End of the Syndicates

Author's Note: This chapter does contain a bit of magic use, but nothing extremely supernatural.

Day: Sunday

Location: Akira's Bedroom

Time: Morning

I sat up quickly after my Precognition activated, showing me a vision of Naomi. I held my head and used my Clairempathy to try to sense Naomi, but she was too far for me to sense her. Clairempathy couldn't go beyond the radius of an entire medium sized city. She was all the way in Sanctuary Lake while I was still in Twilight Central.

I got up and went to put my clothes back on. I looked at Akira who was still obviously sleeping. I quietly left her room then hurried downstairs to go outside back to my car. I hurried to my car then got in and drove off.

[Naomi is in danger.]

"Yeah I know. My Precognition showed me the future. I have to get there fast. I don't know who the people are putting her in danger, but whoever they are will be punished no question.." I said.

[Hurry. I estimate you have 20 minutes before the actual event happens.]

I nodded. I began speeding down the road and swerving through the Sunday traffic to hurry and get to Sanctuary Lake before 20 minutes pass. Naomi was the only thing on mind and my heart raced quickly. If I had to guess who would put her in danger, it would most likely be Lane and his friends.

"Lust, tell me what does Peak Human Perception do." I said.

[Peak Human Perception is an ability that allows the user to have advanced analytical and observational skills as well as a keen eye for details. The user is also well-aware of their surroundings and perceptive/insightful of anyone/anything that they observe/analyse, allowing them to see through the behaviour of any observed subjects, and gain clear understanding of details that others are hardly noticing from said subjects.]

"Any notable abilities that come with it that I can use?" I asked.

[Yes. The most useful to you is the Accelerated Thought Process, Danger Intuition, Emotion Regulation, Hyper Awareness, Tactical Analysis, and Body Language Analysis. With Hyper Awareness, you literally have radar senses.]

"How would that work?" I asked.

[You can see body heat and sense around you at 360 degrees whenever you activate your ability. Hyper Awareness can do much more than that, but I'll let you figure the rest on your own. I don't have much time to explain as we are already here..]

"One last thing...can I tell anyone about my abilities and things like that?" I asked.

[The higher ups don't care if you say anything. It's your life and your job is only to date women and grow your love life or whatever you got going on. My job is to be your personal robot and Lustie's job is to help you. Say whatever you want, just don't die.]

I nodded then stopped my car and looked at Naomi's house then got out and ran to her house. I rang the door bell rapidly. I waited a little then noticed Naomi opening the door and rubbing her eyes.

"Geez...could've called before waking me up like this.." Naomi yawned looked surprised as I rushed inside then hurried to close all the blinds and certains. "Shiro what the hell is going on? What are you doing?"

I turned around to Naomi. "I need you to listen to me. You are in a lot of danger right now. Lane and his friends...they are coming after you and if we leave right now, I can save you before any of that happens."

"What..? But you killed Axel and Sebastian. What more does the Syndicates want?" Naomi sighed and crossed her arms. "Also I already disbanded the Karma Gang. There shouldn't be any more gang wars."

"This isn't a gang war in progress...this is targeted. Look you're not gonna believe me when I say this, but I can randomly see visions that allow me to know future events even if it's seconds before it happens." I said.

"Ha! Cap. You'd have to be like Doctor Strange or some shit like that and last time I checked, you're not a Marvel character..~ Look..." Naomi said then walked to me and gently held my jacket in her hands then kissed my lips. "I understand you're worried for me, but I'm fine..~ Just go-"

Motorcycles were heard outside and we looked at the door.

"Get down!" I yelled then dove to the ground with Naomi then she squeaked loudly as gunshots were heard and bullets came flying through the windows.

"What the fuck?!" Naomi screamed.

Lane kicked open the door and smirked then looked at us on the ground. I looked up and stood up then noticed a syringe in his hand.

"Lane! You bastard!" I yelled and ran toward him then watched him inject himself with the syringe and he became just like Axel, empowered off the drug.

He punched my stomach and I groaned then he kicked me away. I slid backwards and stumbled then panted a bit. Lane walked to Naomi and picked her up then dragged her out of the house. "If you wanna see her again, come to the Yellow River Junkyard. If we don't see you there within 30 minutes...well...you know what will happen."

"Shiro!" Naomi cried out to me.

I ran toward her and Lane hurried to his motorcycle then drove off with his friends. I ran toward the motorcycle, and began catching up with them before Lane shot my legs and caused me to trip then fall.

"That's plot bro! That's plot..!" I groaned and looked at my leg and noticed the bullet was burning my legs. "Fuck what the hell are these bullets..?"

Lustie teleported to my location and looked at my legs. "Huh...magic bullets..? Now where could those goons have found bullets like these..?"

