“So, how is the plan going?”

“Almost done boss, just a few more adjustments and we’re good to go.”

“Good, I knew I could always count on you.”

“Ehehehe, thank you boss!”

In an abandon building, or at least it’s pretended to be, there’s an army full of elite troops with two people standing in front of them. One of the two is a member of [Chaotic Seven] known as [Mastermind] from the terrorist organization [Rising Phoenix], accompanying with him is his most trustworthy subordinate. They’re preparing for an attack in just a few days.

“You still remember our plan right?”

“Of course boss. When the grand debut of the [Miller Mega Center] is happening, we kidnap all of the customers inside the building as a way to buy time for the secret team led by me to steal the [Chimera] used to fuel the building. Am I correct boss?”

“On the surface yes, but as I always say: be prepare for the worst. I know that in terms of using the fist, you’re among the best. But can I trust you on the brain side?”

“Of course boss! I shall bring victory not just to you, but also to [Rising Phoenix]!”

“Very nice. I don’t normally say this but, good luck [Fire Fist].”

“Thank you boss!”

In a building where nobody goes, a plan to assault on a mega center in coming to the final stages, ready to bring chaos and fear to all the innocents that knew nothing about this.

 

-Hey Yasutaira-kun, have you heard about the Miller Mega Center? The one that just opened in Shibuya?

-I think I have. What is it Takenada-san?

-Summer is right around the corner, so I’m planning to buy some stuff, wanna go with me?

-Well I do, but if it’s just the two of us, people are not gonna leave us alone. Let me just ask Kira, see if he’s free to go.

-So it’s a yes? Great! I’ll see you this Sunday.

That was the text between me and Takenada-chan just two days ago. We decided to go shopping at the new mega center that’s opening this Sunday. It’s pretty far from my house, but fortunately, Takenada-chan is generous enough to give me ride on her personal limousine. It’s a first for me, but everyone seem nice to me so I don’t feel overwhelmed at all. Even if I’m sitting next to a girl, it’s not a problem to me as long as she feels comfortable.

“Hey Kira, thanks for tagging along with us. Honestly, I thought that you wouldn’t come with us.”

“It’s the grand opening of Miller Mega Center after all. Of course I’m thrilled to see what’s inside.”

I guess we’re on the same boat. I don’t know what he’s going to buy or how much his budget allow him to. As for me, maybe I’ll get some new utensils, or I might buy some new furniture for my house. Either way, I’m excited about today.

At least that’s what I thought.

“Huh, my plan backfire us hard.”

“Yeah, this kind of situation is just a normal thing back in America. Never thought that I’ll get the same treatment here…”

“Hey Yasutaira, what should we do? Should we, you know, wave back at them?”

As we finally find a parking slot, we’re greeted with a crowd full of people. They treat us like some kind of celebrities. I can see a lot of people recording us with their smartphones, some even scream out Takenada-chan’s name like a die-hard fan.

“Just exactly how famous are you Takenada-chan?”

“If I remember correctly, twenty millions followers on all of my social accounts, I guess?”

“Can’t say we didn’t expect this, right Kira?”

“Yeah…Just as I thought I finally get used to this kind of situation…”

“Don’t worry guys, just go. As long as John is here, we’re safe.”

As we’re going inside, John and his team serve as our bodyguard and escort us. They can’t stop the cameras from taking pictures of us, but at least we’re able to go inside with no problem. It’s quite an interesting experience, even though I don’t want it to happen too frequently.

“Man, they sure cling like leeches, aren’t they?”

Kira said as he’s sweating all over her face. Luckily people inside don’t seem to be as hyped as outside, so at least we have some time to breath. After a while, we go to the locker service to handle our weapon to the receptionist. We aren’t allowed to carry our weapons so this is the place they recommend us to keep them safe. I’m sorry Tiamat but I promise to let you have a chance next time.

“Huh, where is Kariuda-san? She said she was inside, but I can’t see her anywhere.”

“Uhm Yasutaira, I think we found her.”

Kira points his finger to the left. A beautiful girl with white dress, high heels and grey floppy hat is standing there waving at us. She’s none other than Kariuda Naomi, the girl we’re looking for. We immediately run at her.

“I’m sorry it took us this long. The crowd out there is wild!”

“Don’t sweat it. I kinda knew this would happen so no need to apologize.”

As expected from Kiriwatari-sensei’s colleague, she’s always one step ahead of me. I’m glad that she doesn’t mad at us for being late, or else I don’t know what to do.

“Alright, let the shopping spree begins shall we? I heard they have the best clothing store in town!”

To break the silence, Takenada-chan drags all of us through the ground floor to the elevator. I can tell from her voice that she’s eager to explore this place. Well, we may not be able to go to every place, but at least for today, let’s enjoy our lives to the fullest.

 

“Man, this place is big!”

“Yeah Kira, it’s like running in a maze that goes on for forever. Are we lost?”

“Not according to the map I’m holding, just a few stores away and we’ll make it. Hurry up guys!”

Takenada-chan said that she wanted new clothes for summer, so we’re heading to buy some. Even though this is its opening day, stores from various brands can be seen everywhere. It’s like a big event for every party involved and we just happen to come across it. As for the center itself, one word I can describe is “luxurious”. I feel like I’m stepping into a whole new world, but somehow it has some sort of vibes that make me feel like home.  

 “Hey Takenada-chan, I think we’re here. The signs said [Lynx Parisa], is that the place we’re going to?”

“Huh now that you mention it Kariuda-chan…Oh hey, it’s the store we’re looking for. We made it! Let’s go inside.”

After around thirty minutes of searching, we finally get to the first place. The staffs greet us with joy and warmth. They immediately introduce us to the summer edition of their product lines. Judging from other customers shopping here, I can tell that people really like to shop here. We quickly pick up the ones that we think fit us the best and start trying-on all of them.

“Yasutaira-kun, how do I look?”

Takenada-chan comes out of the changing room and asks me how I feel about the clothes. One of the staffs explains to me that this is part of their “Forever Young, Forever Summer” campaign. Each clothes represent everything that makes summer what is it. The spirit, the vibe, anything that makes you thinks of summer all converge into these clothes. What Takenada-chan is showing me is the first of the bunch that the staffs like to call [Free Spirit]: short jeans with a black crop top and a denim jacket. Compare that to what she wore previously with the combination of baggy jeans, off-the-shoulder long-sleeved black top and a pair of white Converse, it definitely lives up to its name.

