Chapter 27

  Rowan continued to climb with Paxton and the last pilot both behind her. The three ships were far from the city by now and nearing the Litvyak. Moments earlier, the first of their team was wiped off the board, being overwhelmed by a barrage of gunfire. The Interceptors slowly began to fall, leaving the ammunition reserves of Paxton and Rowan’s ships nearly empty.

  Every attempt to get closer to the Litvyak would cause them to run into another Interceptor or put them in range of the anti-air defenses of the juggernaut. After their first pass of the ship, the three tried to launch air-to-air missiles towards it only to see the attacks get show down. On the ground, they were learning that the troops were starting to meet resistance from Vic’s drones. Paxton calmly tried to gain control of his breath as his eyes continued to shift between the view ahead and the radar before him.

  “Major, I’m out of missiles, I’m going to need to reload if we’re to continue.” The pilot of the third ship spoke through the intercom.

  Paxton shrugged before pressing the call switch and saying, “I’m down to my last missile. Rowan, what do ya’ got?”

  “One more missile and around fifty rounds. We’re getting crushed.” Rowan admitted.

  Her voice slowly began to tremble as she continued to keep her ship level. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the Litvyak still continuing its approach to the city. In her head, she could hear LtCol Ginger continuously repeating the same taunt, prove me wrong.

  “I think our only chance at takin’ these damn drones and Interceptors out is unless we take out the Litvyak,” Paxton declared. “We need a miracle shot to the bridge or the crew on board the Deck Hall is going to get pulverized.”

  “I don’t think our machine guns will so much as dent that thing.” The pilot replied.

  “Anybody have any ideas, floor’s yours.”

  Rowan continued to scan the area around them, taking quick mental notes of the attack patterns of the Litvyak. She stared back down towards the console once more to see the last missile blinking towards her. As she started to delve into her thoughts, she felt a spark of curiosity quickly burst through dark passages of her mind.

  “I have an idea,” she chirped after pressing the call button. “The guns on that ship are covering the side and ground approaches, but I think I know how to hit it.”

  “I’m listening.” Paxton calmly replied.

  “I need you two to try and get those Interceptors attention and do another pass. Draw their weapons while I ascend to the Mogul Point. I’m going to take a dive and try to strike the bridge at high speed from above.”

  “That sounds insane.” The pilot said.

  “That’s a lot of thin air,” Paxton added. “It might work, but you might risk stalling.”

  Rowan took a moment to think of the maneuver. She had found herself simulating a stall previously and knew how difficult it was to maintain control of the ship. However, she knew that the others were counting on her to do this.

  At last, she sighed and said, “If that happens, I’ll just steer my ship into the bridge.”

  The airwaves went silent for a moment while the three ships began to circle the Litvyak once more. The last two Interceptors began to pass through the clouds and make their approach to them.

  Paxton’s began to drawl once more, “Then do it. We’ll draw out their fire.”

  He looked down towards his breast pocket to see the sunglasses Megumi had presented him earlier still resting inside. At last, he lifted the visor over his helmet and slid it over his eyes with some anxiety. The technology wasn’t tested, but he was willing to risk anything to ensure a victory. He watched Rowan begin to make the ascent before signaling to the other pilot to follow him.

  Rowan gently pushed the throttle forward while trying to angle the craft upward. She could feel the ship shaking during the climb and tried to keep the aircraft from stalling. The clouds slowly began to fade from view while the air inside of the cockpit slowly became thinner. She could feel her body pulling back against the seat before hearing a quick pop inside of the cockpit.

  There was silence, the yoke in her hand felt loose. She pulled back on it, forcing the jet to complete its somersault and begin the final dive. The top of the Litvyak was obscured by the clouds during the approach. While she was in the middle of her descent, Paxton and the other pilot were on their toes.

