The green wave of needles sped at Chiharu with no doubt of a hit. Her arms raised up in front of her crossed as the only defense possible.

  His pn was a terrible ohat only he could think up. She accepted his idea, but still hated it. There was ny involved or skill. It n that suited him. Unfortunately, Chiharu was out of options and knew she o end it. ‘A pn that isn’t a pn might be the only thing that will work. It’s not something he would expect from me. Still…’ Pying it out still bothered her. The only idea was about brute force.

  A part of her felt the direct approach was almost too easy. She khe Atnteans had normal human bodies uhem. It was only because of their powers that ehem to pete. Thoughts of weakness alyed in her mind and affected her as, even subsciously. ‘I ’t let things drag on…has to end…’

  Chiharu focused her eyes forward to the ing storm. She braced her body to ehe foring down on her. The pin-sized holes that lined her body stung in respoo the immi pain. ‘…’t believe I’m relying on him for this to work…’ Part of the pn required the strength of Seiji to throw Chiharu hard enough not to be affected by the impacts from Miltiades attabsp; She saw how her kunai reacted and questioheir success.

  Grittieeth together, the stream closed with Chiharu. The width of the wave was more than enough to pletely engulf Chiharu. She disappeared from sight with only a mass of needles around her. A metallig came from the ter as the tanto fell from the swarm.

  Miltiades stared on with a thin grima his fabsp; He didn’t knowo of them had, but from fighting them, he learned of their stubborn streak. Until they captured aralized them, he didn’t feel he could be fident anymore. It all disappeared after fighting with them. ‘I have to remain cautious…’

  He couldn’t help but have a bit of surprise when he saw Chiharu appear from the other side of his attaharmed. “They’re crazy!” Chiharu didn’t afford him any more time as she flew towards him. He narrowed his eyes with a go his side. “But I’ve still got an answer!”

  A wave of needles appeared around in front of Miltiades. The new wave was smaller, but remained just as deadly. It shot down at her even faster tha. Chiharu's features sharpened with the thoughts of their pn tered. However, she kept her arm crossed in defense.

  The needles roared down onto Chiharu uing. They tried to stop her and push her down, but she remained on course. Miltiades’ eyes focused on Chiharu trying to uand her ability. His eyes thinned out when he saw it. ‘A bck…circle? It’s swallowing everything…what is that?’ In front of Chiharu’s arms, a loose circle of endless bck hovered proteg her from all of the needles. When a needle hit the circle, it disappeared. The void swallowed everything leaving Chiharu safe.

  The revetion was enough to throw Miltiades off banbsp; While he tried to find a new ter, Chiharu cleared the storm and closed the distanbsp; Kunai appeared in her hand. They left her hand quickly to stab his upper arms. The force of them was enough to knock him against the trunk of the tree.

  “This is over!” Chiharu closed the rest of the distah Miltiades. Her fist rose to strike him in the fad put ao everything. Miltiades couldn’t move. Sweat dropped down his face at the sight of Chiharu less than a meter from him. He closed his eyes.

  Chiharu’s punch had the extra force from Seiji’s throw. Thin trails of wind streamed off her fist as it smmed into Miltiades. The trunk of the tree rang out shaking from the force before a crack ripped through the forest. A momehe upper half of the tree tilted a few degrees before the force tore through the erunk. All of the force transferred into the wood shifted it into the open air a it to fall down to the ground.

  Tearing her hand out of the tree a little, Chiharu pulled back to look at Miltiades. “The fight is over now.” She turned away showing him her bad started to walk the length of the branch.

  Miltiades felt his boill shaking from the force that ran through the tree o him. He couldn’t stop sweating. She missed him on purpose, but didn’t hold babsp; His body uood what she did. The strength disappeared from his legs sliding him down to sit. A painful cough tore through his chest. ‘…I went past my limit…’ He stared at his hand covered in blood. The pain stretched up into his head feeling as though his skull split.

  He went dizzy. His eyes almost pletely blurred before he forced it to focus. Unfortunately, everything started to crumble around him. He couldn’t keep his tration any longer. The trees of his Field faded away. His world vanished, dropping all support for him. Miltiades suddenly felt the wind blowing around his fabsp; ‘I’m falling…how high up was I? Damn it…’t move…’ He tried to tilt his head to see around him, but his body refused him. Pain encroached and poisoned everything.

