A white coated male figure rushes out. Maxwell blinks behind him, a silenced shot dropping the man like a puppet. More enemies in white pour out. Shion and Maxwell drop them down, their guns blazing.
A female figure steps out. A sword strapped to her back. Her eyes flashing with fury. Maxwell steps forward, his gun trained on her. She fades."What!" Maxwell stands shocked.
Poof. She coalesces in front of Shion. Her hand closes around Shion's neck like a vice she grabs tight. In a blur of speed and precision, she slams Shion to the ground. Shion's head hits the floor, her mouth opens widely. She stays down unconscious.
Jacob clenches tightly on his scope. Upset, surprised. "I underestimated them."
The female fighter turns to Maxwell, as fast as light she blinks in front of him. "Shit!" Maxwell backpedals quickly. His gun firing wildly..
The female fighter blinks in and out of existence, she draws out her sword. Flashing forward. Maxwell weaves, his gun firing in rapid succession.
Two male fighters burst out of the basement, their eyes locked onto Maxwell. One tries to grab his shirt, but he dodges. The other lands a punch on his chest, sending him staggering.
One blinks in front of him, fist flying. Suddenly, The man's head bursts in a red spray as Shion's arm punches straight through his neck. His body drops limp. Shion stands, she places a foot on the body of the lifeless man. Eyes read terror, blazing dark and ominous.
The other male closes in. Shion materializes at his back, a silenced shot blowing a dark hole through his head, he drops down.
The female fighter materializes in front of Shion, sword thrusting forward. Shion catches the blade's edge between her fingers. Blood trickles down the steel. She jams her pistol into the woman's stomach and fires. The woman jerks, eyes wide, then slump to the ground lifeless.
More fighters rush in.
Nina's voice is desperate, her gun reloaded. "Boss, order for backup now.. Formidable fighters are inside the basement! Mercs too."
Jacob's face twists in a frown. "What do you mean?"
Nina's eyes are desperate, her voice urgent. "I could smell the cold stench of bullets around that base. They're not fighting fair. They're only seizing the enemy's strength!"
More fighters emerge, their numbers swelling. "Samuel, Spike, quick. Assist them!" Jacob barks. Spike and Samuel Vanish to thin air.
The enemies are fast, blinking like light, matching Maxwell and Shion's speed. Spike and Samuel materialize in the chaos. More men pour out of the basement.
The battle intensifies. Shion's bullets hit some in the blur of speed. The more they drop, the more fighters keep coming.
One rushes Shion. Shooting, she weaves. She closes the distance, and thrusts her hand into his chest. The man drops.
"Hahahahaha.. Shion, you're a monster.." Spike says, laughing, grinning.
"Don't let your guard down," Shion responds.
A fist folds from behind Spike. Shion pops in front, blocks the fist, and blasts the attacker's head with her gun. She draws a second pistol and vanishes.
She materializes between two huge fighters, shooting. They weave, following her. She leans back, guns blazing.
A female Merc gains momentum, her bullets spreading like a deadly hail. Maxwell dodges them all, but struggles to gain balance. She blinks like light, closing in, her gun tracking him relentlessly. He weaves in sync, narrowly avoiding her fire.
Samuel drops a fighter with a headshot, but another blinks in his face. A massive punch sends him reeling.
Two bodies drop to the ground lifeless. Shion's gun, a deadly predator. She manifests in front of Maxwell. Her knee goes for the female Merc's head, but she dodges, blinking to Shion's back. Shion fades.
The battle rages on. Neither female seems to gain the upper hand. Their speed is extreme.
More fighters pour in, doubling their numbers. "Nina, go," Jacob orders.
Nina vanishes.
Two fighters face Spike. He shoots, they dodge, trying to grab him. One closes in, kneeing Spike in the stomach. Spike stumbles. Maxwell tries to reach him, but a man crashes a baseball bat into his head. He drops.
Spike shoots, backing away. The men weave, advancing, throwing punches. A bullet blast from a distance drops one. Another blast follows the second man. He dodges. The bullet passes him, and then returns back quickly. In the blink of light speed it drives into his chest. The man falls dead.
Two new fighters rush out of the basement. Walking, scanning the surroundings.
"What do you think they're looking for?" K.B asks Jacob.
