Being an earth deviant and having spent her entire life in Deckstoru, Yonira had always believed she could tell what was happening in the ground under the city at any given time. And yet in all these years she had never even suspected of the existence of a system of secret tunnels underground – a system Rose Summerbolt was currently leading her and the others to.

As she wondered what else Rose and the other Summerbolts knew that had been kept a secret from everyone else, the group went down to the train tracks next to the remains of the subway station they had left behind along with their allies trapped on the other side of the wall of debris formed there. Once down on the tracks, they walked for a bit in the dimmed yellow light coming from whatever lighting was still operational around, stopping just before they entered the tunnel beyond the station’s ruins.

Hikaru’s grandmother knelt there, reaching for one of the big bolts on the tracks that looked identical to all the others around it. Only this one housed a white button under its top part, Rose pushing it and the sound of gears moving being heard immediately after.

All the remaining Martian girls in the group looked around in search of the source of this sound, Neana who was standing by Rose’s side just like Yonira now kneeling next to her. Finally the source was revealed as a piece of the tracks was lifted up, both veterans pushing that piece with whatever strength they had to move it, the Martians’ chief female defender helping them with this. Due to the weight of the piece that had been raised, moving it was still an arduous task, but soon enough the trio had managed to move it aside, a rectangular cover becoming visible under it.

Sunbird’s headmistress kicked that cover down, with its disappearance a shaft being revealed and a wider space beyond it, the cover falling on the floor of whatever that wider space was. Rose stepped aside now while Neana pulled Yonira closer to the shaft’s opening.

(Neana) ‘You’re up, then, Yonira.’

(Yonira) ‘I’m to go first? Into a place I’ve never seen before?’

(Neana) ‘A jump down such a distance would be impossible with a tiny body like Rose’s or a frail one like mine. You’re a pretty tough one, though, so you should be able to handle it just fine. That’s why you’re going first.’

(Rose) ‘Plus you can use your deva to raise a platform that will make jumping down easier for the rest of us. Don’t worry. It’s just miles of empty tunnels down there, so there’s nothing to be scared of.’

While not entirely convinced, Yonira followed the order she was given, jumping down the shaft and toward the wider space with the hope that she would be able to land on her feet. That hope was misplaced as she had never jumped down such heights and ended up falling flat on her face due to that.

The pain in her forehead and the numbness in her teeth from hitting the floor were guarantees that blood would come out of her nose or mouth soon enough, but considering her circumstances and all that she had already been through, she chose not to dwell on these particular instances of her suffering too long. Plus, Annabel wouldn’t have even blinked over such bruises, so her rival couldn’t allow herself to either, getting to her feet and directing her palms toward the surface she had fallen on. This action on her part led to the emergence of a wide cylindrical platform made of rocks from the floor, rising to a certain height before it stopped its growth. The signal for the hot heads waiting above her to follow was given then.

(Yonira) ‘Feel free to come down now!’

Neana jumped down first, waiting for Rose to jump so she could catch her and ensure the leader of the whole group would not suffer any premature damage, the other eight Martian girls following suit after that. While they descended one after the other, Yonira looked around the tunnels to study their interior.

They would’ve been of a perfect parallelepiped shape if it wasn’t for the two additional edges they had been given to install the lighting in. That lighting took the form of white ellipse-shaped lights attached to a wider black line in the otherwise fully grey environment of the tunnels. Though upon close inspection, calling the color of the walls, ceiling and floor of the tunnels grey was not entirely accurate. Black streaks and dots were spread across the grey here and there, giving the impression that another material had been mixed with the concrete used for the construction of these tunnels.

The rocky beauty’s fascination with the tunnels’ interior could last no longer, however, as finally all members of the entirely female group had made their way down, Rose extending her hands toward Yonira as if waiting for a hug.

(Rose) ‘I’m sorry to ask, but could you carry me again? I’m the one who knows these tunnels best, but if I lead the way on foot, we won’t be getting to our destination any time soon.’

