"Retreat! All forces fall back!" a commanding officer shouted, as APC soldiers scrambled from Memento's charge. Danzo flicked runes forward, aiming to catch retreating soldiers off guard with paralysis runes. Beside him, Makoro squashed men like toys with his fists, Enzumaki cheered from her usual perch on his back.
"Keep the pressure on them!" Danzo ordered mid-rune throw. "Send them back to Alden Central with bruised asses!"
Around him, more and more Memento soldiers flooded inward, waving swords like wildmen. Each cloak bearing the phoenix—gone in reality, but alive in all else.
The battle made its way further into the gardens, where the stalkers and Judgment had just dueled. Hatori remained heavy-breathed—but cast a rare smile.
"You took your time," Hatori said, half chuckling, half gasping.
"Isn't easy moving an army through guarded walls, now is it?" Danzo replied with a smile of his own.
The hiss of Viesanoo was a high pitched reminder, and the shaking ground a second that the snake still dominated the battlefield. Naru's voice echoed in excitement and thrill.
"You scared of snakes? You look afraid of snakes!" he exclaimed at a soldier running for his life. The man glanced back, teeth clenched, as the obsidian viper closed the distance. His screams cut early, the snake swallowing him whole.
The APC advance stuttered—shields turning, formations fraying—just long enough for Memento to tear through the gap. APC soldiers were smacked like flies, and stalkers engaged with no success. In the chaos, a portal opened behind the sea of men—Doji had made his entrance.
"ALL APC FORCES, FALL BACK TO MY POSITION! NOW!"
Everyone glanced—including eyes he hadn't meant to draw. Stalkers and soldiers retreated through, trying to escape the massacre that now unfolded.
"Ah, no you don't, traitorous bastard!" Naru said, Viesanoo shooting towards the portal without an order.
"Ignore it, Byana let's go!" a soldier said, grasping the purple haired woman's arm. She shook herself loose with ease.
Instead, Byana stood, eyes widening as Naru closed in on Doji. Her hands shook before she thrusted her arms upward, swinging them in a circle.
"Don't…" she said quietly. "Don't…"
It was a whisper, one that nobody heard. Naru's advance continued, and a single tear fell from her eye.
The wind kicked up viciously. Shards of glass began to form the Solena leaving her palms, slicing in a violent tornado. Hundreds, then thousands spinning, all sharp as knives—and the twister was headed right for Naru.
"Ah," he managed, before the tornado hit. Tsuki watched in horror as Naru's body was shredded at the surface. Viesanoo's obsidian armor began to crack at the force. Seconds passed, only the agonizing scream of pain from Viper's leader could be heard over the whirlwind. It was only seconds, but those seconds felt like hours to Tsuki as she watched helplessly from the side.
Naru limply fell from the air, hitting the ground with a sick thud.
"NO!" Tsuki yelled, vanishing into her shadows, emerging beside Naru. He was nearly unrecognizable—cuts, slash marks across his face and visible body. His cloak was tattered and slit, drenched in fresh crimson. His eyes were still in shock, his pupils slowly giving way.
"Move!" Danzo shouted, sliding in on a knee as he threw a rune on the ground. He grabbed Naru's collar, tossing him into the rune's radius in a hurry.
Behind them, Byana fell to her knees as the tornado began to slow—raising from the ground and dulling, the glass disintegrating into Solena particles.
"No…" she whispered, her mouth opening repeatedly as if she wanted to say something—but nothing else came out.
"Stay with me, Naru!" Danzo said urgently. "You damned idiot, stay alive!"
Naru's breathing was ragged. The blood had begun to scab as Danzo's rune took effect. Naru's eyes grew more distant.
"Damn it. Damn it, damn this war… all of it!"
Danzo's fist hit the ground. Squadmates ran over—Geo, Azumi, Hatori, the others of Viper. All pleaded the same thing.
Please don't die.
