Chapter 8 : The Fall of Vespera and the Rise of Genghis Khan

I opened my eyes to see the debris of Joseph Stalin's lair. My head was pounding, and my body ached. I looked over to see Okita, still unconscious beside me. I reached over and shook him, "Okita, wake up."

He groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. "We won?" he asked, rubbing his head.

I nodded, "Yeah, we did. How are you feeling?"

"I feel like I got hit by a train," he said, struggling to sit up.

I chuckled, "Me too. But we need to get up, we have to find Vespera."

We stumbled out of the wreckage of Stalin's lair, searching for any sign of Vespera. I saw her in the distance, running towards us. But before she could reach us, she was stopped by a masked figure. I squinted, trying to get a better look.

"Who is that?" Okita asked.

"I don't know," I said, shaking my head. "But we have to go help her."

We rushed over to the masked figure, ready to fight. But as we got closer, I recognized the man under the mask. "Genghis Khan?" I gasped.

He smirked, "So you remember me. That's good, because I certainly remember you."

Vespera charged towards him, ready to fight. But Genghis Khan easily knocked her aside with a single blow. She crashed into the ground, unmoving.

Okita and I charged forward, but Genghis Khan was too powerful. He easily dodged our attacks and knocked us away. We struggled to get back up, but he simply stood there, watching us struggle.

"What do we do?" Okita asked, desperation clear in his voice.

I gritted my teeth, trying to think of a plan. "We need to regroup. We can't beat him on our own. We need to find the others, and then we can take him down together."

We stumbled towards Vespera, but she was already gone. I could hardly stand, my body was aching from the battle with Stalin. Okita helped me up, and we slowly made our way towards Vespera's base.

As we entered the base, I could feel a deep sense of loss. Vespera had been our friend, and now she was gone. Okita and I sat down, taking a moment to mourn her loss.

"We have to keep going," Okita said, breaking the silence. "We have to keep fighting, for Vespera."

I nodded, determination setting in. "You're right. We have to keep going, for her."