Chapter 26

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The Outbreak alarm still resounded through the alleys and the sounds of battle could be heard in the distance. The flickering of vehicles bursting into flames could be heard, along with corpses lining the roadside. On the street, a single person walked through the middle of the scene. The streets were deserted, the buildings had activated their protective gates, if they had any. The residents had been evacuated, while those who hadn't made it were now walking after the man. A horde of Zombie-Class Infected trudged after the man, with some Colossus and even a few New Bloods walking around in between. 

"So here it is." He grinned as his eyes fell on the small bar in the middle of Mytic neighborhood.

⬢

Zero had been assigned to the initial intake. All the injured came to him and a few others first, who assessed them and passed them on depending on the severity of their injuries. The injured came to Guardian from further and further away. Since the attack began, the wounds had become more and more severe. Where at first only people with abrasions or lacerations came to the infirmary, soon there were shrapnel fragments and burns. Many of the wounds could be easily treated by the doctors and apparently there was even a mage who knew healing magic. Still, the tension was palpable. The doctors were at their limit, the sheer volume of patients was so great that some could no longer be treated. The mage also had his limits as to how many people he could help. The place kept filling up, but there was no end in sight. The fighting in the city didn't seem to die down and the horror of the Outbreak hung over everything.

The first reason they hadn't encountered any Infected yet was that the attack and subsequent Outbreak had taken place outside the entrance area of the outer ring. Many guests who wanted to enter the square had fallen victim to it. The second was that the second ring acted as a kind of buffer, as all visitors there were first checked for possible infection. Zero didn't even want to imagine the situation there. A huge crowd at the entrance to the second ring while further back the Infected raged.

But there was something good for Zero, he was not far from Carol, who was being cared for in one of the hospital ships. Asagi and Rika had stayed there. Since they couldn't help, they at least wanted to stay with Carol to give Zero some support. 

The floor of the hospital ship where Carol was at was full. All the beds were occupied, from lacerations to broken arms and splinters, everything was represented. Asagi and Rika had sat close to Carol so as not to get in anyone's way. 

"What's wrong with her?" Asagi looked gloomily at Carol. 

"I hope she gets better soon." Said Rika beside her.

"Me too." Asagi agreed and continued to look at Carol. 

Due to the lack of staff and the fact that Carol had no life-threatening injuries at first glance, she had been given a strong painkiller and anesthetic, but it seemed to have limited effect. Carol's flaming red face was still contorted in pain and her temperature just wouldn't go down. The ECG she was connected to continued to beep while Asagi replaced Carol's wet bandage she was wearing on her head. 

"This is my fault..."

Meanwhile, Zero was fully engaged with the flood of patients when an excited yell suddenly jolted him from his thoughts. 

"Up there!" A fellow paramedic pointed into the air. A white ship with the Shelter logo was heading toward the Guardian. 

"Shelter is here!" 

"We're saved!" 

Zero heard people shout. No sooner had the ship appeared in the airspace than transporters poured out of the hangar and scattered over the city. Most flew straight for the Guardian and immediately a mood of relief set in among the people. 

But this didn't last long, because shortly after something exploded at the entrance to the third ring. Panic broke out and people began to frantically distance themselves from the explosion. People also came out of the cloud of smoke, running in panic towards the Guardian. Immediately, the soldiers rushed to the entrance while the priests tried to get the situation under control. 

Zero was doing his best to help the priests when he heard a distorted scream coming from the direction of the entrance.

No sooner had he turned in the direction of the sound than the first Infected trudged out of the black cloud of smoke. It cried out and immediately more appeared from the cloud of smoke. As if the first Infected had sounded the charge, the other Infected charged toward the soldiers. Immediately a skirmish ensued, the soldiers firing at the charging Infected who tried to get near them. Several hundred Zombie-Class Infected charged at the soldiers, many appearing only half transformed. Among them, however, were several colossi who charged through the passageway onto the bridge along with the zombies. The bullets from the heavy weapons carried by the Exos and ATBS mowed down the Zombie-Infected, but there seemed to be no end to the onslaught. It got worse, as the fallen Infected coalesced into colossi. 

The onslaught came closer and closer as the Infected reached the soldiers, immediately striking and biting at the soldiers with their claws and teeth. 

Panicked, the people ran to the other side of the square, while the soldiers seemed to be overrun by the Infected. Suddenly, one of the blows from a colossus bounced off some kind of invisible shield.

"Don't worry! The Architect will protect us!" Suddenly a voice from the end of the bridge sounded over the people. An older man stood at the end of the bridge in front of the crowd. Like Gerard, he wore the robe of the Architect Church, but he wore a much more elaborate model. The sash he wore identified him as a high-ranking member. 