“I’m not really good at describing, but I gotta say, you look amazing!”

“Really? Then I’ll take this, let me try another one!”

While Takenada-chan returns to the changing room, I’m walking around the store, trying to find the clothes that suits me best.

“Dear customer, what seems to be the problem?”

“Oh, there’s a lot to choose and…I don’t really know which one is the best option.”

“I see. So dear customer, can you tell me about which style you prefer? Maybe we can help you with that.”

“I had never shopped at this kind of store before so…I don’t know much about fashion. But I think I just need something that looks good and feels comfortable.”

“Quite an interesting approach…Alright dear customer, follow me.”

The staff then shows me the aisle where I can find everything I need. She said that the stores focused on satisfying every customer possible, to the point of taking custom orders right on the spot. I’m not going that far just for some clothes, so quickly pick up and go to the changing room.

“Master, you look fantastic!”

“Even if I locked you away, you still found a way to watch us. Quite persistent aren’t you.”

“Uhm Master, what’s with that scary voice you just made?”

“I’m just playing with you. Come on, do you really think I’m just gonna go evil while shopping?”

“…”

“You did in fact think of it. Oh god…”

“No no, I don’t …I was just…”

“It’s alright, I don’t mind it. It’s my fault after all. Hey, is there anything you need? Takenada-chan said she would pay for everything, so either spill the beans to me or talk to her, your choice.”

“Really? Thanks Master, I’ll go talk to her right now!”

As for Kira and Kariuda-san, they opt for a more simplistic, not too stylistic kind of clothes. After around an hour, we end up buying a lot of clothes. Everything isn’t cheap at all, but luckily it’s all on Takenada-chan’s tab, so in the end we don’t really have to spend much.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending this little party of mine. I appreciate everyone for joining me on this special day.”

Inside a V.I.P room, there’s a man standing in front of a crowd full of guests, holding his glass of champagne. That man is none other than the owner of the [Miller Mega Center], James Miller. Right now, he’s celebrating the successful grand opening of his most ambitious project: to run an entire building using the rare metal known as [Chimera]. He had spent years of nurturing and making this more than just an illusion. And now, he’s happy that his dream is finally come true.

“As all of you have known, this mega center isn’t just a dream of some foolish human being, this is the next step of evolution. Today is a building, tomorrow is the world. That’s what I’ve been telling myself for the past 20 years. You know, one little fun story, my wife used to think that this project was driving me insane, that I might be drowning in misery and my own ego if I kept doing it, but now I can proudly say to her that…”

“You’ve made it.” a voice softly interrupted Miller.

“Yes darling, I made it.”

Among the guests, a woman in her 40s wearing burgundy long sleeve maxi dress starts walking toward Miller. Like him, she’s also holding a glass of champagne as well. They give each other a hug and a kiss as the crowd is looking at them. That woman isn’t just a nobody, she’s in fact the wife of James Miller, Elizabeth Miller.

“Once again ladies and gentlemen, to the future of humanity!”

After a toast from James, everyone starts cheering and eating. All the guests here are James’s friends and business partners that have been sticking around with him since day one of the project. There’s also journalists from various magazines and media channels, they all gather here to exploit the gold mine that is [Miller Mega Center].

“Congratulation on the project, Mr. Miller. I’m happy to know that humanity has finally been able to advance to a new phase thanks to you.”

“Oh no Ms. Kaede, I don’t deserve all the credits. The workers, engineers, even the employees, they’re the one that need to be praised. Without them, this project is nothing but a vain dream of a young, dumb and broke man.”

“You’re still as humble as usual Mr. Miller. No wonder your marriage is very rock solid.”

“Now now, don’t start that type of conversation without me, you’ll miss a lot.”

“Darling, how’s the party?”

“Very great honey. Seems like everyone is enjoying this party, and I love it. How about you Ms. Kaede?”

“It’s all good Mrs. Miller, I really like it!”

After a brief conversation, James and his wife continue to enjoy the party while mingling with the guests. But no one in the room knows that in just a few minutes, chaos and fear will emerge from the party, threatening the future of the mega center.

 

“Hey Master?”

“Hmm?”

“If I remember correctly…Takenada here has her team full of servants, am I right?”

“And what are you trying to imply?”

“Well, you know…instead of telling them to carry all of these bags, why do I have to be the one to do this job?”

“Trust me, you showing up right now causes less a scene then asking them for help, believe it or not.”

“I highly doubt that Master.”

“Your action said otherwise Tiamat.”

After dropping by a clothing store, I decide to take Tiamat with the crew so we can have lunch together in the ramen shop nearby, then we check out other places in the mega center. Kariuda-san and Kira went to the bookstore to buy some new novels and manga. Even though I’m not much of a bookworm, I do have a decent amount of knowledge when it comes to those type of media. But as for now, my focus shifts into other stuff.

“Hey Takenada-chan, I’m sorry for dragging you into something weird like buying kitchen utensils with me. You know, it’s just my bad habit, I hope you understand.”

“Oh no, it’s alright Yasutaira-kun, I don’t mind it. Besides, to see you being passionate about something like that, I’m very happy you know?”

“When you put it like that, I’m…you know…a bit embarrassed…”

“Hey, at least it’s still way better than my dad’s mansion addiction, it can’t get worse than that.”

“Hey, that’s your dad.”

“Trust me Yasutaira-kun, until this day no one in my family knows exactly why my parents’ marriage is still as rock solid as diamond. With something like that under his belt, I may not even be here you know?”

“I’m beginning to think that you guys have issues.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.”

“Damn it Tiamat! Bad timing!”

We keep our conversation alive until we regroup with Kariuda-san and Kira. When we meet them again, they seem to be very satisfied. We’ve heard them talking about their favorite shows and novels for at least thirty minutes. I’m totally fine with it, but not everyone can be on the same boat…

“Uhm guys, can you slow down a little bit? I can feel my head spinning like a record, and I don’t like it at all.”

“Oh sorry, we got carried away…It can’t be helped when you’re in the zone, right?” Kira said.

“Well, at least I can keep up with that, so we’re getting somewhere…”

For some reasons, when it comes to books, Takenada-chan seems to just can’t get herself into a simple conversation. Her scores was pretty good back in her old school from what I’ve heard, so it’s a surprise to see her being confused over something like that. I wonder how she actually studies…

“So Yasutaira, what did you buy?”