  The two ships began to go head on towards the Litvyak with their payloads ready. Paxton could see his partner’s machine guns starting to unload. A stream of tracer rounds splashed into the side of the enemy ship. The crashing sounds of metal on metal sounded over their engines, but the impact of the bullets left no more than scratches in the side of the Litvyak.

  Paxton reached up towards the glasses over his face before finally pressing the switch on the side. He could feel the visor slowly heat up, soon followed by a slight stinging sensation. A small charge of energy went through his head, causing him to clench his teeth. Within seconds, he could hear the sounds outside of the ship begin to distort. The screeching of the engines started to slow down, becoming a droning hum.

  He felt his body moving slower, responding to his thoughts with massive delay. The sudden shift of perception gave him time to think of his angle of attack. With his mind working at an accelerated pace, he took a moment to analyze the situation and finally formulate a strategy. His fingers began to dance across the controls, causing the ship to follow every motion towards the interceptors.

  He locked onto his targets with unparalleled accuracy, engaging the Interceptors and unleashing a barrage on the ships before they could approach them. The skies ahead and around the Litvyak began to light up. Each of the once formidable foes were quickly obliterated, leaving him and the pilot open to finally approach the Litvyak.

  The calls over the airwaves sounded like a collection of gibberish, played at mere fractions of their normal speed. He could feel the strain slowly starting to build in his head. At the same time, his partner’s jet started to pull away as the anti-air guns aboard the Litvyak began to ignite.

  Paxton took aim with the last missile. The small amount of time for the targeting system to lock on seemed like an eternity. He continued to adjust the angle of the ship to get to the right angle. Once he pressed the button, he watched the missile launch from the underbelly of the jet in slow motion. Each of the guns aboard the Litvyak began to turn towards him. Within seconds, the inhuman speeds of the enemy ship locked in on his position and filled the air around him with bright lights from burning tracers.

  The bullets smashed into the side of his hull, causing a deadened, but thunderous roar to start to crawl through the ship. The lights on the console before him slowly began to burn out. He could slowly feel the heat inside the ship start to rise. The front of the craft began its rapid descent as the engines started to burn out. The continuous dilation of time continued to strain him, almost feeling as if several minutes had passed in what was mere seconds.

  The missile from his ship was struck by a stray bullet, slowly knocking it off its trajectory. It smashed into the hull of the Litvyak, missing the bridge by dozens of feet. With time still at a crawl, Paxton struggled to gain control of the ship. The engines had burnt out, and the wings were beginning to crumble as the vessel began to ignite.

  Reaching down to the side of this seat, he trigger the emergency eject. The jet blasted him into the air before continuing its descent. The parachute deployed with a sudden, jarring jerk. The loss of control, coupled with the time dilation, made the experience painfully long. Once the parachute deployed and leveled out, he pressed the switch on the goggles, finally taking in the scene around him.

  Watching the time shift from slow to normal made his vision blurry. It took him a moment to finally grasp the sudden change in his perception of time. As he started to gain control of himself, his adrenaline continued to spike. He looked back towards the Litvyak and saw Rowan’s ship diving from above, a blue in its descent. He barely glimpsed the ship releasing its payload before it whipped in from of the Litvyak.

  The sonic boom from Rowan's ship ripped through the air with a deafening swoop. The bridge of the Litvyak erupted in flames as Rowan's missile struck. A chain reaction followed. First, the massive ship began to bank left, dropping altitude steadily. Next, the gunfire from the ship's weapons came to a halt. The Interceptors still in the air began to plummet towards the ground as the Litvyak's power failed.

  Rowan gripped the controls of her jet tightly as she descended, keeping her eyes sharp and focused. The G-Forces pressed into her while she skillfully maneuvered through the chaos. The jet continued to fight her at the controls, but she tried to use everything to keep it level. She took a moment to catch her breath, recalculating the descent to try and level the ship out.