In front of him the knights had taken up their positions. They were close behind the soldiers in front of whom shields had appeared. The knights' shields seemed to project some kind of energy barrier that stopped the Infected. Slowly, the knights swapped positions with the soldiers in front of them, protecting them with their shields as they cut down the Infected with their swords. 

"They're going into close combat? Infected?" Wondered Zero, who remembered the properties of the Akuryuma's blood, the Corrutin. The soldiers took advantage of the Knights' wall and continued firing at the Infected, who remained lying. "They don't transform?" Observed Zero from a distance, even if it was only small outlines that Zero recognized on the great distance. Zero stood at the end of the bridge, which was roughly in the middle of the three-kilometer radius to the wall. The course was top level, which made it easier to see.

So far, the fallen Infected had merged into colossi, but those struck down by the Knights did not and simply disintegrated. Then a blow sent a few of the Knights and soldiers flying. One of the colossi had reached the defensive line. The sheer mass of the colossus was too much for the shields and the Knights that held them. The Knights attacked the colossus, but their swords did not seem to have the same effect as they had on the zombies. They caused damage, but the colossus regenerated again. It wasn't long before the remaining colossi also arrived at the front line and broke through it. 

Panicked, the people continued to flee, running wildly, each trying to get on a shuttle. Some even ordered the hospital ships to take off.

Then suddenly something fell from the sky. An outline crashed into two of the colossi, causing them to disappear. Instead, an Aku suddenly stood in front of the soldiers, its claws dug deep into the colossi, which stopped moving. The soldiers and knights flinched. When some were already about to attack the monster, a voice rang out behind the Aku's back. 

"Are you all right old man?" Turned the voice to the priest. Standing on the Aku's back was a girl in white armor. 

"A Pandera!" A murmur went through the soldiers. 

Although the armor was very different from that of the other Pandera Zero had encountered, the bracelet clearly identified her as a Pandera. It appeared to be some sort of custom-made, highly individualized piece. But what was she doing on the Akuryuma? That's when Zero noticed that her bracelet resembled his. There was some sort of ribbon extending from it that ended in a neck ring that the Akuryuma wore. 

"Girls." She seemed to give an order and immediately several Pandera jumped out of the van that was above them. They were all wearing the full body armor that Zero had seen on the leader of the Pandera squad in Halsion at the time. The Pandera swooped down on the Infected and Colossi from several meters above and mowed them down, one by one they fell and again the remains made no effort to regenerate. Even the colossi began to decay.

"We'll take it from here." Said the leader atop the Akuryuma, who casually flipped a few Infected through the air with its tail. 

"Thank you, dear carrier." The priest, who had been surrounded by knights thanked her. "We are very grateful to you and the Overseer for your assistance. But please, conduct yourselves according to your gift." He seemed to be admonishing them. 

"Go, go!" The medics rushed forward to the wounded soldiers and knights. They had all been given gas masks like those worn by the Anti-Akuryuma teams. Many of the soldiers and knights were seriously injured. The attacks of the Infected had had an effect. But now the soldiers' efforts seemed almost trivial against the ease with which the Pandera cleared the square. It was clear that they were trained to fight Infected, with well-aimed attacks they cut them down, and even if one was attacked and could not fend off the attack itself, another Pandera would cover her back. While the medics tended to the wounded, troops moved in from behind. Even the ATBS, who had stayed behind because of their size, advanced toward the entrance.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Pandera supervised the evacuation of the wounded, but above all she seemed to keep an eye on the medics. They all kept a great distance from her and the Akuryuma who stood behind her after she jumped off its back with ease. 

"It's not a serious wound, it'll be fine." Zero assured a soldier he was treating as the Pandera stopped behind him. 

"You don't belong to Shelter, are you a church member?" She suddenly addressed Zero, her gaze fixed on his bracelet. 

"Forgive me dear Pandera, neither. The young man has only just received an offering." Explained the priest who accompanied Zero since the tour. 

"I'm a medic, is there anything I can do for you?" Replied Zero as he was about to move to the next wounded man. Meanwhile, the battle line had moved far back toward the entrance.

The Pandera eyed him, "You're totally my type!" She grinned at Zero as the Aku was heard in the background. He had begun to consume the two Colossi and a few other Infected he had caught with its tail. It was gruesome. "I'm having a conversation!" The annoyed Pandera activated her bracelet from which the ribbon came. Immediately, the Aku's collar began to respond. A twitch coursed through it and it began to squirm before becoming still with a slight hiss, leaving its prey to disintegrate without a trace. "You don't seem to be afraid of my pet." She patterned Zero, who stood quietly. While the priest next to him had taken a step back and seemed afraid, as did everyone else present. 