“Oh me? Just some new kitchen utensils, mainly a new knife sharpener and some plates. Since Tiamat is here, there’s a chance of other entities to be my servants, so I’m just preparing in advance. Also, I might throw some parties in the future, so I can’t really let this opportunity slip.”

“A chef’s instinct I see…So you do pick one or two things after a month of working for me…Interesting…”

“Uhm Kariuda-san, you’re acting scary…You know this isn’t work right?”

“Oh I know…But not for long…”

“Quick guys, run! Stay for another second and she’ll throw more paperwork than one could handle!”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Come on guys, do you really think that I’ll just go crazy just from some kitchen tools?”

Wait, why did I even feel for it? I’m the one who started the joke, how did she even pull it off perfectly? Hold on for a second, the only person besides me that knows this…No way…

“Damn it Tiamat! Did you tell her about it?”

“Ehehehe…Come on Master, what’s wrong? Did getting a taste of your own medicine mess with your judgement? I’m innocent.”

“Like hell you are! Normally I would punish you or something like that, but since I’m in a good mood, I’m gonna save it until we’re home. Now, let’s see what I should do to you…”

“Thunk!”

“Huh, what’s going on?”

“Yeah, the lights just suddenly go off…”

As we’re walking on the second floor, the whole place is covered in darkness. Everyone seems to be very confused about the situation. As for us, we take a look around to see if we can locate the source of the problem. But it doesn’t take us too long to realize what’s happening…  

“DOWN ON YOUR KNEES AND PUT YOUR HANDS UP HIGH! DON’T MAKE US REPEAT TWICE!”

“KYAAAHHH!”

“SHUT UP OR WE’LL SEND YOU A ONE-WAY TICKET TO HELL!”

Out of nowhere, a bunch of people wearing some kind of black combat uniform starts appearing, kidnapping all the guests and making them their hostages. They went inside the building using some sort of transportation portal, at least that’s what I saw. Before I even have time to digest what is happening, Tiamat immediately gears herself up and starts giving me orders.

“Master, I’ll buy some time, you and your friends quickly get to the restroom right around the corner and wait until I get there!”

“Copy that!”

Hearing Tiamat’s initial plan, we quickly get out of the current place as fast as we can, leaving the stage for Tiamat to show us why she’s among the strongest creatures planet Earth has to offer.

 

(Tiamat’s POV)

“Heh, let’s dance shall we?”

After telling Master and his friends to leave this place, I crack my knuckles, ready to take on whatever coming out of that portal. It’s been a while since I fought those shadows, so I’m a little excited.

“Woman, surrender or we’ll have to make you.”

Just like downstairs, a bunch of portals start to materialize from thin air and a whole army of soldiers start emerging from them. They’re all pointing their guns toward me, threatening me. But they don’t seem to realize that, I’m not letting them do whatever they want…

“Oh yeah? I’d like to see you try. Or perhaps you don’t want to touch your filthy hands on such an astonishing woman like me?”

“You dare mock me? That’s it, you’re going dow…Ughhhh!”

Before who seems to be the leader of the group can even finish his sentence, I kick him right in the face, causing him to fly for a few meters before crashing in the nearby store. I just want to give them a fair warning so I had adjusted my own strength to only knock him out, but I don’t think it’s working at all.

“Grr…Soldiers, FIRE!!!!”

After I take down the leader, the others start shooting at me. From what I’ve seen, they aren’t just some regular bullets but rather mana bullets. They might injure a regular being, but for me, it’s nothing more than a scratch on my back. I could have easily dodged them all, but I want to strike fear on them, making them regret trying to fight something that’s totally out of their league.

“Huh, impossible…Why can’t we hit her?”

“Oh please, you’re gonna have to try harder than that if you really want to hurt me. Let me demonstrate for you real quick.”

“What do you mean…Arghh!!!”

Without wasting any more time, I quickly teleport to one random soldier and hit him right in the guts. In just one punch, I take him down instantly. Seeing all of that, others seem to lose their cool and starting shooting me more aggressively, but too bad it’s just not enough.

“That’s it? That’s the best you can do? How pathetic.”

“Nothing is working at all…SHE’S A MONSTER! A LIVING BREATHING BEAST!!!”

“Oh dear, is that all you can say about a woman? Very well, you want a beast, you’ll get one.”

After that, the whole floor turns into a battlefield full of blood and screams as I’m taking down every single one of the them using various types of magic. I may have overdone it a little too much with my attacks, but it’s totally worth it. I haven’t had this much fun fighting someone else besides Master, besides I need to let [Rising Phoenix] knows that they’re messing with the wrong guy, and they’ll pay for it.  I’m not killing them of course, as I already had a plan for them later on, but for now, knocking them out is my main goal.

“[Wind Blade]”

I swing my arm, and in just a few moments, I take down the remaining soldiers. I’m a bit disappointed with how weak these men are. Master can easily beat them, even his friends could possibly pull it off, although it might take them some times to get the job done.

“Alright, where’s the leader? I’m pretty sure he’s just right around the corner.”

As I was fighting the soldiers, I noticed that the leader had woken up and crawled out of the scene. Too bad for him, he can hide for however long he wants, but he can’t and will never run away from his destiny. I can’t wait to see the look of these soldiers’ eyes when they find out how much of a coward their leader is.

“No…No! Get away from me! You monster!!”

“And to think that you’re a member of [Rising Phoenix]…How low can you go really?”

“You scum…Wait until my boss finds out about this! Let’s see if you can smirk at me like that any long…Urghh!!!”

Not letting him finish his own sentence, I slap him in the face multiple times until his face has deformed to the point of unrecognizable. After satisfying myself with the beating, I pick him up from the grounding, beginning the first step of my plan.

“Oh don’t worry, your boss will know about this, but before that, you have some information that I find…intriguing.”

“You…you think that I’ll just straight up spill the bean for you?”

“Oh no, I’m not asking. I demand you to tell me everything I need to know. Or perhaps you want me to destroy something else besides that ugly face of your?”

Being scared to death, the leader finally spill of the beans I need to know. After that, I threw him to the side, calculating for the next steps of my plan.

 

(Yasutaira’s POV)

“Damn, I think the signal is off. No one is picking up the phone.”

“Yeah me too, although giving this is John, I’m sure he can handle the situation just fine.”

