Chapter 36

Everyone stared at the green-haired man who laughed away. The words he spoke made little sense to them but delight was written all over his face. "With that taken care of, let's get onto the main show." 

As he raised his hands, green strings could be observed entwining his fingers. By pulling his hands downward, the strings were stretched out until they became completely straight. 

"Aki!" Suki's shout caused Akiyoshi to move his gaze. Akiyoshi glanced upwards, the strings that now were brightly glowing revealed something previously unseen. The scene was repulsive, with bodies pressed against the ceiling. Some of them molded together into hands and shot down towards Rena and Eiji. Akiyoshi took swift action, cutting down the hands before they could reach anyone. 

Arrows zoomed through the air, thwarting Daniel's attempt to approach while Akiyoshi was momentarily distracted. 

While their fighting raged on Rena couldn't keep her eyes off the green-haired man, something felt strange about him. 

"Rena, stop drifting off and lend us a hand. I won't be able to shield you from them forever!" Frustration welled up inside Akiyoshi as wave after wave of detached hands relentlessly charged towards them.

Rena could completely understand his outburst, despite being the second-in-command of the enforcers, she hadn't pulled her weight since they got her. 

Akiyoshi had to keep up with Daniel and the hands, he did have Suki supporting him from behind, but even with the two of them, it was incredibly hard. They were getting tired and their opponents didn't seem to know what that was. 

Akiyoshi clenched his teeth as he glared at Daniel standing in front of him. With his eyes glowing blue, he adjusted his stance. When he did this Akiyoshi could see a change in the green-haired man's expression.

The hands that previously moved at fast speeds had slowed down almost like they were waiting for Akiyoshi to swing his sword. As the color left his eyes and he meekly swung his sword Akiyoshi could see annoyance becoming clear on the man's face. Now he was completely sure of what was going on for some reason this man was feeling them out.

In an instant, the hands shot forward even faster than before. They moved so fast that Akiyoshi knew he would need to use his powers to take care of them, and he knew that's exactly what that man wanted, but he wasn't worried. 

From behind him, a bullet with purple lighting coming off it shot right past him charring the hand it penetrated. Along with it came support from Suki and Eiji.

With only one hand still coming towards him, he easily cut through it. 

"I apologize for being a burden to everyone. That won't happen again." Rena felt sorry for her behavior until now, as she reloaded her rifle at an incredible speed. While she aimed sparks moved through the weapon. Upon pulling the trigger, the lightning inside the rifle shot forward and amplified the bullet when it left the barrel.

A flesh wall descended from the ceiling, intercepting the bullet and preventing it from hitting its target. After it retracted back, the green-haired stared straight at Rena who had aimed for his head. 

The man pulled onto a few strings, causing lifeless bodies to fall from above and eerily rise to their feet. With all four of them collaborating, they took on the now intensified assault. 

Daniel's body was propelled to the opposite end of the room where the man with green hair was standing, yet as usual, he quickly regenerated and got back on his feet. 

Now that they had gained some ground, they no longer felt trapped against the wall, allowing Akiyoshi to move more freely as he dealt with the rest of the approaching hands and corpses.

With each shot from Rena's rifle and Eiji's pistol, or every arrow that Suki fired, their ammunition diminished, leaving them with the inevitable reality of running out. It caused them to speed up their pace as this thought lingered in their mind.

Akiyoshi cleanly struck through anything that stood in his path as he made his way toward the green-haired man. Out of everything that stood before him, Daniel was still the hardest to deal with. Even with a large bloated figure, he was fast and every swing of his sword was precise like the experiences of the man it embodied were still alive somewhere inside the monstrosity.

Grabbing his sword with both hands Akiyoshi clenched his teeth as radiant blue energy surrounded the sword's blade. The force of Akiyoshi's strike propelled Daniel sideways, causing him to crash through the glass wall and plunge down the building. 

With nothing standing in his path anymore, Akiyoshi Stared at the green-haired man and pointed the tip of his Katana at him. Akiyoshi knew this man wanted to see what they were made of, but he didn't know why. What was his purpose for going easy on them it didn't make sense to him.