  Her ship pierced through the clouds, spiraling down towards the city below. The altimeter out of the corner of her eye continued to flash, showing how close she was. Without hesitation, she pulled back on the stick and level out the ship just thousands of feet above the ground. The craft ripped over the tops of the buildings and further towards the center.

  At last, she realized the Interceptors above her were slowly starting to drop. The Litvyak was descending to the ground, leaving a trail of smoke with it. She allowed herself a moment to let out a moment of a celebration, a quick pump of her fist.

  “I got you,” she exclaimed, exhilaration surging through her veins. She could not resist letting out another whoop of victory. The taste of victory brought another tear to her eye, finally forcing her to collect herself and radio the others. She pressed into the receiver and called out, “Major, I got it!”

  Mere moments later, the earpiece buzzed, returning with Paxton’s sound drawl, “Good work, let’s get home.”

  The radio was silent for the last minute. Nomad had since sent out the message that the last of the dropships was finally out of the picture. The only sounds left in the city were that of the wind as it rattled the ancient buildings. Despite the silence, he knew the battle was far from over and began to make his way towards Shirow.

  He moved deeper into the city, towards the central plaza where Yuri and Shirow were finishing their battle. The two fighters emitted a bright red glow as they tore through the air, continuing their battle at immense speeds. Nomad took the opportunity to tap into the battle robe again. The air around him began to distort while his body slowly became encompassed by blue streaks of lightning.

  The robe along with his hair quickly shined blue, causing time around him to begin to dilate. He was able to sight in on Yuri and Shirow, now able to decipher their movements to make a move. Shirow took notice, giving him a subtle nod to prepare for the flank. In a mere blink, Yuri turned his attention to him and went on the attack.

  Watching the world move around him seemed as if he were in an alternate world. Every detail of the planet stuck in place while Yuri kept his pursuit. His prowess in battle was haunting and his inhuman stare made the machine a true instrument of death. Nomad tried to keep his pace, immediately trying to avoid the strikes from the machine.

  Shirow joined in during the pursuit, finally managing to pull Yuri’s focus towards him. The two were slowly finding their rhythm in the moment. Yuri was a formidable opponent, but still a machine running a complex array of commands. Nomad was quick to seize the advantage by finally dashing into Yuri. He pulled everything he could from the Deep, causing his muscles to tighten up further.

  As he closed the gap, he finally drew the staff from inside his robe and went for a swing. The strike knocked the Yuri off balance, bouncing off his head while the shockwaves ripped through his body. Nomad followed through with another strike, causing cracks to stream through the material in Yuri’s eyes.

  He was stunned in place, his usual twitching ceased after Nomad’s attack. Shirow took the opening and unleashed everything he had in as many punches and kicks as possible. Each blow further caused Yuri’s body to crumble as the fury of Shirow’s attacks continued. Nomad stared on for a moment, seeing a different look in Shirow’s eyes. Behind his confident stare he could sense rage steaming inside of him.

  His attacks finally came to an end as he drove his fist into Yuri’s chest, easily tearing through the machine’s armored chassis. Smoke began to stream from the opening, burning through the sleeve over Shirow’s arms as he pulled away. Beneath it, Nomad could make see instead of flesh was instead complex assembly of mechanics beneath.

  “You were enhanced?” Nomad asked, barely taking time to take in the victory.

  “It’s a long story,” Shirow replied. He refused to make eye contact with Nomad, instead turning back towards the city as the gunshots came to a halt. “Rei and the General are still out there.”

  “You think they’re still fighting that one guy?”

  “They are.”

  Nomad retracted his staff into the robe before the moment finally caught up with him. He was exhausted after the short burst of fighting and the constant streaming of commands in his head was beyond nerve racking by now.

  “Has there been any word from command? I haven’t heard anything in minutes.” Nomad asked.

  Shirow continued to stare forward, almost entranced as he replied, “Return to the Deck Hall. The Litvyak has been taken down and they’re going to need assistance recovering casualties.”