At the moment, we’re using the restroom as our hiding place. Takenada-chan and I tries to call for help, but it seems like they cut off the signal. The power has also been cut out, so there’s a great chance that the enemies won’t be able to know what we’re up to.

“Hey Yasutaira, don’t you think this is weird?”

“What do you mean by that Kira?”

“You fought me before, so you must’ve known by know how ruthless we can be, yet…no one actually die today. Either those guys aren’t the real deal, or perhaps…”

“They’re planning to do something with this center, am I right Kira-kun?”

“Yeah Kariuda-san, and I’m afraid that the latter is more accurate…”

There’s only four of us here against god knows how many enemies out there willing to take us down. And even if we manage to defeat all of them, we have to consider their leader showing up. Right now, we have to come up with a strategy, a plan to make it through today, and I think I have just the one.

“Well guys, look at the bright side, we’re still here right? We may only have each other to count on, but I think we can make it. Don’t forget I still have her by my side, so let’s just calm down and think of something. What do you guys think?”

“Yeah, you’re right. We’re proud students of the Kiriwatari Academy, we can’t just let this kind of situation get the best of us!” Takenada-chan nodded her head.

“I agree. People down there are in trouble, and we can’t just sit here and do nothing. There has to be a way to stop them.” Kariuda-san said.

“Don’t worry guys, I know just the person to count on. She’s gonna be here any moment.”

Right after that, someone knocks the door three times. Just that alone makes everyone get into the defending position, but not me. I slowly stand up and open the door, as the person behind it is none other than Tiamat, my only trustworthy servant at the moment.

“Hey Tiamat, how’s the outside doing?”

“Pretty good Master, these guys don’t even worth warming up, their plan however…”

She then explains to us everything she knows about the attack, who is behind it and what they benefit from this. I notice some blood on her body here and there, so she must have encounter and defeat a large portion of them. I told her specifically to not kill under any circumstances, and I can tell that she held up pretty much a lot during the fight.

“I see, so [Chimera] is what they’re after…It makes perfect sense why they choose this place or the fact that they haven’t killed anyone…” Kariuda-san mumbled to herself.

“From what I’ve heard, [Chimera] might have a shot at being used as a new kind of sustainable and environment-friendly energy, if [Rising Phoenix] got a hand into it, only time will tell what they can do with it…”

 If rescuing the hostages wasn’t pressure enough, now we also have to protect the center’s energy source from a terrorist organization. This kind of situation can only be seen in movies, with the addition of a team full of talented individuals. We may only have each other, but I’m optimistic that we can pull this off.

“So Tiamat, got any plan?”

“Yeah Master, I have a perfect one in my mind right now?”

“Mind if you share it to us?”

Tiamat then shows us a map in a form of hologram. There is a bunch of red and blue dots on every layer of that map. On the third layer however, we can see five blue dots on there, meaning that…

“This is the map of Miller Mega Center?” I asked.

“That’s right Master. These red dots are the kidnappers, and the hostages are the blue ones. From what I’ve been told, their plan is to invade the center floor by floor. I was able to shut them down on this floor, the rest are still chalk full of them. But that’s not all…”

She zoom the map to the first layer, specifically a small room full of blue dots, with the addition of the highest layer of the map, which I presume is the rooftop. On there, we can clearly see two dots, one red one blue are heading to the top.

“The invasion is just bait, a distraction from their true intention. They’re kidnapping James Miller, the owner of this building, forcing him to handle [Chimera] to them. A simple yet effective plan I must say, although…”

“I see…So do you know who the leader is?” Kira asked.

“Oh yeah, down to the last minute detail. Here, let me show it to you.”

As she shows Kira the profile, his face expression changes drastically. He starts sweating in fear, his arms and legs are shaking nonstop. He used to work for them, so he must have known one or two thing about them, which explains his reaction.

“No way…She’s in charge? This is bad, really bad…”

“What’s wrong Kira-kun? Who is this person and why are you so scared of her?” Takenada-chan asked.

“This girl…She’s known as [Fire Fist]. She is, no doubt, one of the most chaotic and unpredictable members of [Rising Phoenix]. Even though she has tamed those traits a bit after working for [Mastermind] as his right hand…She’s still a threat to literally every opponent.”

“On of the [Elite Seven]’s right hand is in charge of this attack…This is bad…”

“Now now, where has the previous spirit gone? Just because they sent out a strong member doesn’t mean we can’t win. They have a plan to attack, then we shall pull one out to counter it.”

“I have a bad feeling about it for some reason…” I said.

“Well you’re right Master, because you and I are going to rescue Mr. Miller from the hand of [First Fist]. In other words, we’re going to fight her.”

“Just the two of us? I mean, you’re coming with me…But how about the others?”

“We deal with [Fire Fist], the others will go and free the victims. I’ll swing by both whenever I can. How is that sounds to you?”

“I mean, it’s three versus a few hundred…But I think we can make it.” Kira replied.

“Me too. I’ll make them pay for ruining our day!” Takenada-chan said.

“As a member of [Knights of Tomorrow], I can’t and will not let this go on for any longer. I’m taking them down, no matter what!” Kariuda-san clenched her fist.

“Well Master, that settles the matter. We’ll go in five minutes. In the meantime, here’s everything we need for the plan.”

She then gives us our weapons, alongside a button that she explains will help us teleport to the safest place possible for the sake of the plan. Since we can’t properly fight in this normal clothes, Tiamat also gives us our uniforms, a better option for combat clothing than what we’re wearing right now. After a few minutes, we’re all suit up, ready for our biggest battle in our life yet.

 

(Thirty minutes before the explosion)

Inside the mega center’s V.I.P room, the party hosted by James Miller is still going on. The drinks and foods keep on coming, as the guests are enjoying every minute here. Little do they know, in just a few minutes, disaster is about to struck on the mega center.

“Pardon me Mr. Miller, would you mind spending some minutes for an interview?”

“Oh, you must be Ms. Tomizaki from the NHK. I’m glad you could make it.”

“Thank you Mr. Miller. I was in quite a tight schedule but in the end, I still managed to be here.”

“Good to hear it. About the interview, I’m a bit busy at the moment, but we can still do it right the end of the party. Speaking of the party, are you enjoying it so far?”

“Of course Mr. Miller, it’s quite a great party I must say.”

“Great. The desserts are on the way, so just bear with us for a few more minutes.”

