"Plan of Action" (058)

"So, this is Rukaze City...? So, now that our signal for detecting Tim's location has become significantly stronger, what's next? Do we simply go in and retrieve him, or-"

Elliot was baffled, as his companions tried to rephrase the conversation into something more acceptable. "No, rushing in? Do you honestly believe that's the best bet? If this is true, and there are still hundreds of Hoaxers left, along with those three Lieutenants and Genpaku himself, we're in for some trouble..."

Kiyoshi pondered, his chin resting on his fingers. "Besides, trouble is my middle name... there aren't any other options... getting in will be worthless even once we arrive, and if we try to save Tim, I'm sure someone would notice." Elliot claimed, hoping to catch a glimpse of the enemy's troop.

"I know, it's insane... But, to be honest, this is the first time I've agreed with this moron... I believe that creeping in or rushing in is very similar to the ending... We also have no idea what they did to our friend..." Nina clarified.

"Hihi... Well, it's worth our time; who knows, maybe they made him strange, or maybe he turned into a serial killer!"

Others instantly complained after Shion's jokes. "Don't be such a liar! Why would Tim become a serial killer just to get away from them?!" Nina, who was standing still, was enraged.

"I wouldn't rule anything out; it is, after all, a possibility." When our Heroes sensed Tomomi's sincerity, they all grew concerned. "She constantly manages to persuade me... Anyway, let's simply walk into the room and save him..."

"Go in, he says... even though we have no idea how to get *in* there..." Yumi expressed her dissatisfaction, while Elliot remained unimpressed. "So, what are our options? Sit around idling our time away till Tim is already in their control?!"

"In reality, I think Timoshi is already under control..."

"Shigeru, what's the matter? You're going to say something stupid before you've even seen anything? There's no way he'd fall under Genpaku's influence... he may be just like any other human, but there's no way he'd submit to someone else's control that entails playing with their minds."

"By *him*, not by Genpaku..."

"Him? Oh no, you don't! Do you honestly believe Yujiro has him under his control?" Elliot persisted in his belief in our protagonist's demise.

"Don't be ridiculous... an idiot like you would never be able to graduate from the dumb Academy... especially with your tiny brain..."

Elliot sat down and immediately turned aside. "Let's just go in and take a look, shall we? I'm not attempting to waste any more time, and neither should you!"

"Kiyoshi has my support! The last lead we should pursue is wasting time." Nina explained, her voice full of assurance.

"Thank you so much, Nina..."

"Honestly, I've seen what that asshole is capable of, so rushing in is the only and fastest option... we'll run across that idiotic "Trickster" regardless of how we enter..." Alpha explained, her arms tucked into her pockets and her gaze fixed on them.

"But first... I need a favor to ask of you." Everyone's gaze was drawn to Nina. "I'd like to be in the same group as Tomomi,"

"H-Huh? Nina? Why fight when you can't? You know Tomomi's squad will be in grave danger if they meet Genpaku!" Kiyoshi pondered, his teeth clenched.

"That is precisely why I wish it! But it won't just be Genpaku; our group will also come in contact with Tim, so I'm willing to go to whatever length to assist them, no matter what the cost!"

Shion grinned as she noticed Nina's dedication and earnestness in her gaze. "Okay, we've reached an agreement... I generally play support, so I'll be on one of our assault teams... So, Nina, Tomomi, Elliot, and Shigeru... you'll be on our primary attack squad, which will also serve as a rescue team... your mission will be simple: get Tomomi as near to Tim's sword as possible."

"Of course, that will very certainly result in a clash with Genpaku, so he'll be a new threat to you."

"I've had to deal with a lot worse in the past! Besides, if Tim is indeed reverting to his former self, we'll need one of our most powerful units, such as myself, to combat him!" Everyone was taken aback by Elliot's laughter.

"Did you know that Shigeru and Alpha are in a higher tier?" Shion, annoyed, explained. "Come on, you didn't have to say *that* to me... can we just get out of here?"

"This is how the rest of us intend to proceed."

"She totally ignored my words, didn't she?" Elliot spitted to the side, his arms crossed.

Their conversation lasted only a few minutes longer, but once it was over, they broke into few groups.

"Our positions were straightforward. We came to discover a plan while looking around to see whether there were multiple entries. We've discovered that their refuge is constructed in the same way."

"The windows were clearly displaying their construction, but we were unable to get information about the approaching adversaries."

"However, after ascertaining that there were four entrances in total, one of which was blocked, on the Western side of the building, near the Western lookout tower, we've separated into three groups."

"Elliot, Nina, Tomomi, and Shigeru will go through the back Easter Entrance because it is the quickest path to the upper "Keeping Room's Core." Genpaku and Yujiro are expected to be there."

"Western, Kiyoshi, and Yumi will split into two directions on the other side... Yumi will be tasked with removing the Spiritual Hoaxers from the "Gathering Room," as they may cause trouble, while Kiyoshi will proceed straight down the western side of Hall (1) from the entrance."

"His mission will be to eliminate one of the Lieutenants, as we were able to track them down after removing both Lookout Hoaxers from each tower."

"One Lieutenant is seen at the spot guarding at least one option. Ayana is their most powerful unit and the biggest barrier between us and our ally."

"On the other hand, I'm going to support Yumi by going solo from the Eastern Entrance, crossing the attack group on that side, and taking the long way to their Gather Room."