  “Alright, so what about Rei and the others?”

  “I’ll go deal with them, return home.”

  Nomad thought the brazen shift in tone from his brother was off putting. Watching him tear through Yuri and then confidentially stepping forward to handle Vic alone did not sit easy. For a moment, he started to think again of being back near the Mountains near Kashmir and began to relive it.

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  Don’t let him go alone, there was a voice in Nomad’s head that sounded faint, but the message landed. He shook his head and started to walk forward.

  “Return to the Deck Hall, that’s an order.” Shirow directed him again.

  “I’m not doing that,” Nomad shook his head, quickly catch up to him as he began to speak. “If something happens to you out here, I’m not going to live with you going out because of a lapse in judgement.”

  “Don’t argue with me, Vic is very powerful. They need you back at the ship.”

  “No they don’t.”

  Shirow came to a halt, staring off against Nomad. The tension began to rise again. Nomad looked back at him, feeling his onboard AI and every instinct telling him to stand strong against him. Shirow’s face seemingly began to go pale as he stared on, hiding a struggle going on beneath the surface.

  “I’m not going back,” Nomad said once more. “Rei and the General need our help, let’s go.”

  The whiter shade of pale across Shirow’s face started to fade, eyes finally locking in on Nomad again.

  “Fine,” he said finally, turning back towards the direction of Vic and the others. “Watch my six.”

  Rei tried chasing down Vic to slash her sword into him. Every instance she found herself locking in, he evaded. The building around them was ravaged, slowly beginning to crumble as the two continued to exchange blows.

  “You have all this power,” Vic said after dodging another swipe. He finally lifted his sword once more, swinging back to intercept the next attack. “It still isn’t enough to overcome me.”

  She continued to keep control of the sword as she continued swinging, but no matter how well she controlled the weapon, she was always a step behind him. The two came in for another clash, causing a flash of blue to quickly shimmer between the blades as they began to clash. Once again, the two weapons locked in place, leaving the two face to face once more.

  “I’ll make sure to finish you even if it’s the last thing I do.” Rei hissed.

  “At this rate, it just might be,” Vic softly spoke before delivering a quick jab with his free hand into Rei’s chest. She slid backwards while trying to hide the agony her body was going through. “It looks like your allies took down my ship. It looks like that chance to run finally passed.”

  He gave his sword a quick wave, causing the energy inside of his body to pulse through it. Further across the building, the several blades he continued to eject during the fight began to fly back towards him. Rei could sense the danger coming. She swung blindly behind her, striking one of the swords out of the air before trying to home in on the next one.

  “I don’t think you truly grasp the situation,” Vic continued as he began to catch the blades on the return. “Your willingness to avenge your people transcends your concern of the natural order of the world.”

  Rei moved past the last blade in flight, preparing as Vic went to redeploy. She continued to think of his pattern, trying to use every ounce of fortitude to find an opening. The battle would only continue for so much longer and she knew if the fight didn’t end here, Vic would eventually kill her and everybody else aboard the Deck Hall.

  “My life back in that village wasn’t perfect, but there was order.” she said.

  “I know that stare,” Vic smiled as he finally matched her gaze. “I don’t think you’ll be happy with yourself until I’m in the ground. In this case, you should have stayed home.”

  “You should have never come to my village.”

  “Did you ever wonder why I came? I did something extreme,” Vic slowly began to wave his hand through the air while sighting in for the next attack. Further behind Rei, he could see another set of blades still pointing from the walls. He tried to keep his attention away from it before continuing, “On your quest for revenge did you ever wonder why my heart burned to see your father’s demise? Has your mother ever told you of the terrible things they’ve done? Do you think one day I woke up and for no reason at all wanted to ruin your life?”

  Rei remained silent, letting the words linger in the air. She continued channeling the Deep and felt her lifeforce starting to fade. In the short pause, she seized the opportunity to regain her stamina.