"I don't care where they found them, just take them out of me!" I groaned.

Lustie snapped her fingers and the bullets were extracted from my legs then she healed my wounds. "Hm...None of my sisters are in this world so I can count that possibility out. This can be the works of an Alchemist, but a human who can learn alchemy shouldn't be possible. Maybe we can find that answer in Yellow River.."

I stood up and heard motorcycles. I looked back and noticed it was Mariana and Dante. "Mariana, Dante."

"Shit dude, seems like we're too late." Mariana said then looked at me.

"What are you two doing here?" I asked.

"We are here to save Naomi. After what we were told by Lane, I knew we couldn't sit back and let him go through with this. He's planning to use Naomi to draw you out and kill you." Dante said.

I looked ahead and ran to my car. I started it and Lust-E turned on her radar as she began tracking Lane and his friends. "I'll lead the way. I know where he's going!"

Mariana and Dante nodded then moved out of the way as I drove after Lane and the others. Mariana and Dante drove after me. Lustie appeared beside me in the passenger side in her human disguise.

"So...Humans can perform Alchemy. According to what the higher ups told me, few humans have learned to use Alchemy since the first centuries AD. Alchemy is very prevalent in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Can you believe it? Humans are capable of using magic but the number of them are so low that it's barely noticed....this alchemist might be a descendant of the few who mastered it and if that's the case.." Lustie looked at me.

"I can learn Alchemy." I said.

"If the Alchemist is a female you've gotta keep her around." Lustie smiled.

"Doubt it. This alchemist is the reason those bastards have an upper hand on me. I'm killing them and ending the Syndicates once and for all." I said.

"Fair enough." Lustie shrugged and smiled.

"What's the Red Hair talking about? What does she mean by Alchemy?" Mariana asked.

"She means there's someone within the Syndicates that can actually practice this All-Chemistry, Hermetic Magic stuff." I said.

"The fuck? Didn't that shit die our a long time ago? Witchcraft shouldn't be a thing anymore." Mariana said.

"Well it isn't really witchcraft or anything occult, but it does give these bastards an upper hand in this situation...if we take out the Alchemist, we can basically take out the others as well." I said.

Dante and Mariana nodded then we kept driving toward the location.

Day: Sunday

Location: Yellow River Junkyard

Time: Afternoon

I stopped my car and got out then walked ahead with Lustie, Mariana, and Dante following behind me. I looked ahead and noticed Lane, Romeo, Kismet, Adam, and Jake. I noticed Naomi, who was on the ground and passed out, with her hands tied with rope.

"So you finally made it! Good. Now we can get this started and I see you've brought my dear friends with you. Mariana, Dante! Join me for this moment!" Lane laughed.

Mariana glared at Lane then balled her fists. Dante looked Lane seriously and didn't move. Lane noticed their disobedience and smirked.

"Whatever. Stay over there, but at the end of the day...you still belong to me." Lane said.

"Hand over Naomi, Lane. I'm serious about killing you." I said then reached behind me.

Lane pointed his pistol at Naomi's head and looked at me. "Nope, I'm calling the shots now. You killed two people I were very close with. My fucking brothers! Axel and Sebastian didn't deserve that shit!"

"Fuck you mean didn't deserve it?! He attacked Naomi and I saved her! You think I was gonna sit back and let Naomi die?! Fuck no!" I yelled and glared. "Naomi is my girlfriend and I won't allow you to hurt her!"

Lustie looked at me then at Lane and the others. 'Tch...the higher ups won't allow me to get in between mortal quarrels, but they have an Alchemist which will put Shiro in a lot of danger. I don't sense a Philosopher's Stone so they must be a basic level Alchemist. They are still human so that's a relief...but their weapons have some form of magic in them which breaks through Shiro's Peak Human Endurance and Durability. They know about Shiro...how can I help if I can't interfere..?'

"How are Jake and Adam out of jail?" I asked.

"I bailed them out." Kismet smirked.

"You ruined our lives..! You caused me and Eric to get kicked out of Matsugaya! You took everything away from us! Our sisters, our careers, our goals! Eric has to move back to America with his parents now because of you! Now...we will take away something most precious to you." Jake said then pointed his pistol at me. "Your life!"

"Shiro dodge!" Lustie yelled.

I dodged the bullet then dashed towards Jake and glared. I dodged more bullets coming from Romeo and Kismet. I used my speed to teleport a short distance behind Jake then went for a chop at his neck. Lane blocked the attack then kicked me backwards. I slid back and stood up straight then popped my knuckles and my neck.

"It's five against one, Shiro. You have no chance of winning!" Lane laughed.