"You could say I have experience...", replied Zero. 

"Well, I'm curious about that!" She leaned forward to Zero and showed her cleavage. "So, it's decided then!" She announced. "We're going out after this!" 

"Did she just ask me out on a date?" Zero turned to the priest. 

"Invited doesn't quite cut it, I guess...", the priest objected as another Pandera jumped up to her and reported back.

The toehold was clear. 

All Infected who had entered the third ring had disappeared and the space up to the entrance was empty again. The Pandera and soldiers had taken up positions in front of the entrance to prevent any new intrusion. 

"That's it here, we're moving on." She told the head priest, who had also joined her, while another Shelter transporter dropped off relief troops. 

"Valued Pandera, how shall we proceed?" He inquired. 

"What, can you talk normally too?" Complained the leader before telling him the situation. "Team Five has been dropped off at the entrance and more Shelter teams are on their way in the second ring." She pointed to a hologram similar to the Guardian's projected from her wristband. "We are advancing together into the first ring and wiping out the Infected along the way." 

"Excellent!" Rejoiced the head priest. "This will teach them a lesson about defiling these holy cities. May their impurity be eradicated." 

Zero, who happened to be nearby, overheard the conversation and froze for a moment. 

"Sure..." The Pandera replied indifferently. "Disengage!" She turned to her subordinates, most of whom had gathered behind her.

"That he would send two of his elite Pandera at once..." The priest wondered as he walked back towards the Guardian. "I just wish they would..." 

"See you later sweetie!" He heard the leader flirt with Zero. 

"...hold back a little more." He sighed. 

"OK, pack it up!" Ordered the squad leader of the medical squad Zero was part of.

The Pandera had restored the status quo. The innermost ring was secure, even with no new refugees coming through the gate. The ATBS had flown over the wall to help the Shelter troops secure it. Still, the situation was uncertain. What was the situation in the first and second rings? How many civilians had been cut off from the safe third ring, how many were still behind the wall, and how many were lost? 

Zero worried, but he knew there was nothing he could do. For now, they had to take care of the hundreds of people who had rushed through the gate just before the Infected and the wounded the attack had brought. 

Everyone was moving back to their original positions when the mass of dead Infected suddenly began to move. Within moments, it had moved toward the entrance, into which the Exo-pilots were already firing from time to time. No sooner had the mass rushed past the Pandera and soldiers than something shot out of the passageway again. A huge writhing mass of melting and reassembling tendrils, some thicker than the Exo-armor, smashed out of the entrance.

The Pandera dodged the tendrils, but some of the Exo-armor and soldiers were caught by the tendrils, which either hurled them away or pulled them into themselves. 

Panic again broke out among the refugees, who had only just calmed down. Zero looked back at the entrance, he had barely gotten away from it when he saw someone step out from the middle of the writhing mass.

⬢

"Seems like they lost, although they were able to evolve into an Aku..." The Eye looked in the direction of the government quarter, over which one of the two Shelter ships was now circling. "But you're not a normal Aku either...," he turned to that Aku standing on an opposite rooftop, or rather the remains of it. 

Around Zero's bar, buildings lay in ruins, even the bar had suffered some damage, although the damage was limited. Everywhere lay the remains of Infected, both zombies and colossi. The Infected of the Eye had been radically decimated. Of his hundred Infected, barely 20 were left, including one Kollos and two New Bloods. 

Deadra, meanwhile, stood on the roof of the building that stood next to the bar. Deadra's claws were soaked with the blood of the Infected and had assumed an attack posture. Every one of its muscles was tense. 

Sora sat, or rather lay, between the spikes on its back and held on. She also seemed to be tied down with some kind of net. Deadra, meanwhile, had its rod wrapped like a snake around the hilt of Zero's sword, which it swung slowly back and forth.

"Since you won't let me tame you, I assume you either already have a master or..." Snapping his fingers, the two New Bloods charged at Deadra. 

Deadra jumped off the building and intercepted the two New Bloods. Its claws rammed into the claw of the first while it grabbed the head of the second. 

"It's fast!" Cursed the Eye. 

Sora cried out fearfully as Deadra began to spin around and slash at the Eye with the sword. 

Almost silently, Deadra cut through the building where the Eye had been standing before. However, he had dodged. 