  It all suddenly stopped.

  “Huh?” Miltiades looked up, disc he stopped falling. He became unfortable in learning that Seiji caught him. “What are you doing?” As much as he tried, his body refused him. It forced him to remain held, saved by Seiji.

  Chapter 170 – Daroach

  “The hell! St to move!” yelled Seiji. The ground came up quickly for him letting his legs take the impact as he slid to a stop. Once he stopped, Seiji put Miltiades down. “Damn, you’re ag ungrateful! Just because we’re on different sides doesn’t mean we ’t help each other!” Seiji gred down at Miltiades with his bandaged hand tightened into a fist.

  Chiharu appeared behind Seiji. She dug her hand into her pack behio retrieve something. “He ’t uand you, idiot. Without his Field, you’re just yelling at him in a fn nguage.” She k dowo Miltiades, staring long at him.

  “What?! Then make your thing again so you uand me!”

  A sigh escaped Chiharu’s lips, forced to listen to his ranting. “That’s still not going to work.” She revealed a small ister to Miltiades and poio the wounds from her kunai. Waiting a few seds, Chiharu ripped the two bdes free from his arms. Blood poured freely from the wounds.

  The lid of the ister cracked open with a twist. Her finger dipped into the soft material pulling out some of the tents. Chiharu quickly spread it owo wounds to cover them up. She ripped some of the cloth from Miltiades’ pants leg to bandage up the ends.

  Finished, Chiharu stood up and put away the item. She turned away to look toward the camp. “We’re done here. Let’s get the others out and leave. We’ve already stayed too long.”

  Seiji half turo look at Chiharu’s babsp; He fought with his fusion and Chiharu’s terseness. “Where have you been?! What about the diversion? What the hell is going on?”

  She kept walking away uhe expectation he followed. “I was unavoidably detained. The siblings have beeed and the other one should be getting them out. Your purpose here is over.”

  Everything she told him rattled off so fast it took Seiji a while after she finished abs it all. “Over? What happened? Give me a straight answer, little brat!” He tossed out his fist at her back to his frustration with her.

  “I don’t have the time here to expin it in small enough words for you to uand. We’ve aplished oal. So we’re leaving. That’s all you o knht now.”

  “But what about the guy? You’re just leaving him there?”

  “They’ll find him in time. He’s not in any danger of dying.”

  “Damn you…” Seiji knew she was right, but he still didn’t feel like he should agree with her. He turned away from Chiharu and ran in a dire. “Wait up! I o take care of something!”

  The ck of clear direade it more difficult for her to navigate the camp. Everything was in ruins around her. She only had a heading, but had to work around the destru. ‘There’s so mu pieces…I was in trol of it too…’ Fumiko thought her fight only caused localized damage. She knew she couldn’t pletely avoid it, but she thought the trol she had would limit the devastation. However, it shocked her to see how much their fight caused.

  She tried to keep out of sight from soldiers running about the camp. Fumiko didn’t want a repeat of the ses she saw. However, while she hid the sounds of a screaming soldier maimed called out for help. The sound made her blood turn cold. ‘I ’t…keep moving! Yumi’s out there somewhere!’ She never expected such things would happen. Their rescue caused everything she saw. Fumiko forced her legs to keep moving. She ighe surroundings threatening her.

  Rubble fell down from the st step Fumiko took. She cursed to herself, but hoped it didn’t attract attention. However, it found someone. A figure stepped out from hiding to iigate putting Fumiko on the defense. She was already in the open with no hiding spot. The only option was to strike first ahem from alerting others.

  Fumiko dashed over to the figure before they were clear in her sight. A small fme gathered in her hand. She raised her hand only a meter away. I timeters, Fumiko came to a sharp stop. “Yumi!” The fme flickered out from her hand. “I ’t believe I found you!”

  Yumi blinked quickly and looked up to Fumiko not even realizing how quickly she appeared. She nearly fell back, but her excitement took over to keep her standing. “Fumiko! You’re safe! I’m so gd!” Unfortunately, she spoke the words too te. Her eyes ran over her body after she spoke and found the truth. Yumi csped her free hand over her mouth. “I’m so sorry! What happened? Are you alright? Does it hurt?”