"We'll create a distraction and have Shigeru join up when the Eastern group meets with me. He'll enter through the Eastern Hall, which is the second door to the room where Ayana is."

"Elliot in the middle of fighting Ayana will allow Shigeru to serve as an assassinating duelist who will strike a few minutes later. He's the major assailant against the enemy."

"Of certainly, our adversary will be caught off guard because they expect us to strike from one direction."

"Once the three lieutenants and followers have been eliminated, the eastern squad will surge up to the inner room, where our two primary foes will most certainly prevail."

"If the Western Group's Lieutenant is defeated first by Kiyoshi, he'll move to the gathering room and support Yumi and me; after all, the western side of the hideout lacks stairs to access the core room."

"Once we've gotten rid of the Spiritual Hoaxers, we'll return through the same passage where Shigeru will assassinate Elliot's opponent, and from there, we'll go in to help Elliot, Nina, and Tomomi."

"Shigeru will intervene if things go awry so Elliot and Tomomi can face Yujiro in case our friend is being manipulated."

"I'm very sure that everyone who took on the three lieutenants will follow Genpaku inside the core room before he's beaten."

"With all of us united, we should be able to outmaneuver Genpaku by a small margin."

"Meanwhile, while all of this is going on. Alpha, as one of our most powerful soldiers, will use her Assassin's mobility to try to approach from the roof."

"When we're done, we grab Tim and flee, even if Genpaku is still alive."

And, as a result of their explanation, everyone had already dispersed across the area and entrances.

Everyone assumed their positions as planned, and their "Remove Abspiritual Virus Plan" got underway.

Yumi and Kiyoshi stayed silent on the western side, but after exchanging nods, they both raced in opposite directions.

Elliot and the others sprinted through the first hall on the Eastern Side, and their footsteps could be heard clearly.

Ayana, who could sense the footsteps, was able to count how many there were.

"What a cliche... Four of them are attacking from the entrance in front of me, and the fifth has joined them..."

Shion joined up from a different entrance in the center of the hallway in silence, allowing Elliot, Nina, and Tomomi to pass while Shigeru stood still.

Shion nodded and they both hurried away in silence in the opposite direction.

Yumi, meantime, had arrived at the gathering room's door, which was located on the opposite side of the East.

She slid her eyes between the door and observed a group of Spiritual Hoaxers eating. She let out a sigh and pushed open the door.

Spiritual Hoaxers quickly rose up as their gazes were drawn to her. "I suppose I should start thrashing you, huh?" Yumi cracked her bones and immediately stretched her arm back, forming a long, glowing star.

"We've been breached, everyone! She's only one, so strike her down!" Yumi leaned forward, grinned, and fled at a tremendous speed as the Spiritual Hoaxers lunged for their blades.

She dived under a slice and fell to the floor, slamming the person in the stomach, and then leaped over his corpse when another sliced.

She instantly grasped her foe's legs and slipped him, smashing his mask on the ground, after sliding between the legs of the second Hoaxer.

She twisted and flung her star after sliding on her bottom and springing to her feet. Her star flew at great speed and cut through many of the Spiritual Hoaxer's bodies, eradicating them.

Meanwhile, Kiyoshi dashed down the corridor and slammed through the door, skidding and coming to a halt in a matter of seconds.

His opponent was already waiting for him. "It appears that your day is about to be destroyed!" As the metal of Kiyoshi's blade rang across the room, he swooped his arm behind him.

Shijo simply stood there, unfazed. "You're completely mistaken, Spiritual Duelist, if you think you can overcome me and get to the core room." Shijo maintained his solemn demeanor, showing no signs of anxiety.

Elliot slid in the door at the exact same time, followed by Tomomi and Nina.

Ayana, on the other hand, had no idea that there were only three of them. "You've come to confront Genpaku, haven't you? You don't think I'll let you do that, do you? I'm afraid not, so I'll get things done as soon as possible."

Nina appeared to be concerned, while Tomomi appeared serious.

"I guess I'll just kill you," Elliot laughed, chuckling and pointing to his blade.

As it turned out, everyone was now situated in their interior positions.

On the other hand, Alpha had been working her way through the outer Hoaxers and had begun jumping across building walls in the hopes of getting to the top swiftly.

But the moment she reached its top, someone had been waiting for her when she landed on the rooftop, squatting.

"Would you look at that, the gorgeous Demons' princess has decided to appear..." Yujiro appeared unexpectedly, as though he already understood their entire strategy. "I imagine you didn't want me to waste time confronting you, did you?"

"Who knows, maybe I was just looking for some entertainment; after all, do you really think I'd fail for such a simple plan? Switching locations, collaborating with others... I'm simply here to kill you, but it looks you're missing one... hmm, yes, right... Koyanagi Ayuka, the lovely Goddess herself."

With her careless expression, Alpha's blade had been hanging behind her back. "Sounds like fun... at least this time I'll get a chance to repay you for thrashing me last time."

"When was the last time I did this? That's right! When you attempted to betray my identity! You know, it was a lot of fun... girls, yes... I want to beat the crap out of them... after all, I love how loudly they whimper when they're in pain!"

Alpha inhaled and spoke with a troubled expression. "I guess this is the limit of my abilities... You may make things easier by simply coming with me."

"Come with you? Nah-uh! I believe I'll go for a bite because I want to watch how loud you yell!" Yujiro had a playful expression on his face and scratched the back of his head.

To be continued...