Unable to suppress her annoyance at having to deal with the grandmother in a child’s body at this point, the Martians’ chief defender turned to the headmistress to express her discontent.

(Yonira) ‘And I suppose you can’t carry her on your back because your body’s too frail, Neana-sensei?’

Not having even a hint of apology in her voice and with a face as expressionless as ever, Neana shrugged with a sigh while answering.

(Neana) ‘I’ll probably be needing someone to carry me on their back, too, soon enough, so I can’t be carrying Rose. This is a job for youngsters like you.’

Yonira frowned and turned her back to Rose, Hikaru’s grandmother jumping on it without delay and though she could not see her face, the rocky beauty was all but certain she was smiling with a sense of triumph and comfort.

(Rose) ‘Right then! Onward!’

The group’s journey underground began, running the whole way as the ones who were able to increase their movement speed or directly teleport them to their destination in just a few leaps had all remained back at the station. Thus, reaching the chip controller’s compartment took some time, as she had guessed, Neana’s body succumbing to exhaustion at one point.

Miluna, the one with the darkest skin from all the girls in her class and the one who came third after Annabel and Yonira in their strength hierarchy (without counting Yuki and Reimei), took up the task of carrying her once the headmistress could no longer move on her own. When that happened, she also expressed a concern most likely shared by many of her classmates led by Rose.

(Miluna) ‘Are we even going to make it to the controller on time like this? We’ve been trying to keep up a good pace and not exhaust ourselves too much at the same time in case we get into a fight when we reach it, but the others … all our friends relying on us … our families … every deviant in this city hoping to gain a free use of their devas to have some chance of surviving … are any of them even going to be alive by the time we complete the mission?’

While the possibility of this concern becoming reality was most frightening, no member of the group slowed down to stop and think on it, everyone continuing to move only forward, just as Rose had said earlier they would. Perhaps Miluna’s words had actually had the opposite effect and had instead encouraged the hot heads to move even faster so they could ensure the survival of those they cared about, Neana and Rose smiling when they saw this and looking at the other then.

(Neana) ‘They keep moving forward even when they don’t know if they’re going to make it. Zoran sure chose the right bunch of idiots for us to lead down here, eh, Rose?’

(Rose) ‘He sure did. These girls aren’t just carrying us. They’re carrying the future of this city – the whole country even – on their back. And after what I’ve seen from all of them already, I can say I’m quite sure we’ll get to the controller and take it out in time. If anyone can pull off something like this, it’s the group that’s down here with us.’

(Yonira) ‘Thanks for having such faith in us, Mrs. Summerbolt. And thanks for leading the way.’

(Neana) ‘Don’t ever even think of thanking us, Yonira. That goes for all you brats. We’re the ones who should be thanking you.’ – she looked aside with a face full of both guilt and frustration – ‘If we … if we were the same as before, this wouldn’t have needed to happen. But it has and now you need to push forward in our stead. I always knew if such a time came, I would feel miserable, but this … this is even worse than I thought.’

Rose’s face conveyed the same feelings as her fellow veteran, but suddenly her expression changed to a rather mocking smile, addressing the headmistress again.

(Rose) ‘Too bad you’re not the athletic type like your brother, eh, Neana? He could’ve got to the controller in no time even without using his deva.’

Mrs. Summerbolt’s taunt seemed to bring Miss Ilre back to life so she could assume a most rage-ridden appearance, the Martian girls finding that along with her shouting most uncharacteristic of the former school nurse.

(Neana) ‘And you probably wish you were as athletic as your son to move faster on your own, old hag, but you don’t hear me making fun of you for how useless your body is, do you?!!’

Neana’s outrage was so great, it shocked even Rose, her appearance turning back to that of guilt soon enough.

(Rose) ‘Sorry, kid. That was disrespectful of me. You know I can’t help teasing people when I’m under stress.’

Both of them calmed down and smiled at the other soon enough, the bond they had due to experiences the students around them knew nothing about allowing for their argument to end as quickly as it had started. The comments from both of them during that argument had not gone unnoticed by the girls, however.