As the party comes to the end, everyone seems to chill out a little bit. We don’t see all the guests going around too much but rather finding a place to talk about their personal life, as well as future business opportunities. James Miller will do an interview shortly before the guests leave, but before that, he decides to visit a good friend of his.

“Welcome Ms. Chiyoe. I haven’t seen you in a while. How are you doing today?”

“Quite good actually. Handling two jobs at a time can be tiresome at times, but at the very least, I still love doing them.”

“It’s alright, I know what is like to carry such pressure on my back. But to see my own project has finally born fruit, those days of hard-working really pay off, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, I can see it…Very impressive…”

She’s looking around the room as she’s finishing her drink. The person talking to James is Kiriwatari Chiyoe, the head principal of the Kiriwatari Academy. They used to be best friend back in high school, but ever since they went their own ways after graduation, they never really had that many chances to meet up with each other, so this party really means a lot for them.

“Huh, I don’t see your daughter anywhere James. I thought she said she really wanted to be here?”

“Well she did. Unfortunately she got sick yesterday, so she won’t be around for a few days.”

“That’s really bad. I hope she’s OK.”

“Don’t worry. She’ll be fine.”

From behind them, a woman with caramel hair and red dress interrupts their conversation. Hearing her smooth velvety voice, James quickly turns around, as the person is none other than his wife, Elizabeth Miller.

“Hey Liz, long time no see. You still look as good as the last time we met!”

“You too Chiyoe. Still going strong and mysterious as always I see.”

“Come on Liz, this is [Phantom Mist] you’re talking about. You know I have to do something to maintain that image, am I right?”

Even though James and Elizabeth have only been married for 20 years, they’ve known each other as well as Kiriwatari Naomi back in high school. Just like her husband, Elizabeth and Naomi were really good friends back in the day. They don’t really have many meeting occasions, but they have maintained a fairly close relationship for a long time.

“I’m glad to see old friends reuniting for this special day. I’m having an interview in just a couple minutes, so I’ll leave the conversation to the two of you.”

“Just relax and be yourself darling, don’t overthink too much.”

“Thanks honey. Don’t worry, I won’t, and that’s a promise.”

 Leaving the scene, James comes to Ms. Tomizaki as promised, without knowing that this is just the beginning of the nightmare that might haunt him for life.

 

“I’m sorry for interrupting your conversation with your wife Mr. Miller.”

“It’s alright. She’s not holding any grudge against this. Besides, we both know that this is just for business. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

“I see. Well then, let’s not waste any of your precious time and get started with the interview shall we?”

“Go ahead.”

She then takes out all the recording equipment needed for the interview. Before starting it, they find an empty spot, a place distant and quiet enough to make sure the interview stays as smooth as possible.

“So for the first question: Can you tell me about this [Chimera]? We were informed that you can’t go into details for the time, so I just I want to know how you even got your hand into it in the first place.”

“I’m going to be honest with you, it’s a miracle. I know it sounds very anticlimactic, but that’s exactly how it is. It’s no secret that I’ve always wanted to create a sustainable energy that’s totally different from what we have, but after years of little to none results, I was thinking about giving up, but then…”

“Then?”

“It happened. Until this day, it’s still feels like a dream to me, because it was in fact a dream.”

“A dream you say?”

“Yes. I can still remember it like yesterday. That night, after a whole nother day of not finding anything, I was so tired that I just skipped dinner and went straight to bed. I thought to myself that this was a bad idea. Turns out, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. In that dream, there was a white entity standing in front of me. It showed me what we known now as [Chimera] to me. I was confused, I couldn’t even think of the meaning of it for even a second. And then, it disappeared.”

“I see…”

“But that wasn’t the end of the story. Before disappearing, it said to me something…The white void told me to trust my guts and follow the North Star, it’ll guild me to what I want. Even though my wife kept on trying to stop me, at that point I just didn’t care anymore. Took me an entire month of endless road trip and the rest is history.”

“Unreal…”

“I know right? And that’s all I have to say. Do you perhaps have another question for me?”

“Oh yes I do. So about the [Chimera] itself…You mentioned before that it’s not just a rare mineral, it’s a sustainable energy that can produce enough to power an entire building, for now. But at first, we didn’t exactly what to do with it.”

“How come?”

“You see…This [Chimera]…it’s something we’ve never seen before. None of our experience at the time worked at all. That was until we tried to extract the mana of it.”

“Mana? You mean the mana of us Magica?”

“Precisely. For some reason, it produced mana in a way we never thought it was possible. We don’t know what else is in [Chimera], but just the mana of it is enough for us to do so many things…”

As James is explaining, he takes out his phone and shows Ms. Tomizaki a hologram of a machine. At first she’s confused of what she’s shown, but she quickly realizes the meaning of it.

“As you can see, this is the power generator made specifically for [Chimera]. By extracting the mana of it, we can turn those mana into clean power and use it to light up this mega center. Took us 5 solid years before finally getting the job done, and look back at it, it was worth the time and money.”

James puts the phone back to his left pocket. Being amazed by the story, the reporter just stands there for a minute before finally comes back to earth to process all of the information.

“That’s crazy…You’re right. This is the next evolution of mankind.”

“Don’t overestimate it just yet Ms. Tomizaki. This place might look big to you, but to us, it’s nothing compare to the potential [Chimera] can pull off. We still haven’t found a way to extract the mana more efficiency, or how to extract even more mana than we can right now, but that’s the story for the future.”

“I agree with you. So for the final question, I know this is kinda a bold move but, would you mind showing me the power generator room? I’d love to see the machine in action. We’re not taking any pictures of it of course.”

“We’d love to show you that, but unfortunately we’re still working on it, so we can’t let any outsiders get any closer to the machine for now. “

“My apologies. I wasn’t asking you. I’m ordering you to do so.”

“Huh, what do you mean by…Urghh!!”

All of the sudden, Ms. Tomizaki throws away all the equipment, grabs James’s mouth and lifts him up right in front of all the guests. Some just stand there speechlessly, others starts screaming their lungs out. Even James’s wife, who’s standing in the corner, loses herself. She drops her drink and tries to run to her husband.

“Hey, what’s the meaning of all this…Arghh!”

Before she could even say anything, something hits her right leg. It didn’t pierce through her flesh, but it definitely immobilizes her as she’s falling down on her knees. Elizabeth looks down the injured part, only to realized that it’s smoldering nonstop.