Byana crawled forward, tears hitting the ground like beats. She stopped fifty feet from the scene, her hands clenched through the dirt as she watched her own doing.
"No… I'm so sorry, please don't be dead. Please!"
Tsuki met Byana with a rush of anger—but when she met the woman's eyes—
She felt only pity. The feeling of genuine regret.
"I—I can't control it… I tried to stop him with a barrier—of glass wind, I wasn't trying to harm him!"
Her head hit the ground, her pleas drowning out the chaos around them.
"I don't want to be a murderer… I—please, don't be dead!"
A voice rang out from the distance—Doji, standing before his portal in waiting.
"Byana! Let's go. Leave the shit behind, we're going!"
Her attention turned, but she didn't answer. Her eyes returned back to Tsuki within a beat. From behind her, Naru suddenly gasped, wheezing for air as the squads frantically tried to help.
"Get me water!" Danzo ordered. "Water, now!"
Enzumaki stepped forward with a tiny canteen she'd carry at all times already opened. She gave it to Danzo, holding her hands together as her eyes filled with hopeful panic.
"Drink," Danzo said quieter, lifting the bottle to Naru's lips as the man struggled to breathe.
The water barely made it past Naru's teeth. Most of it dribbled down his chin, staining the collar of his cloak dark with blood and dust. His chest rose sharply once, then again—each breath sounding like it had to claw its way out of his lungs.
"Easy," Danzo muttered. "Don't choke on me now."
Geo knelt beside him, one hand hovering awkwardly over Naru's shoulder as if afraid to touch him too hard.
"You idiot," Geo said under his breath. "You had to ride the damn snake straight into the tornado, didn't you?"
Hatori said nothing. His hands hovered near Naru's ribs, feeling the rhythm of his Solena through the air, brow furrowed with quiet concentration.
"It's slowing," Hatori murmured after a moment. "His energy… it's stabilizing."
"Stabilizing?" Azumi snapped. "That doesn't mean he's fine!"
Naru coughed violently then, his entire body jerking forward. Danzo steadied him with both arms as a spray of dark blood splattered the stones beside them.
"Stay with me!" Danzo barked. "Don't you dare check out now!"
The courtyard seemed to hold its breath.
Even the clashing of steel from the far edges of the battlefield had faded. APC soldiers and Memento alike had slowed, watching the scene unfold in uneasy silence.
Byana's sobs carried faintly through the air.
Naru's head lolled slightly to one side. His eyes fluttered open, unfocused at first as they drifted across the faces surrounding him.
He blinked slowly, as if trying to remember where he was.
Danzo leaned closer. "Naru…?"
For a moment, Naru just stared at them. His breathing still ragged, chest trembling with each inhale.
Then his brow creased faintly.
He raised a shaky hand toward his head, fingers brushing weakly through his hair before falling back to the ground.
"…How's my hair?"
The silence shattered. Geo stared in disbelief, while Azumi's mouth fell open. Sighs of relief filled the air.
Danzo blinked twice before exhaling a sharp breath somewhere between a laugh and a curse.
"You unbelievable bastard," he muttered, shaking his head.
Naru's lips twitched faintly, though the effort clearly hurt.
"Figured… if I'm going to die…" he wheezed, voice barely holding together, "might as well look good doing it."
Azumi smacked his shoulder immediately.
"You're not dying, you moron!"
Naru winced. "Ow… okay, maybe take it easy…"
"Azumi, seriously. Don't hit him," Danzo said firmly. "He's weak as is… lost too much blood—control yourself!"
The realization hit, and Azumi's eyes fell to the ground.
"I'm sorry."
Behind her, Tsuki's heavy breaths had lightened—even if it was just a little. She turned, attention focused on Byana, who remained on her knees with hopeful eyes.
"He's… alive?"
More gazes turned to the woman, who raised an arm out towards Naru. The blood had begun to scab, his wounds now darker and hardened.