  “Do you even know what menace you’re fighting for?” Vic pressed harder.

  “I didn’t join this fight to save the world, I came here to stop you.”

  “You really are here to be the arms for the One World Order, unfortunate. The best outcome for you would have been to stay in your precious burn pit,” his words struck Rei, slowly tilting her. She remained steadfast while trying to avoid rushing into a disadvantageous clash. “Regardless of what happens here, the war on your front is coming to an end, you just haven’t realized it.”

  “Then let’s finish this already.”

  “Very well,” Vic sent a signal towards the blades still posted behind her, causing them to retract towards her. He remained unflinching, prepared to finally skewer her before concluding, “goodbye, Hoshikaze.”

  Rei darted forward, moving closer to him with the flying metal edges closing in. Vic responded, swinging his weapon towards her without hesitation. The blade sliced through the air, but as it neared Rei, her body let out a quick flash of blue while it seemingly phased through the attack. The sudden maneuver caused Vic’s eyes to flicker in surprise. In the quick burst, she managed to disappear, leaving Vic to intercept his own blades.

  He managed to swing his sword into the first, causing it to snap into alignment with the others. Rei suddenly flashed back into sight, going for a horizontal slash just before the second of Vic’s blades could return. He blocked the attack only to watch Rei blink out of sight again. The second blade swiped towards him, this time forcing him to sway around it. Its metallic body let out a whistle, giving him a quick shudder.

  Rei finally emerged in front of him, almost out of thin air as she delivered an over exaggerated attack. Vic tried to respond, forcing himself to momentarily overextend. His sword swiped through the air, missing Rei’s, causing his eyes to perk up as she started to lower towards the ground. Just as he began to complete his follow through, the third and final blade from his sword spiraled wildly towards him.

  He felt a sudden rush of pain in his left shoulder as the weapon pierced through. With all the advancements of his mechanical enhancements paired with the battle robe’s onboard AI, he still managed to be blindsided by Rei’s sporadic series of attacks. Still distracted, Rei finally saw an opening and went for the follow up. There was another flash of blue that was followed by another loud metallic ring as Vic felt his right arm surge with pain.

  The mechanical enhancements and what little human remained of the arm was severed, finally leaving him without a weapon. Rei gave her sword a short toss into the air before dashing towards his chest and grabbing hold of his battle robe’s break points. Her body quickly flashed green as she began to pull away from him. She ripped her arms apart, tearing the battle robe from Vic’s chest, once more causing him distress as a distorted signal bounced around in his head.

  Rei delivered a quick kick towards his chest, creating a short distance between them. She then reached into the air over her, grabbing her sword before it could hit the ground. At last, she prepared to go in for the final strike with Vic still off guard. She started to close in once more but was caught off guard as her robe began to stream more commands into her head. The building started to rumble, quickly becoming louder and more violent.

  The ceiling tiles began to droop. Every pillar around her started to fill with hundreds of small cracks while pieces of the office began to collapse. Instead of going for the attack, she turned towards the closest exit, desperate to try and escape the area. She and Vic were quick to react, escaping through the windows while the building began to cave in on itself.

  Right as they made their exit, the top half of the building sunk inward, causing the support columns to give in. Next, the concrete walls and windows shattered. The roaring of the giant continued its way through the city. Within just seconds, the office building and its several stories smashed into the ground, leaving a huge plume of dust and debris in its wake. Rei and Vic were consumed, bringing the battle to a halt.

  Dozens of yards from the building, Mizumi hobbled towards safety. Her chances of continuing the fight had since passed. She could not tell if Rei and Vic were still inside before the collapse. The sounds of gunfire and explosions throughout the city had since come to an end. She could hear the transmitter inside of her ear starting to buzz with reports.

  “All units return to the Deck Hall immediately.” LtCol Ginger ordered, voice calm over through the earpiece.

