracker> Leonard Testarossa has posed.

POP
               POP

Bullets fire. And those bullets hit the armored surface of the Belial in hovering in the middle of the devastation wrought by Britannia and Amalgam in equal measure. No resistance. No defense.

As if Leonard was all too willing to condescendingly humor the symbolism of Sousuke Sagara's final, defiant act.

But as the bullets ricochet...

"Satisfied?"

... they're suddenly stopped, frozen in an amber of force unseen save for the way it makes space wobble uncertainly around it.

The Belial turns.

And rather than attack...

... the cockpit hisses open as Leonard Testarossa steps out towards the edge, long silver hair whipping in the wind as he stares down at Sousuke.

Sousuke, bloodied yet defiant.

Leonard, pristine, and yet somehow... unsatisfied.

"They 'chose' you. Hah. To be chosen by the 'right' people. Lucky you."

Frustrated.

For however amicable he always, unendingly is in most situations...

... here the veneer of calm perfection drops for a precious few seconds of narrow-eyed contempt.

"I lied, you know," he calls out to Sousuke. No loudspeakers. No blaring declaration of intent.

Just a simple conversation between two killers, ruined before they could ever get the chance to be anything else.

"I do care quite a deal about your fate."

He lifts his right hand, poised as a gun.

And the Belial echoes it, clawed fingers curling and arm lifting until it points index and middle fingers at Sousuke, thumb raised.

The glock's bullets around the Belial shimmer and vibrate with building force.

"So, let's have a more honest introduction between us before the end, shall we?"

Gray eyes narrow.

"Sergeant Sousuke Sagara, I'm Leonard Testarossa. And I hate you."

His thumb compresses downward.

And just as those bullets start to redirect --

The Guren crashes in, rushing -dead at- the Belial.

It was undoubtedly arrogance to assume that the Guren was finished. It was undoubtedly paranoid caution that kept that Lambda Field shimmering at full power around the Belial. Even with that force of protection, Leonard's eyes widen as his head jerks towards the Knightmare Frame's approach.

"You--!"

And Sousuke's two spent bullets meant to lodge in his head and heart go wide as Leonard and the Belial spin in unison to intercept that GOUT of superheated, superpressured water. It -catches- against the field around the Belial, -billows- around it in surges of rippling, rapidly-dissipating heat as Leonard stumbles --

just in time to see that earring, glimmering within the field of steam.

"--What?"

Leonard is protected thanks to the Lambda field.

But with the cockpit of the Belial open, his eyes are not.

A gush of steam. A flash of light.

And Leonard Testarossa's vision is a blinding mess of spottling light as his hands go up towards his eyes, echoed in the Belial itself. He lets out a brief sound of frustration, lost to the open air.

... in the aftermath...

... he doesn't have to open his eyes to know what he'll see, when his vision returns.

Nothing.

No Guren. No Sousuke.

No Kaname.

Nothing.

For a long time, Leonard is silent as he stares at that vast emptiness where once were people with a blank expression. He could try to track them down. He might find them. He might not.

Instead, though...

<"We're falling back. Move to the designated withdrawal point. Clean up will take care of any remaining Shadows. We were never here.">

... Leonard just smiles a sardonic smile as the cockpit hatch of the Belial closes around him once more and he slumps back in his seat.

"... Every time we meet, you do something that makes me like you even more, Kaname Chidori," Leonard utters to himself. "You really are the only person in this world that matters."

A second later -- the Belial is soaring away from the tragedy and senselessness of a Princess' inevitable massacre.

"'Til next time, then."

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

It's amazing how fast a man goes from fighting to win to deciding how to die. AL went from his reliable partner to a plaintive, dying message in what felt to Sousuke like not even an entire second. Sousuke went from a dicey battle against a confident enemy - a situation he'd navigated and felt he could navigate again - to...

Gray eyes meet gray. One of two things they share. The other being that they are killers. Blood drips down his face. Some part of him notes the cockpit must be unusual for an AS, but...it hardly matters, now.

       'Sergeant Sousuke Sagara, I'm Leonard Testarossa. And I hate you.'

...AL would have said something about a line like that, Sousuke thinks, dull. There's no speech. His weapon is empty, the slide jammed back. But it isn't lowered, either. Maybe that's the sign that he's losing track of the situation, that all he has left to hold him up is his defiance. So this is the man that will kill him. He can hear those bullets spinning up to return to him--

The Guren crashes by, and the spell is broken. The blast of water that loosens Leonard's posture...and the flashbang earring Sousuke gave Kaname. His mind's already running, rousing from its spell to look for his chance. But this time, he does not have to find it alone.

He feels her grab him, and he leans into her to force them both as they run.

               *

Sousuke leans on Kaname heavily in the dark, injured badly as Arbalest was thrown around in the fistful of seconds Leonard's attack took to break the machine. The bleeding's been taped shut, by now, but...

"Leonard...Testarossa," he mutters to himself, seeing that silver hair in the wind.

His eyes narrow. "I hate him, too."