His gaze met hers—at first harshly, but their eyes met with understanding. His stare softened, mouth closed and tightened fist relaxed.
"I'm so sorry," she said, lowering her head to the ground. "I didn't want to harm you—I didn't. I reacted rashly—"
Her voice trembled in a choked sob. She raised her head, arm still outstretched toward Naru.
"Please forgive me. I don't want to be a… murderer—to harm people."
Doji's face grew into a scowl from behind her. Nearly the entire APC army had now retreated.
"You're joking right? The only place that gave you a home? You're picking a rebellious group… of misfits and slobs over our empire?! Pity on you," he said with a snark. "Fine. Tobamako, let's go! We're lea—"
He didn't get to finish. A flash appeared behind him—a girl with a large warhammer. One with a grudge.
Rin's hammer was cocked—and swung forward in insurmountable force. Doji couldn't turn his head in time. His body went flying into the ground with a sickening crack.
The portal died down with its source in critical condition. Tobamako and Byana, along with some leftover APC soldiers—were left behind.
Tobamako's sprint turned into a skid across the ground, as his exit disappeared. Disbelief flooded his face as he fell to his knees, punching the ground in anger.
"Dammit! DAMMIT!"
His eyes tore through Memento forces in pure hatred—then his glare fixated on Byana. She stood now, still conflicted.
"YOU!" he shouted, raising himself. He raised a single finger, pointed at her chest. "YOU DISTRACTED DOJI! YOU ARE THE REASON I COULDN'T ESCAPE!"
She backed away, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "No… please I—I didn't mean… I wasn't—"
Before she could react, Tobamako was behind her with a time skip. "Save it, traitorus bitch," he said in finality, his hand going directly through her chest. Her eyes flickered, catching Tsuki's as she fell forward.
Tsuki hesitated, before taking a step toward the girl. Byana moved slightly, her head raising to meet Tsuki's eyes. Her arm reached out toward Memento.
"I… I'm sorry. So—so sorry…"
Her breath caught in her chest, and blood hit the ground in a flood.
"I regret… every moment… I'm glad it's done… I—I couldn't live with—with myself…"
Her eyes faded into a hollow shade, as Tobamako stood above her, tilting his head in a content taunt.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever girl. Spare us your speech."
All focus was on him now. Looks tore through his skin like pointed edges, and a filled silence followed his words.
One man took it harder. One man replayed memories of a fallen brother, and refused to let anymore go.
Geo shot forward in a heap of fury. His fists formed with solidified ground around them, aimed at Tobamako. He dodged the first, but not the second.
It hit him like a train, sending him flying into the air. Geo met him again.
This time, into the ground. Tobamako crashed, leaving a crater. Geo wasn't done.
Ground shells surrounded Tobamako's hands and legs, preventing escape. Tobamako groaned, his voice flickering with panic.
"No… no no NO! THIS CAN"T BE HAPPENING… not YOU!"
Geo landed with intent, his eyes unrelenting. Tobamako could only watch.
"You know, tubby… my buddy is up there," he said, pointing at the sky. "He's watching right now… and I bet he's got that crooked little grin on his face."
Tobamako didn't answer. His head shook slightly—he knew there was no escaping it.
"Now, you can watch as I end your little government's reign, from down there."
Geo put his hands to the ground, raising a large boulder. It smashed mid-air, splintering into thousands of tiny sharp fragments.
"Die, bastard."
The fragments shot forward, tearing through Tobamako's body in a thousand different holes. Tobamako gasped, blood pouring into the crater from all different angles.
Geo watched, expressionless. He hoped, that some way—somehow—that Knoxx knew he was avenged. Geo gave one last look at the lifeless body, before filling the crater once more with soil and crushed rubble. There would be no stone or proper burial for a man as sick as Tobamako.
The wind howled a little harder now—as if it was an acknowledgment. Geo looked to the sky—and smiled.