I looked at Naomi then looked at the others. I got in my stance then ran towards them again. I unholstered my pistols then dodged their attacks then kicked Adam back then dodged Romeo's punch then punched his stomach and he groaned. I shot him on his leg and he groaned loudly in pain before falling on one knee. I dodged Kismet's attack that came from behind then elbowed his stomach. He coughed a bit of blood and groaned. I kicked him into a pile of scrap metal.

"I'll kill you-" Jake yelled then groaned as I shot him in the stomach without looking at him. He stumbled backwards then fell to his knees, holding his stomach.

Lane smirked and looked at me. "Well well...you took down four out of the five of us. You know...you always struck me as odd, but the Alchemist with us figured out how you were able to pull off these feats no normal person could." Lane pointed at Lustie.

Lustie glared and balled her fists.

"She's a demon isn't she? You sold your soul to become who you are now right?" Lane said.

"Well I didn't sell my soul. I just happened to be one of her clients that was able to grow beyond normal human standards. But it isn't about her. Now it's about me and you. Killing you would get rid of the Syndicates once and for all....allowing Naomi to be free for good." I said then pointed one of my pistols at Lane.

"Heh...That's what you would think, but I am not the true leader of the Syndicates. The Alchemist is and she is the strongest member there is. She might only know the basic magic, but overall...she will be able to kill you. If you want to get to her...you have to get through me!" Lane laughed then got in his stance.

"Shiro. His gun has magic bullets. It can break through your Peak Human Body and actual cause you physical harm or even kill you if it hits a vital organ." Lustie said.

"Bro, I don't think we can beat Lane." Dante said.

"I'm sorry to say this but Naomi is gonna have to be sacrificed! I don't know what the fuck the redhead is talking about but this might be a fight we might have to back out of!" Mariana said.

"I'm not letting them get what they want.." I said calmly then awakened my ability Tranquil Emotions. I activated my Adrenaline then activated my Emotion Empowerment.

"Shiro.." Lustie said in awe.

I ran towards Lane and swiftly dodged his first attack then appeared behind him then punched his back. He groaned and arched his back. I dashed in front of him then elbowed his stomach and he slid back. He grunted and found his footing.

"He's got full control over himself...but how..?" Lane said to himself.

Lane growled then ran to me again. I analyzed his body language then began to dodge each of his strikes. I titled my head to the side, avoiding a bullet. I ran towards Lane and he looked surprised as he blinked once and I was already behind him.

'He's faster..' Lane thought then groaned as I punched his cheek.

I clenched my teeth and glared as I put all of my strength into the punch. I heard a snap and knew I broke Lane's neck with an incredibly powerful and anger boosting punch. I sent him crashing into a pile of junk cars and caused the cars to fall on top of his body. I managed to kill Lane and his friends looked astonished.

I panted and stood up straight.

[Stamina has fallen to 57%]

Naomi grunted lightly as she heard the commotion going on. She opened her eyes slowly and noticed me untying her hands. I pulled her up and helped her over to Mariana and Dante.

"Take her and go beyond Sanctuary Lake. She needs to be in a safe location. I'm gonna end things here and now." I said then walked off.

"Where...where is he going?" Naomi asked.

"He's going to kill the true leader of the Syndicates.." Dante said. "Let's get out of here."

Mariana nodded then the three of them left on their motorcycles. Lustie stayed behind and followed me. I looked back at her and she looked at me worried.

"I need to give you this. I can't directly interfere with your battles unless it's a threat you yourself can not stop. This Alchemist is still human so it's considered a mortal quarrel based on what the Higher Ups say. Once you defeat the Alchemist, Naomi will truly be free from this mess." Lustie said then summoned a katana that was sheathed inside of a black scabbard with red rope tied around it. The handle was black and gold, and the hilt was purely gold. I unsheathed the katana a bit and noticed the blade was black and red.

"Thank you." I smiled at Lustie.

"That katana was personally crafted by me in my homeworld. It was gonna be a gift for one of my clients, but they all had peaceful harems and it was boring, but you could make use of this. I haven't given it a name yet..maybe you can?" Lustie smiled.

"Hmm...well I am gonna assume you made this from your lust magic so...Iyarashi?" I looked at Lustie.

"Iyarashi. Sounds nice." Lustie smiled then looked ahead and stopped. "Well...it's time."

I looked ahead and noticed a woman sitting on the ground. She had long black hair, wore a black alchemist jacket that had the Syndicates logo on the back. I could noticed her silver metal arm on her right side.

I walked closer to her and noticed her head move a little. I stopped and glared at her.

