As the round continued, the score eventually tied at an even 27-27.
"We'll stop for halftime!" Shizuru declared. "Ten-minute break!"
Omariro gathered his group on one side of the cage, while Soren did the same on the other.
"Children," Omariro stated.
"Yes, sir?" they all asked.
"Time nigh. Children must work as one. Men don't listen to weak. Be strong."
"Yes, sir!" they replied.
Soon after, Shizuru got their attention. "Halftime's over! Put your starters in for the second half!"
Komachi, Serika, and Souji came in, while Omariro pointed to Rika, Nonoka, and Sōshin. "Children go."
Rika and Nonoka shared a glare, but they both nodded to Omariro and took their places, preparing themselves.
"Sōshin, I'll need your help this round, okay?" Rika told him.
"You got it, Big Sis Rika!"
Nonoka simply rolled her eyes.
"Begin!"
As soon as they were given the green light, Serika, Souji, and Komachi all unleashed earth, water, and asteroid attacks, respectively.
"Jugen-Sōunsha: Densō—Dai-ni Giyā!"
Quick as a flash, Sōshin grabbed Rika and Nonoka, pulling them out of harm's way. Komachi wasted no time launching another asteroid at them, but Nonoka buffed herself and redirected it with a kick.
"Ugh, I hate this," she moaned. "But if the master says I have to play nice with you, then I guess my hands are tied."
"What are you saying?" Rika questioned.
"I'm saying I'll help you idiots. But only because *he* wants me to."
Her body began to glow.
"Jugen-Sōunsha: Noroi no Sukiru Kyōka!"
〈Buff Applied. 200% Buff to All Party Members.〉
Rika and Sōshin both felt a surge of power erupting through their bodies, and Nonoka flexed her arms.
"Since I'm the best DPS we have on the field, I've got the brunt of the work. You two just support."
"Uh, okay…" Rika replied. "What are you going to do—-?"
"Jugen-Sōunsha: Ningensei Tōki!"
In the blink of an eye, blackish-grey armor covered her body, and she immediately assumed a fighting stance, causing the kids to gasp.
〈Humanity *Discarded.* Buff Timer: 1:30〉
"When could she do THAT?" Zaria wondered.
"Girl strong," Omariro admitted. "Girl weakness is mind, not talent."
"Crazy…" Zaria thought. "No wonder she's the daughter of Kaidanchō Sunahara."
Souji immediately launched a water torrent at her. "Be swept by the waves, freak!"
She zipped to the side as the water harmlessly sprayed past her, before knocking Souji out of bounds with a forceful push. Immediately, Serika swatted her away with a stone slate.
"27-28!"
"Hey!" Nonoka demanded. "Where's my help?"
"Oh, right!" Rika realized. "Sōshin, do you think you can carry me? Let's see her buffs work!"
"You got it, Big Sis Rika!"
Rika got on Sōshin's back, and she clasped her hands together. "Please, I need something now!"
She concentrated all her energy into her hands.
"Jugen-Kaiseisha: Chiyu no Shirushi!"
〈Sigil Created: Recoil. All Party Members have a higher RES to knockback. Charges: *3*〉
"Yes!" Rika cheered. "Nonoka, take it!"
She tossed it to Nonoka, who grabbed it. "The hell's this?"
"A knockback sigil! Use it and keep attacking!"
"Hmph."
She crushed it in her hand.
〈Sigil: Activated.〉
Sure enough, Serika slammed a pike into Nonoka, who stumbled a few feet back before recovering. "Ooh. This actually isn't bad…"
With blazing speed, she charged at Serika, who formed a stone slate to jump on. Komachi tried to push her back with gravity, but she managed to withstand the force, tackling Komachi to the ground.
"Get off me!" Komachi hissed.
"I will, once I get your ass out!"
Souji tried to help her with a wave of water, but Sōshin quickly shoved him, moving faster than before.
"Nice moves, Little Bro!" Rika clapped.
Souji shook it off and formed a waterball in his fist, blasting Sōshin and Rika into the ground. At the same time, Komachi kicked Nonoka off, who kicked herself up.
"Kid," Nonoka ordered. "The same thing you did with Spear-Girl. Do it to me."
"You mean spin you like a top?" Sōshin asked.
"Yeah, that."
"You got it, Friend Nonoka!"
"…Don't call me that."