"That's totally over the top...", he looked at the building, which had a smooth cut vertically through its facade. "Maybe...", the Eye started to say and immediately Deadra got ready. "I guess I'm not going to get anywhere like this...", the Eye pondered as the two New Bloods that Deadra had flung away came back to him. "Won't you come with me?" Asked the Eye. 

"We already said no!" Sora said sourly. "You broke Zero's house!"

"What do you think will happen when this is over? You will be taken away from your Zero! You'll be locked up and used as test subjects. Come with me." He held out his hands to them. "Come with me, I can protect you and together we can create a new world." 

"I said no!" Protested Sora, seeming to upset the Eye a bit. "Deadra and I are staying with Zero! Besides, Zero said we shouldn't go with strangers!" 

"I guess you can't argue with that..." The Eye said as a message popped up on a hologram next to him. "Oh, seems they're making progress on the Guardian...", he read the notification. 

"There's Zero!" Startled Sora. 

"But unfortunately, Shelter got there earlier than expected... they're crazy fast when it comes down to it." He looked up into the sky at the Shelter ship. "Seems like I should change my plan..."

⬢

"Get out of my way!" Said the leader of the Pandera, while her Akuryuma fought with the tendrils that were heading towards it and its master. 

The Pandera fought the tendrils while the soldiers repositioned themselves, but instead of fighting like the Pandera, they hesitated. This was because there were colleagues of theirs trapped in the tendrils, crying out for help. The attacks of the Pandera themselves had little effect, but they were able to attack more specifically than the soldiers with their rifles. They knocked off small tendrils which, after twitching briefly, lay motionless and disintegrated. But most of them were too thick for the blades and weapons of the Pandera. The cuts and wounds simply healed after some delay. The second problem was that the cut tendrils and the dust that remained were collected again by the larger tendrils and thus rejoined the mass. 

"We have to find the core!" Shouted one of the Pandera. 

"I already got it!" Shouted the leader, who, on the back of her Aku, kept moving toward the man in the center of the tendrils. The Aku plucked out the tendrils one by one and snapped them in two with its claws, while the Pandera mowed down the remaining tendrils with her blade. They got closer and closer to the man at the entrance, behind whom the tendrils shot out. "Gotcha!" Her Aku was about to reach the man with its claw when two large tendrils got in her way.

"Heeelp...." Moaned something. 

"Damn!" Immediately, the Pandera pulled the strap and the Aku landed with its legs on the tendril and jumped off it. "You damned...!" She cursed as they landed back on the ground in front of the entrance. 

It had used the soldiers trapped in the tendrils as a shield, moreover it seemed they were melting into the tendrils. 

"Help us!" Whined one of the soldiers, whose voice was getting weaker and weaker. 

"Release the men immediately!" Said one of the Pandera, leaping toward the man as a tendril stood in her way. Again, one of the soldiers was trapped in the tendril and the Pandera hesitated. Suddenly, the soldier's hand moved inside the tendril and pointed his gun at the Pandera. Shots followed and the Pandera backed away. The soldier's eyes had gone out. Instead, a withered figure could be seen in the tendril, riddled with veins and a violet light shining in its empty eyes. 

"Damn, they've been assimilated!" Shouted the Pandera who had earlier reported to the leader.

The next moment, the assimilated within the tendrils began to fire at the surrounding Pandera and soldiers. But not only were the soldiers assimilated, the Exo-suits they wore had merged with the tendrils and began to cause tremendous damage with their heavy weapons. 

"Take cover!" Shouted one of the soldiers and immediately they rushed behind the wagons or any cover the massive square could provide. While the Pandera and knights of the church had their own shields similar to those of the mages, the soldiers were helpless against the fire of the Infected. Some of the soldiers had already been hit by the Infected firing wildly. 

"LUX SCUTUM MAXIM!" A shield suddenly rose up between the tendrils and everyone else. "I will not let you desecrate this place any further!" The priest suddenly stood in the midst of the Pandera and soldiers, his palms pressed together. "Our job as representatives of the Architect is to protect the people and rid them of your kind!" He said with conviction.

"Desecrate?" The man in the middle of the tendrils looked at the shield. The bullets bounced off and he raised his hand, whereupon the Infected tendrils stopped firing. "I bless him and all who are here." His eyes suddenly started glowing red and he stretched his arms. In the next moment, the tendrils began to unite into six massive strands. Four of the newly formed tendrils crashed into the shield, sparks flying as the tendrils tried to break through the priest's magical shield. 

"Evacuate the injured!" Shouted someone. 