Akiyoshi's eyes didn't turn their usual blue as he fought instead they turned a muted gray. Still holding the katana with both hands, he tried to forget the pain as he dashed forward. He moved so fast that to others it looked like he disappeared from the spot he was standing, but in those milliseconds he needed, that short time that took place for Akiyoshi to close the distance so much happened.

When a smile appeared on the man's face Akiyoshi felt like time had slowed down. His eyes glanced to his left and he saw the blade of a cleaver moving straight for his head. Akiyoshi lowered his body and watched as it moved over him while time seemed to go back to normal.

It all happened so fast, that almost nobody had time to react, as Daniel and two more of these mutated humans appeared at the top floor of the CCTP. 

After the sound of glass breaking rang in her ears, Suki found herself falling to the floor, and right after Eiji's screams filled the room. It was all so sudden, but she remembered what happened the cleaver was right above her head if it had stuck she would have been cut in half, yet before it could two hands pushed her to the side.

As she got back up Suki's eyes glowed a muted gray, making the usually kind-looking girl give off a cold calculative vibe. With swift movements, she tried to pull out an arrow, but her hand stopped when she realized she was out. With no hesitation, she swiftly swung her bow through the air, shattering it against the bloated figure that was pointing its weapon toward Eiji.

"Get out of the way!" Suki took a step to the side hearing someone yell at her. When she did a great sword pierced into the bloated figure in front of her. Acting swiftly, Suki seizes the sword's handle and cuts it out of its body, dividing the figure into two.

Rena held her rifle horizontally in front of her as she blocked the sword that was moving down toward her. Taking a step backward the sword slides off and smashes into the ground. When Rena looked at Daniel he was already in his next swing. From above Rena, blades of blood slice through Daniel's body, bringing him to a halt.

"Can you throw it towards me!?" Suki uses all her might to hurl the sword through a gap in the grotesque-looking glass roof and up into the sky. In the air above the building, a woman grabs the greatsword Suki had thrown and lifts it above their head. Beneath her, a platform made of blood appears, Kicking their feet they propel themselves forward, soaring through the air, they crash through the building's roof.

The sword moved with incredible speed toward the green-haired man but it was stopped by strings that created an invisible wall before the man. Natasha glared at the green-haired man before pushing herself backward.

Rosalia descended from above and assisted Suki and Rena in handling Daniel and the other mutant. When her eyes fell on Eiji who was huddled up while quietly screaming in pain she saw his detached leg lying a short distance away. By enveloping his body with his blood and hardening it, she can protect him from any potential attacks.

As they all ended up next to each other, glances were exchanged between everyone before their attention shifted back to the green-haired man and the three mutants standing before him. 

When Natasha saw the bloated Daniel an image popped back in her mind. She remembered a plain littered with the corpses of monsters, nothing was alive except for one person. Blood covered his entire body along with scars, the amount of money she had paid to get all his wounds healed was astonishing, but to her, it was the most worthwhile payment of her life. Looking at him now a rage drenched her entire body, Daniel was a good friend, a brave man, someone who dearly cared for people and his deceased wife. What that man who stood on the other side of the room had done to him was unacceptable to Natasha.

"Do you know how to deal with them?" Natasha who stood at the front looked over her shoulder towards Rena. "No, we do not." Rena answered her quickly, she would have liked to say yes, but that was sadly not the truth. "Then I'll just have to kill the person controlling them." 

The green-haired man began to laugh catching everyone's attention. "This hasn't gone how I expected, but oh well." In his hands, he held a crystal orb that glowed a bright green. Light pulses of energy moved off the orb causing all the glass around them to shatter. As the pulses intensified, a sudden gust of wind swept through the room, adding to the disarray as the walls were ripped to pieces. 

Above the city, a massive control bar materialized, and strings extended from it, latching onto any scattered remnants of flesh. More hands were being morphed by it, as any intact corpse was put under its control.