She extended her arm out for him to grab, and as soon as he did, he began rapidly spinning her, and Souji's eyes widened.
"Shit—-!"
Sōshin threw her at Serika, who formed a slate to block, but Nonoka kicked both her and the slate into the wall, backflipping onto the ground.
"Out!" Shizuru called. "27-29!"
Serika lashed out, launching a pike directly into Nonoka's chest and forcing her backwards, but she managed to escape it before it could force her out.
"Phew," she thought. "That healer girl's stuff is actually pretty useful. At least some members of this team can do something besides Master Nyugawa."
Serika sent Sōshin and Rika into the air with a bat of her pike, just as Souji fired water blasts at them, sending them into the wall.
"29-29!"
"I stand corrected…" Nonoka groaned.
Souji and Serika both shared a look before firing their elements at the same time, causing the two to merge into a form of mud that rose in the air like a tornado.
〈Reaction Triggered: Mudstone.〉
"You've GOT to be kidding me," Nonoka remarked.
The mud lashed out, striking her and sending her flying back into the wall.
"Out!" Shizuru declared. "30-29! Mr. Nyugawa, who are your subs?"
Omariro nodded over to Zaria, Rei, and Han, who all quickly took their spots in the ring.
"Don't sell this," Nonoka grumbled.
"Begin!"
Serika immediately stomped the ground, sending a barrage of earth spikes tumbling toward Zaria.
"Pff, I can do that too!" Zaria scoffed.
She stomped the ground as well, causing it to shake and stop the spikes in their tracks. Rei rapid-fired moonlight blasts at the group, but Komachi used an asteroid to block.
"They're all Mahōshi Classes," Han noted. "Which means they can tank damage and trigger powerful reactions. We're at a disadvantage."
"Then let's make the advantage!" Zaria insisted. "They're all Elemental, but they don't like getting up close! Rei, Han, can you guys use close-range moves?"
"I can use my watches," Han proposed. "I can pull them to you, just like a fishing line."
"And then I can use my new heavy attack on them! Perfect!"
"Ooh! I can try using some reaction attacks!" Rei added.
"Then let's do it!"
Soren looked at them, a smile crossing his face. "Ahh, look at them. They're learning."
Sora grabbed his arm. "Shouldn't you be worried about the team, dear?"
"I can do both. This is their training, after all."
Han quickly formed his watches, wrapping around both Komachi and Souji. With a yank, he pulled them toward him, and Zaria jumped into the air as they watched.
"Tenkai-geri!"
She slammed her foot into Souji's head, followed by her bouncing up from the impact and kicking Komachi in the face.
"Gah!"
They both fell to the ground, and Zaria kicked them toward the wall.
"Not so fast."
Serika formed a slate, blocking them from the out-of-bounds zone. Rei formed a moon crest in her hand.
"Jugen-Mahōshi: Mujin no Yoru no Mikazuki!"
The moon crest swiped at the slate, cutting it in half and causing it to glow with a pale light before exploding.
〈Reaction Triggered: Earthly Moonlight.〉
The explosion sent all three of them flying backward, while Han and Zaria stared at Rei, dumbfounded.
"Can you teach me that?" Zaria asked.
"Nope! You're not a Mahōshi!"
"30-32! Other team, sub!"
As Soren, Sora, and Hakuryū prepared to sub into the round, the latter suddenly stopped.
"Wait," he paused. "Stop the game."
"Is something wrong, pal?" Soren worried.
The entire crowd went silent as Hakuryū surveyed the room. "Something isn't right. I sense a foreign presence here."
The kids all shared a look as Hakuryū looked around, before suddenly turning to their group.
"Omariro, look out!"
A predatory voice erupted from above.
"Found you."
A woman in a lion's coat dropped, her blade aiming right for Omariro's neck.
"Master!" Zaria called out. "Above you!"
Omariro ducked under the blade, disarming the intruder. She laughed, delivering a powerful back kick that Omariro blocked with his forearm. The force sent him sliding across the floor.
Rika took a good look at the intruder. "The Huntress! It's her!"
Kohaku cracked her neck as hunters all descended from the ceiling, weapons aimed at the group.
Kohaku watched Omariro's group as they flanked him, and she revealed a sigil in her hand.
