Abandon Ship!

The massacre continued with elusive and devastating movements from the swordsman. The indestructible Lapse began to breakdown with the accumulated damage and inside the vault, Ragnarok, Franchise and Killerkill chased Epicenter and Useless. It was large and empty and white basement, with many thick purple pillars acting as individual vaults for each relic encountered.

— Where — go?! — Ragnarok asked, in a rush.

— It’s Epicenter’s VSS! — Killerkill informed, putting her glove on.

— -stealing relics?! — Franchise asked.

Green flashes light up the place as the Draught women dash through the vault, removing entire pillars along with their movement. Although worried about destroying some relics, or maybe even touching something he shouldn’t, Franchise still uses his VSS to cut through space, towards a flash of green light.

— Wai — anchise!!

Franchise missed the gate and due to a strange feeling, didn’t even feel the brunt of facepalming into the wall. Ragnarok and Killerkill noticed the same effect. It was like time was jumping forward a few seconds every now and then. And that’s when Captain Killer started to feel very worried, for she only knew one of the abilities in play.

— What — now?! — Franchise was already up.

Epicenter’s VSS was known as the Bookstore Dimension. With a knife, she’d cut open a portal and gain access to this place. That’s clearly where they were coming and going with all the flashing lights. The real problem was how fast they were doing it. And while dashing from pilar to pilar, sending it all to the other realm, tremors could be felt with the crumbling of the building just above.

— Limbo!!

On the rooftops, before the captain could use his VSS against Evangelist, Juice, and Imperium, he was interrupted by his subordinate, Teacher. The trio were incredibly on edge, not knowing much about the situation or even the enemy power that would have struck them. Yet, as Teacher spoke with her Captain, flames could be seen, brushing off against the landscape.

— We’re running out of time. Epicenter is about to finish.

— Is that so?

— Yes…

Limbo turned around to face her. Her round and gentle face was frowned by worries. Sweat and messy hair implied that she too was in a hurry. The captain smiled patiently at her.

— Well, let’s hurry up then.

The Draught’s Captain turned with ferocity and attacked with a swipe of his hand. Blue energy, like semi-circles resembling waves erupted from him, towards the trio. Imperium snaped his fingers against it, causing the energy’s movement to spin on itself. Juice loaded one of his flare guns and grabbed Evangelist. Jumping off the building, Evangelist also grabbed onto Imperium. Falling, Juice shoots the air beneath them. His bullet was intended to open a gate way to another place.

— To the portal, Teacher. — Limbo walks away.

The woman follows unsure of her actions and fearful of the consequences.

— Franchise!! Take us inside!!

Killerkill aimed at the green flashes. The orange-haired man slices through space once again, now commanded by his captain, he reaches the portal right Epicenter is about to cross. He grabs onto her with his prosthetic and holds her in place through the gate. The building collapses completely, destroying the surroundings and plaguing them with dust clouds.

Ragnarok lightened the gravity on herself and dashed towards her captain, grabbing her and moving towards Franchise. Epicenter tries to stab him and meets the knife with his open palm. Stabbed through the hand, the man still keeps her in place.

— What are you doing?! — Useless yelled from inside the dimension.

— Don’t skip it! — Epicenter yelled back but Ragnarok and Killerkill had already arrived.

The mace-wielder shoulder bashed Franchise and Epicenter out of the way, into the mysterious realm. With the demolition and debris coming down, they barely escape with their lives, and Epicenter is forced to close the gate. A symbol of humanity, fortitude, and advancement.

The Lapse had been destroyed.

Despite the destruction of the Lapse, and its presence in the Wetlands, the Captain Searchers remained focused, perhaps even more focused now, and continued their little war against the Despise and his Meteor Blade.

The rest of the Ballada and the Heavy Draught enter the Bookstore Dimension.

— Franchise!! Take us inside!!

Killerkill sought the green flashes ahead of her. Using the cosmic blessing on his hand, the orange-haired swordsman slices through space once again. Now commanded by his captain, he reaches the portal right as the enemy, Epicenter, is about to cross. He grabs by the shoulder with his prosthetic and holds her in place through the gate.

The building above them collapses completely, destroying the surroundings and plaguing their lungs and eyes with dust clouds. Ragnarok lightened the gravity on herself and dashed towards her captain, grabbing her in the way and crashing towards Franchise. Epicenter tries to stab him and meets the knife with his open palm. Stabbed through the plastic fiber hand, the man still keeps her in place.

— What are you doing?! — Epicenter’s childish ally yelled from within the portal.

— I got this!

Epicenter yelled back but Ragnarok and Killerkill had already arrived. The mace-wielder shoulder bashed Franchise and Epicenter out of the way, into the mysterious realm. With the demolition and debris coming down simultaneously, they barely escape with their lives, and Epicenter is forced to close the gate. The remaining Captain Searchers outside, maintained their focus. Perhaps even more this time around, with less to worry about. They continued their little great war against the Meteor Swordsman, Despise.

Strangely enough, not many Searchers died with the collapse of the Lapse Headquarters. Only three, if you don’t count the five directors. That is because the majority was rescued by the one and only, monster receptionist, Hyuga. The six-armed monster that took care of moving Searchers across all the Wetlands. He too, noticed a strange event taking place. And as the building was falling apart, teleported everyone he could to the outside. Of course, Despise was already aware of him.

— Hyuga…

To old monster’s surprise, it was the Draught’s Meteor Blade who brought it all down. Hyuga was a thin monster made out of a soft and reflective white stone. He had six long arms, all quadruple jointed, that protruded from his back. In the place where the mouth should be, an iron plate nailed to his face, with the engravings that reflected a looming and approaching fate. Scattered around the monster’s bald head, seven pink mouths who moved on their own accord.

— I imagined… you would come…

Seeing the corpses of 9 Captains, carbonized and mutilated next to the swordsman made Hyuga itch. Despise’s wide eyes were a stained orange, and the pupils were a vicious, piercing purple. Their color was easy to notice because this man never blinked and never closed his eyes. Not even a little.

His shady crimson hair was slightly long for a man, but his forehead was clear as the bangs were tied back into a small knot. Barefoot, he wore a crimson and purple cloak over his black uniform. Written in white, across his back, the words: “Imminent Annihilation.”

Hyuga felt the need to wipe his mouth plate and see the next words of fate. Thought, unholily fearsome, Despise was not unscathed. Some superficial scratches could be seen over his cloak, around his legs and a little less on the arms. The clothes were also ragged some. But that was, sadly, all the damage dealt to him. Five excruciatingly long minutes have passed since The Draught started and over fifteen people have already died.

— Be careful Hyuga! Despise finally lost it!

— Of all the people.