"AMBUSH!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. "EVERYBODY GET DOWN!"
Dozens of soldiers followed the order in obedience, falling to the ground without question. However, it came a little late.
Tsuki heard as comrades all around fell—not by choice, but after they had been shot. Groans flooded the air.
Geo summoned a massive plate of ground to cover him and nearby members, but it couldn't mask them all. A second volley followed, and more allies fell.
"Damn it!" Danzo said. "Brace! Then, after the volley, escape back through the gate! They outplanned us!"
Just as he finished, a loud groan came from deep within the Igumi walls. The gate creaked, before its heavy wooden bars began to descend.
"SHIT!" Geo yelled. "Danzo, what's the plan?!"
Danzo scanned the surroundings. Nothing. There weren't any other escapes—nothing sneaky to pull. They'd have to fight.
The gate continued down, smashing into three carriages that just barely hung on. The gate shut, but not completely.
"There!" Hatori shouted at the gate. It left little room for soldiers to duck under.
"Danzo snapped. "Viper! Get out there with the fourteenth division! I want Makoro on that gate—lift it as long as you can! Naru, make sure they escape the reaches of arrowfire!"
Naru gave a salute, before calling the soldiers back from which they came. More bodies hit the floor.
"The rest of you, we're going to buy time. We need to—"
Danzo didn't finish. The arrows stopped suddenly. Tsuki peeked over the plated ground Geo had used for cover, spotting three approaching figures. Ones they knew.
The first was Tobamako. The unmistakable big bodied brute smashed a fist into a palm. He took the left. All the way on the right was Lalo, the unnatural with chains. Finally, from the dust clearing, a third appeared in the middle.
Tsuki's eyes widened.
Tokira entered the battlefield with a straight face—wearing a commander's APC uniform now—one which she did not have in Riche.
"Ah… Memento. Been a while, ya fools," laughed Tobamako. From behind, hundreds of soldiers began to enter the clearing of buildings into sight. Rooftops, alleyways, and all the like were now densely populated with APC footsoldiers.
Memories flooded Tsuki's mind—ones of her old friend—she couldn't escape. Her head throbbed, and she fell to a knee, gritting her teeth.
Geo kneeled beside her, with an arm around her shoulder. His face grew with worry.
"Tsuki! You okay?"
She didn't respond—she couldn't even make out what he had said. It was all a blur.
The three stalkers advanced. In front of them, Danzo, Nighthawk and the others in Judgment stood without a budge. Behind Memento's line, countless soldiers followed the lead of Naru and Viper under the gate. Makoro stood underneath, gritting his teeth as he hefted the gate with only his two arms as support.
"How pathetic of you… to use a district's home as bait. Fight us on even ground! Like the honorable cause you claim you are" shouted Rin, her warhammer hitting the ground in an aftershock.
Tobamako only smiled.
"What a feisty one you are! Small too! Too easy for me. Lalo, she's all yours!"
Lalo stepped forward with a snarky smile.
"Gladly."
Rin smashed the hammer into the ground in anger. It cracked on impact.
"Averin and Shonjo, hold the line. Geo and Knoxx, you two take the big guy?"
Knoxx pulled both daggers from their rests, with a grin.
"Of course! Leave it to us!"
Geo gave a less excited nod, but readied himself next to Knoxx. "Right. Tsuki, rest here for a minute. Gather yourself. We'll be fine, I promise."
Tsuki looked up at him—her body still crawled up on the ground. Everything was still blurred. Her head ached with something she had never felt before.
"Good," Danzo responded. "Azumi and Hatori, you two are with me. We'll take the middle one."
Tokira only looked on, past the three who would team up against her—directly at Tsuki. A solemn look filled Tokira's face. Before she knew it, a shadow lunged at her from the side.
Azumi shot forward in a blur, boots tearing into the dirt as her katana cleared its sheath. Tokira didn't move—didn't even blink.
A corrupted pool of Solena erupted beneath Azumi, neon light surging upward like a tidal wave. It swallowed her whole.
She cut through it anyway.
Steel flashed, but the moment her blade came down, Solena hardened around Tokira's hand. The impact rang sharp and hollow as Tokira caught the strike barehanded. With a sharp twist, she sent Azumi skidding backward, boots carving twin scars through the ground before she managed to steady herself.
Hatori was already moving.
He sprinted through the battlefield, weaving between lancing beams of corrupted Solena. His breath steadied as Resonant Flow surged outward—Tokira's shots stuttering, their rhythm disrupted just long enough.
Hatori closed the gap and drove a palm into Tokira's stomach.
The impact launched her skyward.
Midair, corrupted Solena flared around Tokira's back and shoulders, snapping into shape and redirecting her descent. She twisted, momentum snapping forward into a brutal punch aimed straight at Hatori.
He barely had time to brace.
They collided—fists, kicks, elbows—trading blows in rapid succession. Dirt kicked up around them as they shifted, pivoted, pressed for advantage. Then Tokira slipped past his guard and drove a clean strike into Hatori's torso.
The force sent him flying.
He hit hard, rolling once before digging a hand into the dirt to stop himself, chest heaving.
Behind Tokira, Danzo was already at work—kneeling, fingers tracing sharp lines into the ground as a paralysis rune formed beneath his palm.
Azumi surged back in.
She unleashed a relentless flurry, katana cutting fast and precise. Each strike was met with corrupted Solena—blocking, deflecting, reshaping itself just in time. Then Tokira vanished in a burst of light.
She slammed into Azumi like a cannon shot.
Blow after blow landed in rapid succession, driving Azumi straight into the ground. The impact knocked the breath from her lungs. She groaned, rolling onto her side as she pushed herself up.
"Damn it… I hope the others are flowing out of here right—"
She didn't finish.
Corrupted tendrils snapped around her ankles, yanking her off balance. Tokira stepped in close—two punches slammed into Azumi's abdomen, sharp and punishing. The third crashed into her face, snapping her head back.
Tokira drew her arm back for another.
A hand clamped around her wrist. Hatori stood directly behind her.
With a grunt, he twisted and hurled Tokira into the dirt. He followed with a downward kick—but she blocked it, rolling with the force and springing back to her feet in one fluid motion.
"Hatori!" Danzo shouted.
He glanced at the rune—just for a second.
Hatori gave the slightest nod and pressed forward.
Jab after jab, he stayed just close enough—baiting, slipping, waiting. Tokira kicked. Hatori caught her leg.
He wrenched, trying to throw her toward the rune.
A Solena beam slammed into his side. The breath left him in a sharp gasp.
Tokira seized him mid-stumble and, with a violent heave, launched him forward. His body hit the paralysis rune dead-on.
Hatori slammed into the ground. His muscles locked instantly—his body convulsing as the rune took hold.
"Da—Danzo…" he strained, teeth clenched. "I—I can't… move."