〈Sigil Ability: Teleportation. Teleports user to a place of choice. Charges: *3.*〉
"A true huntress knows what prey she can and cannot catch," Kohaku explained. "You, Omariro, won't be subdued so easily here. But there's always another way…"
She quickly squeezed the sigil and disappeared. Everyone frantically looked around the room for her, but she was nowhere to be found.
"Behind you!" Soren called out.
Before he knew it, Omariro turned around and saw Kohaku's predatory claws aiming for his neck, but instead…
…Han jumped in front of him.
"Leave him alone!"
"Boy, no!"
Kohaku grabbed Han, squeezing the Sigil and reappearing at the entrance, with Han trapped in her clutches.
"She's got Han!" Zaria realized. "Guys, stop her!"
Zaria, Rei, Rika, and Sōshin all tried to catch up to them, but a pair of hunters quickly fired nets at them, trapping the group.
"I don't need to come for you," Kohaku mocked. "You'll come for me, in the Kagoshima Dungeon. Make haste, if you ever want to see your disciple again."
Omariro quickly formed a blade and launched it at her, but she blocked it with her blade…
…right before she squeezed the Sigil, teleporting all of her hunters and Han away with her.
"Boy…" Omariro muttered.
The entire crowd watched as Omariro lifted the net off the kids, who all had sullen faces.
"She took him…" Zaria whispered, as if in a trance.
"Mr. Nyugawa…" Rika whimpered, tearfully. "What do we do?"
"We go after boy," Omariro stated. "Woman want to play games. Woman played wrong one."
Soren and Sora approached them.
"I've heard of that Huntress," Soren interrupted. "She's considered highly dangerous, even to Kaidanchō. Are you sure you want to go after him without your children finishing the trials?"
"Trials not important," Omariro shot down. "Kagoshima is."
Soren nodded. "Then come with me. If you're entering a trap, it's at least right that we have you prepared."
The group all reluctantly followed Soren and Sora as they led them through hallways and tunnels into a secret room, which was reminiscent of an armory.
"This is our high-class vault," Sora explained. "Usually we don't let people down here, but I think it's needed in this case."
Soren pointed them to five sets of matching gold and black armor. "We used thousands of acquired sigils to form these. They aren't exactly true sigil armor, but they'll boost your levels nonetheless."
"Hmm…" Omariro analyzed.
"We made them in your image," Sora said.
Zaria picked up a female variant. "Are these going to help us get our friend back?"
"Yes," Soren confirmed. "Try one on."
"Right here?"
"Just bring it close to your body, it'll merge."
She did so, and sure enough, her clothing swapped out with the armor.
〈Armor Ability: Level Boost ↑. Level's user up by 40,000 levels while wearing armor. Risks: causes heavy wear and tear on body and increases injury risk.〉
"Wait, it boosted my level?"
Soren nodded. "Only for lower levels under 10,000. Nonoka, Rei, Omario, sorry, but you can't use it."
"It's okay!" Rei assured. "I'll wear it for fun!"
"I didn't need it anyway," Nonoka scoffed. "I've got my own armor."
Rika and Sōshin equipped theirs.
"How bad are the drawbacks?" Rika questioned.
"Significant. Increasing your body's level unnaturally makes it more fragile. Don't over-exert yourself, or you might break bones, or even lose limbs."
Zaria, Rei, and Rika shared a look.
"Whatever it takes to save our friend, we'll do it," Zaria promised.
"Well then," Soren replied. "Best of luck to you all."
Meanwhile, Kaitansha HQ—-
Hayate was busy eating some popcorn and watching a movie when suddenly, a transmission appeared on his screen, showing Kohaku inside a dungeon floor, with a tied-up Han behind her.
"Han?" Hayate wondered. "What's he doing with the Huntress?"
She looked at the screen. "Hmm, those creatures were right, this is convenient."
She grinned an eerily unnerving grin.
"Kaitansha, hear me!"
She turned the feed toward a group of tied-up kids, all trembling.
"I hold your own right here! My hunters scour the streets this waking moment, snatching up all of your precious rookies! Bring Omariro Nyugawa to the Kagoshima Dungeon within the next 14 hours, or else Han Jisoo, and everyone else under my command, will DIE a bloody death!"
She stepped back. "Ta-ta."
Hayate watched the feed end as Marin burst into the room.
"Sir?"
"The Kaidanchō, Marin. Call them, NOW. We're no longer in a grace period—-this is WAR."
——-