  An easy smile came across Fumiko’s fabsp; It felt like things eased up and became a little simpler. She waved her hand to dismiss the worry from Yumi. “I’m fine. It’s a little awkward, but I’m alive and that’s what matters the mht now. However…” Fumiko stopped herself as she focused more on Yumi. The sword that pierced her chest suddenly put Fumiko in Yumi’s shoes. “I should be asking you. Are you…”

  “I’m fine as well. This is a little plicated, but it doesn’t hurt. It just seals my powers, so I’m normal again.”

  “What?! you remove it?”

  “It’s stubsp; Chiharu already tried, but no amount of strength is going to pull it out.”

  “…Yumi…” Fumiko found herself thinking of many things that only felt empty. She wao say more, but she saw the brave front Yumi put up and did not have the heart to say anything more.

  Yumi turned away to look back at where she came from. It only pulled her away for a moment, but a different thought came to her. “So Chiharu found you?”

  “Yeah, she told me to get you. It didn’t make a lot of sense what she told me, but I uand now.” She stepped into the hiding area to give them a little more cover. Her eyes gnced down at the sleeping Yori, needing firmation for herself. Fumiko looked back at Yumi. “I o get you two out of here.”

  Nodding to Fumiko, Yumi looked back at Yori. Her eyes turned down to focus on the sword. A plicated expression painted across her face as she looked back at Fumiko. “I’m sorry to ask this, but in my state it's still a little awkward. Could you…”

  Fumiko shook her head a little. “You don’t have to ask. I was going to insist on it.”

  W together to make use of their two free arms betweewo of them, Yumi and Fumiko mao get Yori to his feet. It was a little awkward with Fumiko’s height, but she supported him with Yumi. With his arms draped over their shoulders, the two started to walk out of the camp. Fumiko bore most of the weight knowing Yumi’s frail dition.

  They were what seemed halfway out of the camp when Fumikht them to a stop. Her eyes narrowed immediately and streams of magic threaded around her arm. “Yumi, take Yori. I’ll deal with him.”

  Yumi looked over at Fumiko ed. “But you’re not…” Fumiko already let go of Yori, f him on her. She saw the look in Fumiko’s face telling her not tue. Taking more of a hold on Yori, she backed away a little. “…Fumiko…”

  A young Atntean stood in their path dark clothes not of the design of their military uniform. It was already clear enough to them what he was. “I’m under orders t you three in. You won’t be leaving.”

  “Are you so sure about that?” Fmes erupted into Fumiko’s hand all ready for a fight. ‘Good, he doesn’t know about my magibsp; I fight!’

  “What ce do you have battle fatigued as you all are?” The man looked fident and with good reason. He khey went through many fights. He had to end their fighting and bring peace babsp; “I’ll be the oo put ao your chaos!” The Atntean started to charge toward Fumiko.

  “Move the hell out of the way!” shouted a voice from the sky. It was enough to distract both of them to see out who spoke to them. The Atried to get into a fighting stance seeing a figure ing at him, but it was too te. A rge fist smmed into him knog him past Fumiko with enough force to blow her hair around.

  Fumiko blinked a little fused by what happened and looked behi what was left of her oppo. He id unscious in a pile of debris bruised and slightly bloodied from the crash. She turned back to see who did it. “Seiji?” she spoke out of rea.

  “Yeah?” he replied, walking out of the shadows looking surprisingly cool.

  She lost her breath for a moment seeing everyone was safe. Chiharu appeared behind Seiji carrying something, while looking as stoic as always. Fumiko gnced over at Yumi seeing the smile growing on her fabsp; She couldn’t help but grin a little as well.

  They all gathered, resolving immediate questions, but Chiharu insisted on them moving. Seiji took care of carrying Yori on his back, while Chiharu tinued with her mysterious package. Each time Fumiko questio she gave a response even more terse tha.

  “Hey look!” Yumi interrupted. She pointed her hand up to the sky. The m sun began to rise over the horizon. Light bled across the nd warming up everyone. It was a signal to the end of a very long night. They looked up at it with ease.

  “Umm…guys, should we really be ending on such a peaceful image with the camp in ruins around us?” questioned Fumiko.