“Oh you and your pure, unadulterated love for one another. Just shut up already will ya?”

Right after that, Ms. Tomizaki’s skin and hair color changes to be darker, in contrast with the while and blonde color. Her true identity has finally been revealed: [Fire Fist] from the terrorist organization [Rising Phoenix].

“I’m not going to tell you twice. Get. Me. To. The. Generator. Now. Are do you perhaps want everyone here to die, including you?”

In one hand she lifts him up, she uses her other hand to point to the guests, charging her attack. Seeing that, James tries to grab her hand with every ounce of strength he has left, but it’s no use. In contrasts, it pissed [Fire Fist] off to the point of pushing him against the wall, causing her to be more frustrated and impatient.

“Final warning. My arms are getting tired, so you’d better do what I say. Or else…”

She’s charging another attack with the hand she uses to grab James’s mouth. The heat from the attack seems too much for him to handle, so he’s using what’s left in him to say something to [Fire Fist].

“Oh, what’s that peasant? Are you trying to say something? Speak up before I burn your goddamn mouth!”

 After a while, she finally drops him down the ground, leave him there coughing convulsively for a few minutes. Even though the host is safe for now, not a single person in the room makes any move as it could get them in trouble.

“Alright, I…I will get…you to…the generator…Just follow me…”

“Good. Finally getting somewhere ain’t we?”

In front of the whole guests, [Fire Fist] just casually takes James Miller with her out of the room, eventually kidnapping him. Everyone inside the room really wants to do something, but they afraid that they might risk each other’s safety, leading to them not making it out alive. But now that the danger is gone, they can finally think of a way to protect themselves.

“Hang in there Liz, medic is on the way!”

“Medic? But I thought darling’s friend at the hospital can’t make it to the party…”

“Who said he’s here? I’m talking about a good friend of mine Liz. She’s right behind me.”

Just as she’s talking, a small girl with black hair wearing a gothic Lolita dress starts approaching the two, holding the first-aid kit with her.

“A…a little girl?” Elizabeth whispered.

“Hey, don’t call her that. She, let’s say, gets annoyed every time somebody called her that. Trust me, I tried and instantly regretted it.”

“I can still hear you two talking, you know that right?”

“Eek!”

Leaving all the trouble to the side, the little girl starts bandaging the injured part. This little girl isn’t just a nobody. Just like Kiriwatari Chiyoe, she’s another member of [Knights of Tommorow]. Her real name is Lucy Hartwell, but she currently goes by the nickname [Divine Doctor]. As the nickname implied, she’s one of the best healer in her field. Thousands, if not hundred thousands, were saved thanks to her extraordinary ability, including Elizabeth Miller who’s sitting on the floor.

“Alright, your leg should be good just for now. I could’ve easily healed it if I wanted to, but I have to stick to the plan.”

“Plan? What plan?” Elizabeth asked.

“Let me do the talking Lucy. You see Liz, all of these are just parts of my bigger than. From the beginning, I already knew that someone is going to kidnap your husband for obvious reason.”

“And you let it happened?” Elizabeth angrily asked.

“Calm down Liz. I already sent someone I trust to get him back. Right now, all we can do is sit here and wait for my plan to work out. Don’t believe me? Look up the corner of the room.”

Elizabeth does just that, and quickly realize what Kiriwatari is trying to say.

“Oh yeah, why didn’t I think of that sooner…”

“If you go now, they’ll immediately know and send someone to take you and the whole room down. But if we do nothing, they can only sit in the security room and observe, maybe throw a couple of soldiers to guard the room if they feel a little insecure.”

“Yeah, you’re right…I guess I should pray that your plan actually works.”

“Don’t worry, this is [Phantom Mist] you’re talking about. You know I have to do something to maintain that image, am I right?”

“I’m feeling a little bit of Déjà vu hearing that…”

“Ehehe…”

As they’re waiting inside the room, something just exploded outside, marking the beginning of the battle to protect the Miller Mega Center from the hand of evil.

 

“All right, you guys know what to do right?”

“Yeah.”

“Abosulutely!”

“I was born ready.”

“Well then, Tiamat, open the door. Time to take back the mega center.”

“Got it Master!”

She kicks the door open, follow up by us moving out of the restroom. The plan is quite simple. Tiamat and I will rescue Mr. James Miller from the hand of [Fire Fist], while the rest will try their best to rescue all the hostages, starting with the ground floor. Normally splitting the team in half sounds like a bad idea, but this time, I think we can pull this off.

“Hey kiddo, take this.” Tiamat said as she handled Kira a button.

“Huh? What is this?”

“Transportation device I got from the enemies. I’ve modified it so you guys can easily use it for a surprise attack. You gonna need it more than you think.”

“Uhm, thanks a lot, we’ll make sure we use it properly.”

“That’s what I like to hear. Now Master, let’s go!”

After carefully instructing Kira about the device, Tiamat and I leave the scene and head to the elevator. We already knew that since the power is already out, we won’t be able to use it, but we have other plan.

“All right Master, I’m opening the portal nearby the power generator room. There are some soldiers guarding the place, so what do you have in mind?” Tiamat asked as we’re running.

“Let’s see…There’s a chance they have taken over the security room by now, so they might have seen you in action. I think we should check out that place first and if we can, gain back the control of the room.”

“Huh, great idea…Well then, if you said so, we’ll do it. Do you want me to kick things off also?”

“Yeah, that’ll catch them off-guard. Great, let’s do it!”

After a little exchange, we decided to alter our plan a little bit. It might take us some more times to get the job done, but we want to make sure everyone is safe. The rescue mission is delayed for a bit, but for a good reason.

 

“Hey hey hey, what the hell did you just show me?”

“I don’t even know. I spent the last 5 minutes trying to find a good explanation, yet…this is beyond unbelievable…”

The soldiers of [Rising Phoenix] are now taking control of the security room as planned. They were told specifically to not kill the guard, but rather drug them, eventually immobilize them. As they were watching over the mega center, they noticed something. At first, they thought this was some kind of jokes, but the moment every single comrade of them all fell down, they were quickly hit with harsh reality.

“That woman…Just what the hell is she…”

“Taking down every single one of them without breaking a sweat…What kind of monster is she?”