(Miluna) ‘A brother? You have a brother, Neana-sensei? I’ve never heard about that before.’

(Neana) ‘He’s hardly someone worth meeting, Miluna. Though all of you here have regrettably met him.’

(Yonira) ‘We have? Who is he?’

(Neana) ‘Rale Nightsong.’

The whole group stopped their advance the very moment that name was uttered.

Looking around at their baffled faces with eyes open so wide they were about to burst, Neana instantly regretted sharing this family detail with them, wondering if it wasn’t best to restructure their minds to make them forget she had ever said it.

(Miluna) ‘That Rale Nightsong … is your brother?’

(Neana) ‘Is it the family name that confuses you? He changed it to Nightsong as soon as he got engaged to Ukris. I know it’s unconventional, but then again, he’s never liked the Ilre name very much.’

(Aria) ‘That’s got nothing to do with it!!! How the hell could the two of you be related?!’

(Neana) ‘It’s a long story I don’t like sharing very much, but if I were to share it, it wouldn’t be now. Keep moving, all of you!’

The hot heads moved on reluctantly, still shook by the latest revelation concerning their headmistress and co-leader of their group, the questions this truth brought forth in their minds distracting them from what was happening around completely. Until they turned around a corner of the tunnel system and realized they had finally reached their destination.

No chip controller of any kind or doors that led to such a device could be found anywhere in sight, but what made the veterans and the youngsters so certain their search was over was the overabundance of enemy soldiers in this section of the tunnels who had filled it as far as the eye could see. Judging by their outfits, the ones in their ranks who were clearly visible from this distance were all ordinari, some of them having sat on the floor, others having leaned on the walls. A feature common to most of them was they had taken off their helmets and were presently conversing with each other with as relaxed an air about them as one could find anywhere.

Then they saw the eleven women who had just arrived near them and a change of mood took place almost instantaneously while the ones in their ranks who were sitting got up. Now the undead were smiling or grinning at the group the defenders of Deckstoru had sent to try and disable the controller. A group too vastly outnumbered and outmatched to be put into words.

(Soldier) ‘Ah, someone came at last! I was already starting to think we would see no action at all down here!!’

(Soldier) ‘You could’ve brought more people with you, though. This will hardly be enough for all of us to have fun.’

(Soldier) ‘Should’ve brought some men with you, as well. Dealing with only women will not be nearly as entertaining.’

(Soldier) ‘Hey! Tone down the sexism, you bastard! There are plenty of women on our side, too, and we’re just as formidable as any man!!’

(Soldier) ‘Maybe us girls should just go ahead and deal with this lot to show the men how good we really are!’

(Soldier) ‘No way am I letting you keep all of the scum for yourselves! I propose a contest instead! Let’s see who’ll kill more enemies – the men or the women!!!’

Listening to the villains argue about who among them should have a go at the veterans and the youngsters filled Yonira with dread. Most likely they had been given orders to stop anyone from reaching the controller and disabling it, but those orders did not include attacking someone before they’ve even made an attempt to reach the prize the soldiers were guarding. At this rate, even if the girls were to run now, they would still be slaughtered simply because their enemies wished to kill them, not because their death would serve any strategic purpose whatsoever. Was it the will guiding all these undead that made them say such things? Or had every single one of them been a psychotic monster since the time they had been alive?

No more time was left to wonder for the rocky beauty as the soldiers started advancing, the time for Rose’s group to act having come – no matter what action they were going to take.

(Yonira) ‘What do we do now?’

(Rose) ‘There may still be a way to beat them. At least for long enough to get someone inside the controller compartment so they can take out that damn machine.’

(Aria) ‘Yeah?! I’m interested to see how you figure that happening!!!’

(Neana) ‘The ones at the front are ordinari, but with such an important item hidden here, there are bound to be deviants in their ranks as well. All deviants from these bastards’ forces carry three syringes each with a serum that increases one’s deva output. If we can get our hands on some of those syringes, we could …’

Miluna didn’t let the headmistress on her back finish, the dark-skinned beauty being among the most reckless members of her class who always jumped in the action without thinking, which is why in the present moment she did what she knew best – let loose with a smirk.