  She let out a groan as her legs began to burn. With the other ground forces out of the equation, she knew that it was down to putting Vic to rest. The Deep felt distant. She could not muster any semblance of energy to try and find the two, but instead hobbled aimlessly towards the rubble.

  The sounds of engines screeching became audible in the distance, something from the skies that drew her attention. She turned towards the western sky, catching the sight of the Litvyak sailing towards the ground. It briefly eclipsed the sun, momentarily casting a shadow over her and the rest of the city. The ship finally disappeared behind the many buildings on the horizon, causing another massive roar to shoot through the city. After the blast, the only sounds that remained were from the many ancient structures swaying from the tremors.

  Mizumi looked back towards the rubble nearby, barely holding her sword in her grip. She continued towards the debris while she covered her mouth. Soon enough, the dust began to settle, but the tension remained. She started to scan through the destruction for any signs of Vic or Rei.

  Rei, she thought the word, but did not shout. Deep down, she knew that Rei was still lying in wait for her next attack. Mizumi continued around the base of the building. The thousands of pieces of gravel beneath her feet began to broadcast her every movement, crunching with every step. Before reaching a nook in the structure, she heard a loud thud from behind.

  “Well played, Hoshikaze,” Vic groaned. She turned to face him and struggled to lift her sword to defend. He continued to walk towards her, now more disfigured following his encounter with Rei. The blade from his own weapon still protruded from his shoulder, streaming a black liquid from the artificial appendage beneath. He pulled it free with his remaining hand, not turning his gaze from her. “You may have dealt a blow to our forces, but you will ignite a fire in the hearts of millions. Our people will defeat you in the end.”

  “We’ll see.” Mizumi hissed, taking another swing at with her sword.

  Just like the many attacks before, the very slow and tired finale from Mizumi was easily deflected. Vic grabbed the sword in flight, pulling it from her hands before kicking her back to the ground.

  “Vic,” Rei shouted towards him, temporarily halting his advance. He looked ahead and past Mizumi to see Rei still grasping her sword. Her body was covered in dust, blood began to stream from several cuts in her body, but the fiery glare of determination remained in her gaze. “Your fight is with me!”

  “I know,” he replied, still closing the gap between him and Mizumi as he walked towards her sword. “I didn’t forget about you. I just decided I’m going to kill you first.”

  Rei quickly turned her jaw towards the rubble and spit towards it before replying, “This ends here.”

  Vic stepped past Mizumi’s body while he let out a sigh. The pain in his body continued towards the breaking point, but he was just as motivated as rei to finally finish the battle. He could vaguely remember staring back at her in the village, towering over her as she clung onto life. The situation was much different now. Both warriors were beyond their breaking point, and it was only a matter of who would crumble first.

  “Let’s finish this, Hoshikaze.” Vic declared while he lifted Mizumi’s sword towards Rei.

  “It’s Rei.”

  “Well, Rei,” his face remained unchanged, still showing his cold stare while he started to close in. “Prepare to die.”

  The two closed in again, desperate to land another attack while their power quickly diminished. Even with Vic’s wounds, he was just as sharp as before and still as capable. Rei started to circle around him, scanning for another opening while they continued to trade attacks. The city around them was silent. The only sound was the black metal swords striking against each other.

  I need an opening, Rei thought to herself. The power she channeled from the Deep was slipping away. With each attack, she was starting to grow even more weary.

  Keep your stance, Hideo’s voice began to repeat in her head.

  She squared up, keeping her legs in place while she continued to fend him off. Vic’s patterns were slowly becoming more apparent, giving her another opportunity.

  Find your center, once again she managed to reach into the Deep.

  Vic felt her deliver a quick flurry of attacks, causing his sword to become pushed aside. Rei slashed into his chest, tearing into the enhancements and causing a cluster of sparks to fire from the wound. He let out another groan.

  Don’t lose balance.