A woman defeated all the soldiers that were supposed to take control of the second floor. The worst part was, they couldn’t even fight back. That was nothing more than a one-sided onslaught, and sitting in the room watching them getting beaten up was enough to haunt them forever.

“This is bad. What if she comes for us? We might not have a chance…”

“Yeah you’re right, if they couldn’t win, I don’t think we…”

“Oy you two, quit messing around already. We’re proud members of [Rising Phoenix]. Don’t you tell me that a woman makes all of you go soft like this? Get your shit together!”

“Captain…”

“You heard him man, what are we have to afraid of anyways? She’s just one woman, we have a whole squad here. I’m sure we can easily crack the code and take her down.”

“Good luck with that, I’m looking forward to it.”

“Hey thanks a lot…What the, who the hell are you?”

Not letting him say anything more, the mysterious person punch him in the face. The impact of it is too much for him to handle, as it send him fly to the nearby chair, seemingly knocking him out. Seeing all of these happen in front of their eyes, they take a step back and keep their guard up.

“Oh my, can’t handle one single punch? How pathetic are you.”

“Grr…Who are you? What are you?”

“Can’t you tell by the footage already? Or do I have to knock some sense into your head?”

“Huh, what do you mean…No way, it’s impossible…But we already guard the outside…”

As they turn around and look at the cameras, they quickly realize the person standing in front of them is the same women who took down the whole army in the second floor. They turn their head back, only to find her being more intimidating than ever.

“What’s the matter gentlemen? Cats got your tongue?”

“Grrr…Why you…Soldiers, attack!!!”

The remaining soldiers all do the battle cry and charge at the women. They believe that with the numerical advantage they have, they’re able to take her down. But they soon realize that advantage is just nothing compare to her strength.

“Gurghh!”

“Argh!”

One by one, they’re taken down. Their weapons may ready for battle, but none of them can even land a single hit on the opponent. The first one got hit in the ribs, the next one tried to use his height advantage to mark her down but ended up getting a kick right in his chin, then he got thrown down into the ground. Those who didn’t attack her starts gulping and taking a few steps back.

“Smart choice. I’m glad to see that humanity aren’t that stupid after all. Too bad it ain’t saving you. Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle, so just sit back and relax OK?”

She clenches her fists as she’s slowly approaching the enemies. Some of them are scared to death, others still holding their weapons, hoping to at least do something to stop her madness.

“I got you this time you son of a…Arghh!”

From behind, one of the soldiers who got knocked down earlier goes for a surprise attack. He assures to himself that he can finally take down the “monster” this time, only to get hit once again by the harsh reality: He gets to taste his own medicine before even delivering it to someone else. Using the pommel part of the katana, a teenager hits the man right in the head, knocks him down once again.

“Ey Master, what took you so long? You’re missing all the fun!”

“Well you see, I can’t enjoy all the fun when someone is doing all the work for me, isn’t that right?”

“Ehehehe…”

“But anyways, thanks for dealing with them. You could say that you owed me just then, but let’s focus on what’s important first, shall we?”

“You got it Master!”

The two that showed up and beat all of the soldiers inside the security room are none other than Waka Yasutaira and Tiamat, his trustworthy servant. The remaining soldiers start putting down the weapons, essentially giving up as their final straw.

 

“I see, so I wasn’t mistaken after all…”

“Yeah, I was wondering about it too…Turns out you’ve somehow hit the jackpot…”

When I told Tiamat to check the security room first, I somehow left out the biggest piece of the puzzle: Why would they even try to take control of the room if the power is out already? But after further interrogation, we quickly discovered something…

“Even in my wildest dream, I would’ve never thought that this room is separated from the rest of the mega center. It’s crazy…”

The security room, or rather the room’s power generator, is the smaller version of what is being used for the center. Not only that, the room itself isn’t even a part of the building, its located outside of the building, more specifically to the west of the center. Now that I think about it, it makes total sense. Those cameras I’ve seen back there, those weren’t just normal cameras. They’re floating in the air, and I assumed that those must have linked to this room. That explains why they want to take control of this room in the first place.

“That man wasn’t lying at all when he said this is the next step of human evolution. Give him another two years and we might not be able to catch up to everything he’ll do, am I right Master?”

“You know, when you put it like that, it’s weird to compare Mr. Miller to something that bizarre…”

After a quick battle with the soldiers, we tied them up and woken up the center’s security guard. It seems like they drugged them so it may took a while to recover. In the meantime, we take a good look of what’s going on inside the center.

“So what that bastard said was true. [Fire Fist] and Mr. Miller are heading to the power generator room. We don’t really have a lot of time Master, so I think we should go now.”

“You’re right. We can’t waste any more precious time here. If we don’t move quick, this whole place might be in danger. But these soldiers… Are you sure leaving them here is a good idea?”

“Don’t worry Master, they won’t do anything, especially when they finally learned what would happen if they tried something stupid, RIGHT?”

“Mrrmph…mrrmph…”

Being scared to death, they can only agree with wat Tiamat said and nod their heads. Looking at them makes me wonder what kind of organization [Rising Phoenix] is. They can be very cruel at times, and then…this. The more I put my thoughts on it, the weirder it gets.

“All right, just go with the flow. I’m sure I can handle this.” I whispered.

Leaving the room behind, Tiamat open another portal, and in matter of seconds, we get into the power generator room without breaking any sweat, waiting for [Fire Fist] and Mr. Miller to come.

 

“Whoa, this is ridiculous…”

After dealing with the enemies inside the security room, we’re now inside the power generator room, the forbidden fruit of the building. Luckily for us, we landed on the blind spot so no one can recognize us right immediately. From what I’ve heard, no outsiders are allowed to be in this place, but giving the situation, that rule isn’t helping us much.

“I feel like we’re trespassing this place now that I think about it…”

“Don’t worry Master, I’m sure Mr. Miller will understand. Just let me do the talking.”

“Thanks Master, I’m glad I have you by my side.”

After a brief conversation, we find a place to hide and wait or [Fire Fist] to come. There are employees in charge of the room here, so we can’t just show up right in front of them, as they’re also being held hostages by the [Rising Phoenix]’s soldiers, which explains the situation. Tiamat decides to go a little further and covers us up using [Invisibility]. While we’re approaching them, I can finally reflect on what I’ve seen today.

“This room, it’s really something out of my league…” I whispered.

I don’t know much about power generator room, but I can assure you that this isn’t what you’d normally see. The machine itself is exactly what Mr. Miller said: the next step of human evolution. The closer I get, the more I can feel the energy of [Chimera] flowing through my body. 