Zero, meanwhile, had rushed back to help with the evacuation and tend to the wounded. Soldiers everywhere, and even knights in some cases, limped back to gain distance from the tendrils as the shield slowly gave way. 

The head priest seemed to be putting all his strength into the shield, sweat pouring down his forehead, and yet the tendrils were slowly penetrating. 

"Seems like the Architect has given up on you." Said the man, who saw the shield slowly weakening.

"The Architect has not left us...", said the priest as the shield collapsed. Magic particles scattered in the air as the priest sank to the ground exhausted, surrounded by knights trying to protect him. "The Architect believes we can defend ourselves!" The priest saw the tendrils coming towards him, when in the next moment they were cut by the leader of the Pandera with her blade. 

"Have you forgotten me already?!" She stormed toward the man. Panicked, he ordered the two tendrils that had stayed behind to protect him. A hail of bullets descended on them as the tendrils blocked the way to the man. But in the next moment, a wave of cuts split the tendrils, which fell motionless to the side like tree trunks. "This time the trick won't work!"

"She cut the tendrils with the men!" One of the soldiers looked to the Pandera horrified. 

"She redeemed them." Said the priest in a calm voice. "I'm sure the men didn't want to be Infected and forced to fight against their comrades." He added. 

"That's it for you!" Shouted the Pandera, getting closer and closer to the man on her Aku, and lunged with her sword. 

The man flailed his arms and took a step back, more and more tendrils shooting out from the passage behind him, but they could not stop the Pandera. 

"Death is the only salvation there is for Infected." Said the priest definitively as the Pandera's blade reached the man. A tremendous shockwave followed, shredding all the tendrils in the vicinity.

"He got away." The Pandera looked up at the wall. 

"That was close." The Eye, that Zane had encountered in the government district, stood on the wall of the third ring. The man that the Pandera had attacked a moment before sat next to him on the ground. "So this is an elite Pandera, the reports weren't exaggerating..." The Eye looked down at the Pandera as she leapt up. While still leaping, she lashed out with her sword, creating a wave of cuts that raced towards the two men, who in turn dodged. 

"Isn't that a bit over the top?" The Eye asked the Pandera who had landed on the wall with them. 

"I'm not going to let you guys run away if you're going to be so blunt for once. Eyes of the Evolved." She grinned at the two as shortly after her Aku landed behind her, having leapt from the bottom to the top in one bound. 

Immediately the fight broke out, the Pandera charging at the first Eye and slashing at it with her sword. 

"Now that's a bit over the top!" He jumped back, while the Aku charged at the other Eye, who seemed to be having more trouble and was just barely dodging. "Let's switch!" Said the first Eye, as the Pandera's blade was already heading for him again, narrowly missing his throat.

"You don't think I'm just going to let you get away with this, do you?" She grinned at the Eye as she continued to pursue him, barely giving him time to counterattack. "I know about your skills!" 

"Oh man...", the Eye griped at the string of black beads he wore around his body. A dull purple light shone from the beads. He grabbed one of them, which was the size of a hand, and pulled it out of the chain, which immediately reassembled itself. 

The Eye threw the bead down the wall toward the other Eye. The second Eye followed the orb down into the depths, dodging the claws of the Aku, which was still trying to bite at it as it plummeted. Shortly after, the inside of the sphere began to glow and the bead seemed to snap. Purple light erupted from the sphere before a black mass shot out of the light. The black mass consisted of hundreds of Infected, zombies as well as colossi, which poured out of the formerly small sphere onto the square below, where the soldiers and Pandera had taken position.

"That's everyone from the government district, try not to consume them all!" Said the first Eye as he continued to dodge the Pandera before opening a portal behind him in the next moment whereupon a New Blood's fist flew towards the Pandera. 

Immediately, the Pandera dodged the attack and jumped back to her Aku, who moved to her side without saying anything. A simple signal over the ribbon seemed to do the trick. The New Blood gave chase but was immediately grabbed by the Aku and thrown to the ground. 

"My turn!" Suddenly the Eye stood in front of the Pandera and the Aku. Immediately she lunged with her sword and her Aku also struck at him with its paw, but the Eye dodged at the last moment and leaped upwards, where he touched the Aku's head with his black left glove. Immediately, a purple energy spread out from where the glove had touched the Aku, causing the latter to shriek. 

"Damn!" Cursed the Pandera, looking at the Eye that had landed on the ground behind the Aku. The Eye just grinned. 

Meanwhile, the other man jumped on the mass of Infected that fell on the square below them like rain. The soldiers and Pandera fired at the approaching Infected. Black sand seemed to pour out of the cracks in the second Eye's body, which seemed to combine with the mass, and immediately several of the Zombie-Infected merged into a massive lump.