"I know you're there...Shiro." The woman said then stood up. She turned around smirked at me. "I know why you're here and frankly, I won't let you kill me. In fact you need me. I know of your secret, I know of the Love Demon! All my life as an Alchemist, I wanted to learn as much magic and science as possible but couldn't go beyond the basics because I need a Philosopher's Stone and to create one, it would require Prime Materia. A material not found normally and your Love Demon has blood that can make the Philosopher's Stone complete. Do you know what a human could do with such a stone?! If a human were to consume the stone, they would be able to wield magic beyond what is physically possible! I can make the first Elixir of Life! I could bring the dead back to life! I could become immortal! I could transcend normal human evolution! I can become God!"

"Why are you leading the Syndicates? What is your goal in this..?" I asked. "And who are you?"

"My name..? I am Ruby Whitmore and my goal is to become the first Alchemist to ever create the Philosopher's Stone! I want to become the first Physical Goddess! The Woman the world worships! I want to transcend into the higher plane! To do that, I needed souls and the people you killed including Lane wasn't enough...I need...your soul. You have the strongest soul out of all 8.1 billion humans on this earth. Your soul will be enough to form the incomplete Philosopher's Stone, but your love demon will help in making it complete!" Ruby laughed.

"Well...I won't allow you to complete your goal. Right now you're still human and you will die a human so I can forever free Naomi from the mess you started!" I yelled and unsheathed my katana then unholstered my pistol.

"Very well...I'll just forcefully take it!" Ruby bellowed then unholstered her black alchemy pistol and unsheathed her sword.

We jumped backwards from each other. She had a slighter upper hand if she caught me off guard as her bullets would fatally wound me or even kill me.

I ran ahead and watched her movements. She fired off multiple bullets at me. I deflected them with my katana and used my speed to appear in front of her and slashed at her. She grunted and blocked my attack. She stumbled back then fired a bullet at my head. I dodged the bullet last second then punched her stomach. She groaned and coughed blood. I bellowed and sent her rolling backwards. She rebounded off the ground then her hair covered her right eye.

"I'm not losing to you!" Ruby bellowed and slammed her hand on the ground and began to generate electricity into her metal arm.

"Shiro!" Lustie called out.

I glared then ran toward Ruby. She aimed her pistol at me and I looked surprised when she shot a beam of lightning at me. I barely avoided the beam then rushed ahead toward her. I fired multiple bullets at her and she deflected them all. I jumped up and slashed down at her. She blocked my attack then pushed me back. I sweep kicked her then went for the decisive strike, but she dodged it by rolling out of the way.

She stood up and palmed my stomach. I grunted then she began to electrocute me with her lightning and I yelled. She kicked me away, causing me to roll on my side.

"Shiro!" Lustie hurried to me and crouched down. "Shiro!"

[Stamina has fallen to 23%]

I slowly stood up and spit out blood. I looked at Ruby and noticed her smirking.

"There's no winning for you! So just give up! You are only delaying the inevitable!" Ruby laughed.

I wiped my mouth then bellowed and ran towards Ruby. I only had enough stamina for three attacks and I had to make them count.

She fired another beam of lightning at me. I dodged the beam and punched her stomach. She groaned and coughed blood. I then uppercut her chin and she grunted loudly. I bellowed then impaled her with my katana, striking her through the chest. The blade faintly glowed as the blood got on it. She looked surprised and blood came from her mouth. She dropped her weapons then the lightning around her arm faded away. I took my sword out of her body then flicked my katana, getting all of the blood off the blade. I sheathed my katana then watched her fall to the ground.

"My dream..." Ruby started and reached her hand up. "It was so close...and yet now it's so far away...heh...Shiro Moji...you amaze me. An unstoppable human."

I slowly walked to Ruby as I was now out of stamina. I fell to one knee and panted.

"...this isn't over though. There are more Alchemists who wish to create the Philosopher's Stone...who wish to become Physical Godhood. Science...rules the universe...and the power of the universe can be created into one stone...enjoy your victory.." Ruby said then closed her eyes and died on the ground.

Lustie looked at me then watched me stand up. I grunted and she rushed to me and held me up.

"I was fully prepared to give you some of my power...but you killed her with your own strength. I'm...impressed..." Lustie said.

[Lustie's Bond Percentage rose to 15%]

She reverted to her Love Demon form then teleported me back to my house then teleported away to get my car and bring it back home.

"A human who knows how to use Alchemy to the point of Elemental Generation and Manipulation...she wasn't even Peak Human...she just knew what to do. Even with Level 10 stamina he can't fight forever. Luckily she seemed to be the only Alchemist around Destiny Island...but she said there were more. Who knows how many are there...but it isn't our problem. Now that the Syndicates are gone, Shiro can finally focus on his work.." Lustie smiled and sat on the couch. "One more woman...and he will have me. Why...am I excited for this..? I'm actually getting wet just thinking about it..."

[Achievement Unlocked: Saved Naomi 100%]

[Reward: Karma's Charm]

[Credi Earned: 10,000]