  She regained control of her footing, allowing her to deliver one more vertical slash towards Vic’s left arm. The sheer force and momentum behind her attack caused the sword to completely sever his last arm from its shoulder, causing him to drop to his knees. What few nerves were left in his body were starting to react. The level of pain left him writhing, no longer focused on her but instead staring in terror towards the skies above.

  At last, Rei stood over him with her sword pointed towards his head. She quickly gasped for air while the blood started to adrenaline began to rush. Despite the odds being against her, she was overwhelmed with her performance and exhilarated seeing Vic kneeling helplessly. Mizumi started to rise from the off the ground, barely conscious after the continuous punishment. While she looked over towards Vic and Rei, the engine of one of the Humvees started to rumble in the distance. She looked back, catching a glimpse of Megumi starting to make her approach.

  “I told you I was going to end this; this is for my friends and family.” Rei declared.

  Vic lifted his face to her, the rage of his gaze met with Rei’s. She grasped her sword with both hands, raising it for the final blow.

  “Don’t do it,” Megumi called out to her upon exiting the truck. She slowly began to limp towards her, raising her hands to try and offer some understanding. Her appearance was frail, she could barely stand to face Rei while she continued, “I know he’s a bad person, I know he wronged you, and I know there’s no way we can right that.”

  “Megumi.” Vic muttered.

  Rei slowly began to lower her sword, fighting with the spirit of vengeance within as she rests it against his neck. Vic’s stare remained, still confident while death began to linger.

  “You’re right, you can’t right this wrong.” Rei said.

  “I know you want to do this, but this is not you,” Megumi continued. “You’ve already won, just let him answer for his crimes.”

  Rei continued to look down at Vic, her face echoing the struggle going on within. She slowly began to press into the blade, gently cutting into the side of his neck. The black metal received another taste as blood slowly began to trickle down it.

  Megumi began to step forward again, pleading, “I know this isn’t you, just stop.”

  Seeing Vic on his knees reminded Rei of the night with Shugo all over again. Both men held their heads high, not fearing what lies ahead. Shirow and Nomad then made their entrance, silent as they stared on towards Vic. Likewise, Vic turned his head back to them, looking over to Shirow before turning back to Megumi.

  “Go ahead,” Vic finally spoke. “Make me a martyr. I did not spare Hideo nor any of your friends. We killed every survivor, and there were many.”

  “Don’t do it,” Megumi cut in once more. She started to approach the two again. “He doesn’t know what he wants. He’s more afraid of going back to them with these losses under his belt than dying here.”

  “I’m not afraid. If I die here, my legacy will live on. But for you,” Vic turned his focus back to Rei, remaining stern as he stared her down. “Your story ends. What do you have left? Do you even know what you’re fighting for? Hideo prepared you to be a pawn for them.”

  Rei only stared back, remaining silent as she continued to grip the sword in her hands.

  “This really isn’t you. Just put the weapon down,” Nomad called out to her. “Don’t let him get inside your head, he wants this.”

  “Just as much as you do,” Vic cut him off. “Your fight for freedom is a farce. You can keep this fight going all you want. You may have the watches, but we have all the time—nothing can stop what happens next.”

  Rei thought of Jin, Hideo, and the others. All the years in the village she spent before finally opening and seeing them was a beautiful moment for her that was ruined. She thought again of Susumu, watching him turn the fight around and get the better of her for holding back. The emotions inside of her were taking control and beginning to fog her thoughts.

  “Everything changed the night you came,” Rei hissed up her breath. She clenched her teeth while slowly bowing her head. Tears began to bead in her eyes while she began to lean into him, nearly pressing her face against his. “You’re right, I want this more than you.”

  She pushed the blade forward, slashing through the left side of his neck. Vic’s winced, grinding his teeth as the instrument of death started to tear through him. Rei finally jerked it back and twisted her body away from him, performing a swipe at point blank. The momentum combined with the deadly weapon’s edge severed his head from his body, taking him away from this world.