As soon as the Eye and the lump hit the ground, the lump began to absorb the already fallen Infected and the remaining mass of tendrils. Within a very short time, the lump swelled and again formed tendrils like the ones the leader had destroyed a few minutes earlier. Immediately, the tendrils lashed out, propelling several soldiers and Pandera through the air and allowing the Infected to advance further onto the bridge. 

"Don't let them break through!" Ordered one of the commanders. Soldiers, knights and Pandera did their best to stop the onslaught. But the sheer volume was the problem. Many of the Infected were still wearing the clothes they had on before, which identified them as government employees. 

Zero, along with the other medics and the priest, ran back to the Guardian as a hovercraft appeared over the wall in support. Most hovercrafts had been pulled from the Guardian because there were too many civilians present. However, this hovercraft opened fire on the writhing mass of tendrils and Infected. A few ATBS also climbed up from behind the wall.

"He's too close." Zero briefly looked behind as a tendril already appeared to be reaching for the hovercraft. In the next instant, the hovercraft crashed into the pit over which the bridge passed. In the process, a launched missile from the hovercraft struck the wall where the Pandera was struggling with the Eye. 

Both the Pandera and the Eye dodged the blast and jumped down from the wall into the square.

"Guess it didn't work...", the Pandera grinned at the Eye. She looked uneasily at her Aku, which had the New Blood in its mouth. 

"Isn't your confidence a bit over the top?" Replied the Eye who, with two more New Bloods behind him, seemed to see the Pandera's nervousness. 

Meanwhile, the tendrils pushed aside a couple of the military vehicles, which either whirled meters through the air or disappeared into the pit under the bridge. 

"Head down!" Zero along with the priest ducked from an approaching car that came to a stop several meters in front of them. 

"Thanks." Said the priest, who was lying under Zero. Before turning away with a slightly red face. 

"Quick to the evacuation post." Zero stood back up and grabbed the priest's hand, pulling him along with him. 

"Say Zero, would you go on a date with me?" The priest suddenly asked Zero. 

"What?" Zero looked at him in amazement. 

"Don't you like guys?" He asked, a little disappointed.

"That's not the point." Zero ran further down the bridge alongside the priest. "It's just a very inopportune moment!" Countered Zero as another truck hit the ground next to them. 

"I just don't want to regret never asking." Justified the priest.

"Mareike!" Shouted one of the Pandera struggling with the Infected. "There's an Aku!" 

"What?!" Shuddered the leader, looking toward the entrance when she already saw the black shadow scurrying among the Infected. 

It was Deadra, who had somehow managed to cross the nearly 100 kilometers together with Sora and the sword. Immediately, some of the knights and Pandera began to target Deadra, but Deadra dodged the swords and bullets and cut up a few more Infected as it passed. 

"Stop it!" Shouted one of the knights and stood in Deadra's way with his shield. 

Where did he come from? Surely there was no Rift? Mareike wondered. "Never mind you're just in time for me!" Then the Pandera's glove activated, from which the ribbon led to her Aku, and another ribbon shot out. This one headed straight for Deadra, who leaped over the knight in a single bound. 

"Deadra?!" Zero looked back and immediately turned around. 

"Zero stay here!" Shouted the priest after him. 

The ribbon headed straight for Deadra's neck as it deflected the ribbon with Zero's sword in mid-air, above the knight. 

"What the?!" Mareike cringed as the Eye moved toward her.

"It was good for something then!" He lashed out with his left arm. With a bang, the Eye's fist collided with the Pandera's shield. Immediately Mareike struck back, swinging her blade through the air. The blade shattered the shield the Eye had built around himself and cut into his left arm, which he stretched out in front of him to protect himself. 

"I guess you wanted to surprise me." Mareike looked at the Eye holding his bleeding arm. 

"You Pandera are already pretty over the top, especially you Elite-Pandera are pretty exhausting." He held his arm out to her, showing her how the wound was slowly closing. 

"Your strength must be waning." She grinned at him. 

"Maybe... but so is your concentration." He smiled as a shadow loomed over her. 

Two huge tendrils had piled up in front of her. Immediately she pulled on the ribbon only to realize that the tendrils had wrapped around it and her Aku was surrounded by several Infected. The Aku turned to face her, but the tendrils were already starting to move. 

"Damn...," Mareike cursed as the tendrils came at her with all their might.

Suddenly a shadow moved in front of Mareike and a cutting sound followed. 