"They're trying to figure out Nina's location. Given she dropped those two figures in the count of few. She's a major threat, they're trying to pin her location."
Shion and the female fighter trade bullets. Their battle a competition of speed and momentum. Then, Shion stops, eyes closing in stillness. The girl advances, sensing victory. But Shion explodes in a blur, headbutting her with light-speed ferocity. The girl drops, unconscious. A mercy bullet pierces her chest.
Shion doesn't flinch, already pivoting to the next threat.
The two fighters still scanning the environment for Nina. Then they start running in frantic circles. Shion swoops in, her speed a flash. Another new male fighter rushes in, fist flying. Shion ducks, quick as breath. He pursues, aggressive and fast. She shoots, he teleports. Bullets whizzing past.
Nina fires. Her bullet tracks one of the fighters running in frantic circle. He blinks away, but it follows, relentless. He blinks three more times. Desperate, then the bullet drops.
The other fighter seizes a stone, hurls it at Nina's location. She blinks away, reappears elsewhere, and fires back. They weave.
"Her shot gave away her position. They've got her pinned," K.B says.
"Indeed she's exposed. But she's not quite pinned. She's adapting," Jacob says, eyeing Ellen. A plan forms. "This might be the best chance to get rid of her. Sending her to fight... means her death. She doesn't fit the Mercury. We only seek strong fighters."
Jacob points at Ellen. "You, join the battle."
Ellen looks at him, smiling. "Should I go fight... and kill?"
"Yes. Go." Jacob's voice is low.
K.B's eyes turn furious. "Boss this is not the best place and time to send this girl in. She's weak, she won't survive this one. Another–"
Jacob cuts through. Raising a palm, signalling K.B to stay quiet.
Ellen starts walking straight, heading to the battlefield.
"No shadow movement. Guess she's weak indeed," Jacob thinks.
More fighters pour out, one joining the fight against Shion. Her speed tanking, she's starting to stagger, but she's still on her feet.
Spike and Samuel face off against their own crew, breathing heavily. A fighter lunges quickly. Punches Spike's stomach and he staggers back.
The fighters blink in and out, swarming Shion. A sword flashes, she weaves past. Fists fly. She dances back, buying space. Her knee hits the ground. Her right hand plants hard, breathing like a beast. The men advancing closer.
Nina struggles to land a solid strike. As more fighters join the raid, searching for her. She changes location constantly, they keep running in circles. Trying to pin point her location.
"Damn it. Is there no end to these people.." She snarls.
Ellen arrives on the battlefield. A bullet hurling towards her side, it drops harmlessly aside. The shooter lunges, he suddenly bursts into pieces. Ellen stands smiling, gun still holstered.
More fighters charge Ellen, fists flying. They burst into pieces.
"What the..." K.B says, viewing from scope.
"What is it?" Jacob asks, desperate.
"Put your scope back on."
Jacob looks.
More men pour out, rushing forward. A fighter coalesces in front of Ellen, shooting, the bullet passes her.
Ellen's eyes turn crimson red. She vanishes. The Fighters start exploding. Her speed insane, she's killing them all. In split second, the fighters drop dead. She stands, eyes dreadful, gun smoking forward.
Nina's eyes shake, her voice barely above a whisper. "I've never seen... this level of monstrosity... I didn't even see her draw her gun..."
Shion and the others stand frozen, jaws dropped. Ellen vanishes into the basement. Gunshots erupt, screams of men and women pierce the air, then silence. She walks out, smiling, drenched in blood.
Shion stands surprised. Guns slipping from her grasp, clattering to the ground. She ducks, tries to grab them. Gone. She snaps up, Ellen's got her guns, offering them back.
Ellen's gun is already back at her spine, holstered smooth. A bloody smile playing on her lips."Here you go," she says.
Shion's gaze snaps wide. "When did she holster her gun? Her speed.." The question dies on her lips.
Ellen cocks her head, still offering. "You don't want them?"
"Thanks," Shion says, taking her guns back. "Did you save the princess at least?"
Ellen's face lights up, surprised. "OMG, I forgot. Killed them all."
Shion drops to the ground, tired. "Fuck... all our efforts..."
Jacob's hands tremble, while holding the scope. "I just recruited a powerhouse... no. A human dynamite."