Secret Code

Ralphie came running into the city hall area. They stopped not far, noticing that Niklas' guards surrounded it. "Looks like we were right about soldiers swarming the place." Claimed Ralphie.

He was standing next to Harry. Leandre waited in the distance with the citizens that followed them onto the field. He looked at them and waited for Ralphie to give them a mark to rush in. "Ralph, be honest with me. Do you think they can fight those guards? These citizens were never in a proper fight. Do you think we can get through them?"

Ralphie observed the guards patrolling dressed in their uniforms. He reached inside his pocket, grabbed a lighter, and lit a cigarette. "Of course, they can. They want to retrieve their homeland, so I'm sure they're eager to fight for themselves." Explained Ralphie, but Harry was still concerned about proceeding.

"Their job is to keep the guards' attention on them so that we can go through them and enter the city hall's cellar. Once we're down there, we can plant the explosives and finally get rid of the research that Niklas has been keeping a secret. Of course, you're coming with me because you're most likely the only person who knows what's the code to opening that door."

Harry was quite amazed. "Yeah, I do." He nodded. "To be honest, I'm the only person who knows the code. I overheard Niklas talking to one of his sidekicks, and I thought that writing down the code would come in handy in the future. But I couldn't hear the last number, so there's a chance we'll mess up." He explained.

Ralphie listened quietly. "But you know, if we *do* mess up, we'll be locked out of that storage room for the rest of our life. That cellar's walls aren't easy to break through. They're hard enough to withstand strong attacks like your kicks." Ralphie noticed Harry questioning himself.

"And if we don't try, then yours and others' craftsmen's work will be the cause for problems to continue. We can't go back now. And even if we did, our work here would be for nothing, and we'd waste our time while one of our friends was on the verge of getting executed. We need to do this. We need to so that your hard work won't be used by scum like Niklas." Harry continued looking into Ralphie's eyes. He could tell that he was determined to proceed. He trusted him.

"You know what, Ralph? You're right. Make the call whenever you want. I'm waiting." Called Harry. Ralphie nodded and raised his thumb. "Good choice." He faced Leandre and his followers. He raised his arm in the air and hinted to them to proceed.

Leandre became serious. He looked at the citizens behind him and gave them an order. They were ready, and on the count of three, they each rushed from behind the wall.

They shouted and prepared to face off the soldiers. One of the guards noticed them and gave an order. "Hey! Stop them!" he yelled. The whole troop of soldiers made sure to combat the citizens. It turned into a field war. Soldiers and the citizens began to attack each other, with Leandre being their main lead.

Several soldiers and citizens were wounded, and some were close to passing away. Ralphie and Harry took that moment to rush between the ongoing battle. They hurried toward the city hall's entrance, with some of the soldiers trying to stop them.

Ralphie wasn't stopped by them and easily breached their defenses by kicking them; he defeated them as Harry followed behind him. Shouts of men and women were all around, some were painful noises, and the others were battle cries.

They reached the entrance, but two of the soldiers attacked. Ralphie took care of them by knocking them unconscious and looking around the battlefield. One of the women was becoming attacked. Ralphie's personality forced him to step in and help her.

He hopped through the air and dove down onto the soldier. He planted his sole into his face, kicking him away. The woman was relieved and thanked, but once she turned to look at Ralphie, she noticed him kneeling in front of her. Pink hearts were popping out like clouds. "Ralph!" shouted Harry.

He hurried on to grasp Ralphie and dragged him to the door. He barged through them and pushed Ralphie in front, who suddenly became solemn. "So, where is the cellar?" Ralphie asked. He looked around, maybe to find stairs.

"Through that door." It was the furthest door next to the giant window. They ran to it, opened the door, and came into a looping stairwell that led deep underground. "So, all you want me to do is try and unlock the door? Even if I don't know the last number? You're putting a lot of stuff on the line, Ralph."

Ralphie nodded while in the lead. "That's the plan, yeah. That should be the best approach to its current problem. Can you handle it?" Ralphie asked. "I'm not sure. But there isn't anything we can do about it, so it'll have to do." They agreed.

The mist started becoming meager, which allowed Kira to see Ayuka again. She turned to look at her and placed her palm on her hip. "Look who showed up. Did you think that you would be able to stay hidden in the mist forever?" Kira asked. She looked at Ayuka with interest. "Huh? You look different. Skinnier and younger. What's that all about? For some reason, it feels as if your pressure is hidden. Don't tell me you went back in time and got weaker?"

Kira grinned and bowed forward, opening her fingers wide. Her nails reflected the sunlight. "Well, it doesn't matter. It's not like it'll help you beat me. I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart!"

Ayuka was standing upright. She breathed out while her hand rested on her chest.

She made a small gap between her legs and opened her eyes. They shone brightly and particles popped around her.

Kira became unimpressed, her arms stretched in front of her knees, and sweat dripped down her face. "Come on. You look so young. Couldn't you have done something cooler? It makes me jealous to see another woman be prettier than me. I'm not even kidding. You're beautiful, but if you think that'll keep me from slaying you... then you must be stupid." She grinned once again and prepared to lunge at Ayuka. "I'm going to enjoy this!"

Ayuka was calmer than before. She became surrounded by a white glow, and the next moment a powerful wind spiraled from Kira's front. She thought her eyes deceived her but didn't.

She couldn't spot where Ayuka moved, but instead, she could feel a dozen invisible attacks pummeling her whole body. They weren't as strong as before, but because of their speed and numbers, they squished her skin inward.

The punches impulsed, and their brunt power was destructive. Its force lifted her off the ground and pushed Kira's body backward. Before it would knock her away, additional punches struck her back and squeezed her together as if she was getting crushed alive. It forced her to spit out saliva.

Ayuka was standing behind Kira with her right arm stretched. She looked over the shoulder, revealing the white glow that continued flashing.

Kira collapsed onto her knees, holding her chest. She tried to recover her breath, but the more she tried, the more it weakened her, but then she noticed a white symbol glowing on the upper part of her back. It was a symbol of divinity, and something felt odd about it. Kira was sure it was important to keep an eye on and finally became serious.

She rolled backward and shifted into a handspring. She flipped in the air and landed in a squat, distant from Ayuka. "It can't be. You delivered multiple punches at once that I couldn't even see you moved. I guess that power isn't just for show, huh? It has some hidden potential too. You know I'm still feeling hatred toward your friend, but I think I'm more interested in you. You're something else, and I think it's time to accept that you're worth my time." Chuckled Kira and smiled.

She reached for her jacket and pulled it off, leaving herself in a t-shirt. "Here. I think you showed more than enough of your body. I think it's time you put something on." Ayuka became surprised. She noticed that Kira's pupils returned back to normal and that Kira flung her jacket toward her. She caught it.

"I don't have any pants to give you, so I hope you don't mind running around in that underwear." Laughed Kira, making fun of Ayuka.

Ayuka looked into the jacket and smelled its perfume. "It's fine. I don't mind exposing some of my skin." She put on the jacket, and then zipped it. "Don't think that we're buddies now. I'm still here to take you down." Ayuka exclaimed and prepared her fighting stance, continuously using her Divine Essence.

To be continued...