"Are you OK?!" Zero asked Mareike, who had his large sword in hand. The two tendrils had been cut horizontally, falling forward like tree trunks and landing just beside Zero and Mareike. 

"Thank you." She said, impressed. 

"What kind of blade is that?" Wondered the Eye that controlled the tendrils. 

"As expected, totally over the top." Said the first Eye. 

"What about the Aku?!" Mareike looked around frantically. 

"Don't worry, it's with me." Gestured Zero towards Deadra's collar. Deadra stood by the priest, who must have relied entirely on Zero's few words. 

"Attention!" Shouted the priest to Zero, as tendrils once again rose up in front of them. 

Zero turned around again. New tendrils had appeared in front of them, much thinner than the previous ones, but those were already racing towards Zero and Mareike. 

"Don't worry, this time I'll protect you." Mareike prepared herself, her Aku behind her again.

The tendrils came at them, when in the next moment translucent swords rained from the sky and destroyed them. 

"Dude! Lia!" Mareike looked up at the wall where another Pandera stood. 

Her outfit was more like the other Pandera's, except for a few changes, the most noticeable being a cloak that seemed to hang loosely over her shoulders. This one carried a sword more reminiscent of a knight than a tachi, as Mareike carried one. 

"Did it almost get you there?" 

"What, no! I would have dodged it and the few tendrils wouldn't have even cracked my shield!" Justified Mareike.

"Another Elite-Pandera... Now they're really overdoing it." The Eye jumped to the other Eye, which barely had any tendrils left. 

"Seems our window of opportunity is almost over." Said the second Eye to the first. 

"Seems to be. Let's retreat." The two jumped onto the wall. This was nearly 20 meters high, but they overcame the height difference with only a single jump.

"Stop!" The two Pandera chased them. The Pandera on the wall broke into a sprint, while Mareike on her Aku followed them at the base of the wall.

The Eye looked around. Most of the Infected had fallen, the Pandera and knights were scrambling again, and the two Elite-Pandera were in pursuit. 

"You didn't manage to take the Akuryuma?" 

"No the connection with the Gauntlet is too strong." He replied. "And the other one is completely over the top, it almost killed me." 

"So we couldn't save any of the creatures, what a shame...", he looked sadly towards the Guardian. 

"Give up!" Shouted the Pandera after them.

"Can't they just leave us alone? This is totally over the top." Said the Eye just before one of the swords slammed into the ground, the two dodged it only to find they were surrounded. The Pandera behind them and Mareike with her Aku in front of them. 

"So you think we lost?" Grinned the Eye at the Pandera.

"Deadra!" Zero ran back. The knights and soldiers, as well as the Pandera, were about to attack Deadra. The only reason they didn't fire immediately was probably the priest gesturing uncertainly with his hands. 

"Priest, get away!" Ordered one of the knights. 

"Kill that critter!" Roared another soldier. 

"It's defiling this place!" Argued another priest who had joined in. 

"What are you waiting for? Kill the monster!" Said another. 

The situation was extremely heated. 

"Stay here!" Tried one of the soldiers to hold Zero back as he broke through to Deadra. 

"Zero!" Said the priest in relief, overwhelmed with the situation. 

"Thanks. You should go, sorry for the trouble." Said Zero to the priest and sent him away. Zero had moved to stand in front of Deadra and Sora. Deadra stood at the edge of the bridge, Sora behind it on the precipice to shield her as best it could. 

"Is he insane?"

"Get away!" The soldiers yelled at him. 

"Don't worry it's with me!" Zero tried to relax the situation and pointed at Deadra's collar, but to no avail.

"Zero." Sora came forward anxiously. 

"An Infected!" Someone recognized her. 

"She must be involved in the assassination!" Shouted another. 

"No, just listen to me." Tried Zero to explain, while people were talking at him. 

"Zero...", worried the priest, who had been pulled away by the people as soon as he came within range. 

The people weren't listening to Zero. They wanted him to move away from Deadra and Sora, they didn't care about his words. The hatred of the people was clearly evident. 

It reminded Zero of that one time back in Halsion. Sora and a few of the other girls had somehow gotten into the city. When Zero had found them, they had already been attacked by passersby. Zero had stood in front of them to protect them, meanwhile security did nothing and left everything to Zero. It was the same during the demonstration, the reaction of the soldiers and his students, as well as during the training with the Anti-Aku Unit.

What am I going to do? Zero desperately looked at Deadra and Sora. Sora began to cry. The pressure and the words of the people were probably too much for her. Deadra also seemed to be getting more and more restless and Zero heard Deadra's claws dragging across the ground. 