“So mana is used to power up the entire building…”

I came to that conclusion. I haven’t dived deep enough into this kind of world to voice my own word, so I can’t really offer to teach this fish how to swim. As my train of thoughts is still rolling on the railway, we hear footsteps coming straight from outside.

“Shhh! I think they’re here Master. Keep it down.” Tiamat told me.

And she’s right. Two persons are going through the door as soon as it’s opened. Mr. Miller I can recognize based on the appearance, follows up by a short tanned girl, who I assume are [Fire Fist]. Her outfit screams punk rock styles with black skinny jeans, a simple T-shirt with chained biker leather jacket and gloves. And to top things up, she’s also wearing a pink Converse, bullet studded belt wrapped around her waist and spiked bracelets. I don’t think she’s wearing any eyeliners, as her hair like Tiamat covers her left eyes, only this time it’s pure black. They’re heading to the center of the room where the soldiers are waiting.

“So we aren’t too late after all…”

“Yeah Master. All right, here’s the plan. Right before they get their hand on [Chimera], I’ll open a portal and deactivate [Invisibility]. You’ll push [Fire Fist] through the portal as I’ll take care of this place. Sounds good?”

“So a 1v1 battle against one of the most chaotic members known to [Rising Phoenix]…You know what, yeah I think I can pull this off. How hard can it be anyways?” I laughed it off.

“Don’t worry Master, I’m sure you’ll do just fine.” Tiamat patted me on my back, trying to cheer me up.

I hold my weapon tight and get myself ready. The clock is ticking, so I’m a little nervous. But with Tiamat here with me, I no longer feel that way. As the time go on, [Fire Fist] had a brief talk with her soldiers before forcing the employees to give her [Chimera]. The machine is already shut down, so they have no other choice but to do what she said. The moment [Fire Fist] get to see the purple cube which I assume are [Chimera] used to power up the entire building, Tiamat shut off [Invisibility], revealing ourselves to the crowd.

“Huh, who the hell are you?” [Fire Fist] aksed.

Before she can even say something else, I dash right to her and push her through the portal just as we planned. Before I disappear, I gave Tiamat a thumb ups, signaling her to take care of the rest for me, as I’ll take on this tough opponent all by myself.

 

“Jeez, so this is the place she decided to teleport us…” I whispered.

As [Fire Fist] is still confused about all of this, I get myself together and form a strategy in my head. I know for a fact that she’s a terrifying fire user, and that’s about it. I need to come up with something to get me through this, or else I’ll be in big trouble. And speaking of big trouble…

“Oi you there! Care to explain what the hell is this all about? Or should I just come there and slit your throat?”

“What’s with you people and all the cutting someone’s body parts stuff…” I whispered.

Without saying much, I’ve managed to make her fume at me. I’m still keeping my guard up, as she can come at me anytime she wants. Seeing that only makes her more angry and devastated, as she clenches her fists and screams at me.

“Oi, I’m talking to you! Are you deaf or something? Speak up!”

“All right, all right. Don’t need to yell at my face like that…I can hear you, and yes I’m not going anywhere!”

“Good! Finally some human communication here. Now tell me where exactly are we, because I can see besides you are white void and this stupid ring that for some reason we’re standing inside it!”

She has a reason to be angry, as not many people have the honor to step their foot into [Hyper Realm], a white void realm made by Tiamat. We use this for our training and recently it’s going through some major changes. It’s not done just yet, but we’re getting close to it.

“I don’t know, why don’t you come here and find out yourself?”

“I see, trying to provoke me huh…You want it, you got it! I’m coming for that ass!”

And just like that, she dashes right to me, aiming her right fist to my face. As expected from [Fire Fist], she’s going in with full force. Unfortunately, I’ve already anticipated that…

“Rarghh!!”

“Hah!”

With just a simple move, I deflect her fist, hop to the side and reply with a kick. She instantly blocks it using her left arm. I jump back and keep distance from her, waiting for the next attack. I’ve worked so hard on my martial art game for the past few weeks, and it’s paying me off big time.

“So you do know how to work that body huh? Very impressive…”

“Oh trust me, there’s plenty of more to come.”

Thinking that I’m bluffing, she comes at me with various combos. Her chaotic nature really shows in her fighting styles. I can’t really predict her next move, but thanks to my training with Tiamat, I was able to stand on my ground, quickly adapt to the flow and even throw some counter attacks at her. She may has the upper hand, but she still hasn’t found the way to crack the code, that is until our brains stumble across each other.

“Gurghh!”

In an effort to land a single hit, we somehow punch each other in the face. We all fall back, quickly stand up and return to the defensive position. As things are getting more and more intense, our eyes meet, letting each other know that we’re a force to be reckoned with.

“Heh, you’re one hell of an individual you know that?”

“Thanks for the compliment, but I’m not here for that. I’m here to put a stop on your rampage, right here and right now!”

“And there we go! Do you have any idea how many times have I heard something like that? “I’m gonna stop you!”, “Your time ends here!”…Can’t they think of something new to say other than those meaningless shit?”

“Well, sorry for disappointing you that much. But don’t you worry, I’m not like others.”

“How so?” she asked.

“Well, for starters…”

A thin blue aura starts swirling and covering me. Not only that, it also covers my sword as well. My hair also starts floating in the air, as I feel my magic flow being as strong as ever. In other words, I activate [Super Strengthen Magic], the only magic ability I can do up to this point.

“I can do this.”

“I see…Heh…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“I don’t know what’s funny about this, but I’m glad I somehow entertain you a bit.” I calmly said.

“Oh quite the contrary. Finally, after all these years, there’s someone who can give me a proper fight. I’m sick and tired of all the weaklings thinking they can best me. You on the other hand…”

Before she can finish her sentence, her fists start covering in flaming fire, combine with those spikes on her gloves really makes her even more terrifying than ever.

“You shall have the honor to fight me in my serious mode. Now tell me, who exactly are you?”

“Yasutaira Waka . I’m just a fifteen-years-old teenager who happens to be the one who will defeat you.”

“Yasutaira Waka…Very well. Come now, hit me as hard as you can, I promise to only hurt you really, really bad.” She said with an ice-cold tone of voice.

And so, the battle between Waka Yasutaira and [Fire Fist] has officially begun.