(Miluna) ‘So we just gotta cut through the front ranks, right? That’s something I can easily do!!!’

She directed her palms toward the walls on both her sides, seconds later some steam starting to rise from them due to the appearance of a number of acid green bubbles on their surface, streams of acid bursting forth from each bubble. The streams gathered in a massive wave of acid, being launched straight forward with as much force as possible, all the while Miluna laughing. And the reason for her laughter was how advantageous this situation was for her.

Although it was true this girl came at only third place in terms of deva power after Annabel and Yonira, she was different from the other members of the trio. While Annabel channeled her might mainly toward healing or very fast teleportation and Yonira channeled hers toward defence, Miluna’s sole focus was attack and that attack always took on the most destructive shape.

Due to how dangerous her deva was, though, the dark-skinned beauty rarely went all-out, no matter what percentage of her power she was allowed to use. So the hordes of undead filling the tunnel in front of her were seen as a gift of great value to her and not as the walking promise of defeat her classmates saw.

More than just an outlet for her pent-up urges to release her deva, the wave she had conjured provided the perfect opportunity to start a multilayered attack that could assure the goal Rose and Neana were aiming for could be achieved. And Yonira would make sure this attack would not go to waste.

(Yonira) ‘Quick! Milu’s wave will hold them off for some time, but not long, so we need to move now! Everyone, gather close to me! And Rose and Neana-sensei, could you assist me with this?’

Not certain what the Martians’ chief female defender was planning, the veterans decided to trust her, both of them getting down from the backs of the girls who had been carrying them while everyone moved closer to Yonira. Miluna was the only one who stayed ahead of the others, Aria pulling her to the group just as clusters of rocks started forming around them. Eventually those clusters became a massive rocket of sorts, pale red and dark purple energy coming from two of the Martian girls engulfing it so it could be launched through and beyond the wave of acid.

The multielemental barrage with a pale green color that came from the ordinari soldiers’ weapons had just started ripping through the acid, the undead in the front who weren’t firing dragging aside their comrades who had not been able to evade or counter Miluna’s initial attack. None of them could pay attention to much else once the rock rocket flew past them and caused further damage to many of the villains, moving forward beyond the sprays of blood left in its wake as more and more attacks of different types were shot at it.

This caused the rocket to slow down and break apart soon enough, when that happened the strategy Yonira had thought up being revealed. Earlier, when she had asked Rose and Neana for their help, the former had provided additional layers to the rocket created by the young lady, the latter using restructuring to form a smaller rocker made of concrete inside it. Thus, it would take longer for the outer shell to be destroyed and the inner rocket could keep moving for quite a bit longer, pale red and dark purple energy continuing to propel it through the air and the hordes of undead.

Finally, it reached the target it was aimed at, right then a projectile smaller than the concrete rocket and made of Sairoid being fired by the deviants hiding in the back to meet the hot heads’ attack. The increased piercing ability inherent to the violet-colored energy compound allowed it to drill through the rocket and shatter it to pieces, all the women housed within crushing on the floor around.

Before all of them could get to their feet, many of the deviant soldiers had already injected themselves with two syringes each of the type Neana and Rose had mentioned, getting ready to use a third syringe right after. As their eyes burst in pale green light and veins pulsing with energy of the same color appeared all over their skin, the leader of the entire force guarding the chip controller stepped forward.

Her short hair was a dusty rose pink, her skin – a bit darker than the average tone and her eyes had unusual reptile pupils in them clearly visible even with all the pale green light emitted by those eyes after she entered overdrive mode. In terms of age, this woman looked to be not much older than Neana, in terms of expression, a most confident smirk having presently covered the lower half of her face while she injected herself with the third syringe in her possession.

(The Violet Lieutenant Colonel) ‘Congratulations for making it this far, ladies. You’ve probably come to power yourselves up with some syringes, but as much as we’d like to have a fair fight with you, I’m afraid we just used up all our stores of the serum!!’