More and more soldiers seemed to gather around them, even one of the ATBS became aware of the scene. 

Infected trigger Outbreaks... the words of General Pearce suddenly shot through Zero's head. 

That's when Zero turned to the crying Sora and Deadra and knelt down on one knee, bending towards the two. 

"I will protect you no matter what!" He looked at the two with a desperate look and pressed their heads to his forehead. Tears ran down his face as his hand roamed over Sora's face and Deadra's neck. 

Suddenly, the bracelet on his left arm began to glow. 

Bandages poured out of the bracelet and headed for Deadra's and Sora's collars. The ribbons touched the bands and began to change them. The highly technical collars seemed to dissolve and white collars appeared instead. While Deadra's looked like the necklace Mareike's Aku wore, Sora's was more reminiscent of a jewelry necklace.

The light confused everyone present. The knights and priests immediately began to kneel in awe, while the soldiers looked around in confusion. 

"What happened?" Zero wondered, watching Sora's new collar already seem to disappear into her skin. Sora grabbed her neck, confused where her collar had gone. 

Zero looked at his bracelet, it was still glowing. 

"Zero!" The priest came to him again, who had broken away from his colleagues. 

Zero turned around, startled. "Deadra stay...", Zero was about to say something when the bracelet suddenly lit up and Deadra disappeared into a magic circle. Confused, Zero turned around, but Deadra had disappeared. 

"Where did Deadra go?!" Sora tugged anxiously at Zero's jacket. 

Zero looked at his bracelet again, a magic circle with the same symbol as the one Deadra had sucked in hovered over the crystal that was in the center of the bracelet. But shortly after, the symbol began to change it resembled the magic sigils Zero had seen at school. 

"Is Deadra dead?" Sora began to have tears in her eyes. 

"I think it was sent into the bracelet." Reflected the priest. 

"As in summoning spells?" Questioned Zero. 

"So Deadra's in there?" Sora seemed relieved.

The sudden lighting up of his bracelet and the disappearance of Deadra had dispelled the anger of the people. Zero immediately put a pair of much too large sunglasses that he had with him on Sora, when a few Pandera already rushed to him. 

The situation had calmed down. There was still some tension, as the two masterminds were still on the run, but the worst seemed to be over. The soldiers and medics took care of the wounded and secured the place together with the knights. The Spirits had disappeared, but instead the floor of the Guardian had begun to open up in places, releasing small drones. The drones spread all over the square, even over the walls, and began using small laser beams to eliminate the remains of the Infected. Some even turned to the Pandera, scanning their Gauntlets and repairing their armor. 

"What happened to the Aku?" Asked the Pandera Zero. "And what about the Infected?" 

"They're with me." Zero held one hand in front of him as if to stop the Pandera while he reached for his PDI with the other.

"I see...", the Pandera looked at Zero's PDI, which showed Leon's permission. The Pandera's presence seemed to calm people down and most of the onlookers had gone back to their initial work, but Zero could still hear the hateful comments of some who must have overheard Zero's permission. 

"Are you hurt?" The Pandera suddenly asked Zero as he followed her gaze. His upper arm was indeed bleeding, blood already running down his entire limb. 

"Oh, it must have happened during the evacuation." Explained Zero, looking at the wound. 

"You didn't notice?" She looked at Zero in astonishment.

⬢

The evacuation had been ordered, the transports were taking civilians off the square quickly, and even the frigates were making a point of landing on the crowded square. But the chaotic conditions made an orderly evacuation difficult. Wounded were still arriving at the hospital ships. Many of the people who had still made it out of the tunnel had been wounded and were being cared for. 

"Hey! Stay with me!" One of the medics caught a badly injured man slumped in front of him. "Get a stretcher quickly!" He shouted for help. Immediately, a doctor rushed to the paramedic and looked at the man. His clothes were covered in blood. The doctor removed the clothes only to reveal blood-soaked bandages underneath. 

"Has he been treated yet?" Wondered the doctor. 

"Not that I know of." Replied the paramedic as the doctor was already cutting open the bandages. 

"What is it?" The doctor saw the man's belly.

⬢

"Anyway. About the Infected... maybe we should...", the Pandera began to tell as a bang resounded across the square. 

"What happened?" Asked another Pandera and everyone turned to the source of the sound. 

"What have you got?" Mareike with her Aku and the other Pandera stopped and looked down at the square. 

"I told you we wouldn't give up." Replied the Eye, grinning. 

"No...", Zero looked towards the Guardian. 

A cloud of smoke rose above the evacuation field.