"Kill them." When the green-haired man spoke these words, the five acted without saying a thing to each other. Before following Natasha and Akiyoshi, Rena handed Suki her rifle and a pouch, which still had some bullets inside. 

Akiyoshi's and Natasha's swords slashed through the endless hoards of flesh that charged in their direction. Didn't matter how many times the control bar reconstructed the arms and corpses they couldn't stand in their way, that was until the two mutants and Daniel joined the fray. 

Dealing with everything on their own was incredibly difficult, but thankfully they had Suki and Rosalia, providing much-needed assistance. Natasha cleaved through the mutant in front of her slashing him in two, while Akiyoshi skillfully created wounds over their body, making them unable to move before passing them. 

In front of Daniel, Natasha swung her sword, but as it came down another pulse came off the orb shaking the floor beneath her feet. Stomping a foot on the floor Natasha tried to correct the bad swing, but it was too late. She lost her grip on the sword infuriating her incredibly, but that didn't stop her. Even without a sword, Natasha charged forward as her energy whirled through her body she exuded a white-bluish shine before slamming Daniel to the side. 

"You keep going and don't look back I'll take care of the rest." Akiyoshi yelled at the weaponless Natasha who ran in front of him. Turning around, Akiyoshi stopped anything from getting close to her.

Natasha gazed at the man with green hair, who was suspended by strings, as he tenderly held the orb. The closer she got the more often the orb pulsed and shook the floor beneath her feet. her legs wavered, but her will didn't she was going to end this. 

Natasha thorn through the strings that projected him with her bare hands. Even though her body was exuding a large amount of energy, blood moved down her hands as mounds accumulated.

"Natasha throw him in the air!" When she got in front of him Natasha could hear Rena yelling at her.

Rena's eyes stayed on the green-haired man as her mind raced, he kept reminding her of someone. She could see them, Ashley, Daniel, and Noah, they stood around her with their faces blurred. It made her feel all alone, she had seen how two of her best friends had ended up and for some strange reason, it made her wonder where Noah had gone, ever since he left the academy she hadn't heard from him. With her eyes wide open she stared at the green-haired man. 

She shook her head, what was she thinking, none of that even made sense. As she sprinted, she swiftly drew her pistol from the holster secured around her waist. 

Rena's words surprised Natasha, but she didn't question them. She quickly grabbed the man who cradled the orb. Ever since the control bar appeared he seemed out of it like the orb had taken over his mind, he didn't act or speak, all he did was keep the orb close to him. As he ascended into the air the green-haired man stared at the moon in wonder. he seemed to have regained some of his sentience as he raised his arm and tried to grab it. 

Raising the pistol Rena's energy coursed through it causing sparks to come off the weapon. "Shoot Rena!" Natasha yelled at her while she hesitated to pull the trigger. Upon witnessing the outnumbered and perilous situations of those around her, she let out a sigh and once again gazed at Daniel's repulsive appearance. "Goodbye." Pulling the trigger a purple bullet swerved up into the air.

The green-haired man was in bliss as he stared at this beautiful scene, as it was nothing like the world beneath him. 

The bullet pierced inside the orb causing large amounts of cracks to spread over it. It shook uncontrollably and the pulses came out more often. As the enormous amount of energy inside broke free, a giant curtain of blood appeared in the distance.

Before the expanding energy enveloped the man's body he slowly opened his mouth and mustered out a few words. "May destruction take the world."

They watched as the orb exploded; the scene was quite magnificent a sky tainted by red with a green sun that was ever-expanding. 

Natasha's gaze shifted to Rena, who appeared mesmerized by the sight unfolding in front of them. "How did you know it would explode?" With a gentle turn of her head, she offered Natasha a warm smile. "I didn't It was just a guess." Natasha's eyes trembled as she fixed her gaze on Rena, detecting the concealed sadness behind her expression. "That was a good guess then."

Heads tilted upwards, they all watched in astonishment until the wall of blood dissipated and the green burning sun faded away.