Take Over (1)

Shen smiled as he grabbed Torchwicks's hand and shook it. Neo, on the other hand, looked absolutely dumbfounded as she glared at Torchwick. Seeing her glare, Torchwick held up his hands. "Oh, don't be that way, Neo. This is best for both of us. In any case, it seems I have work to do. Try not to get each other killed."

Torchwick chuckled as he began to walk off, leaving Neo with Shen. Seeing he had just left her there, Neo crossed her arms. Shen walked up beside her, causing her immediately to retreat, showing she was on guard. "Don't be so tense, Neo. You'll find working with me can be very fun. But in the meantime, there is something I do need your assistance with."

Snapping his fingers, he got L1, L2, and Taupher's attention. "L1 and L2, you two manage the White Fang and get them ready. Taupher assists them however you can and resume operations as normal." Three of them bowed as L1 and L2 gave synced answers. "Well, make sure it gets done." Taupher, on the other hand, spoke differently than the twins. "Of course."

Neo glanced at Taupher feeling his change was fairly drastic. As the two of them entered the building once more, Shen had Neo follow him into the room he did his Gaccha System in. "Right now, there is some time before I make a move on the other criminal organizations in the city. So until then, you'll be helping me practice."

Neo seemed confused as Shen turned to look at her. Walking over, he grabbed Gae Bolg, which he had embedded in the ground. And on a better note, he had actually found a good use for Squirmy Fingers. He had really underestimated how much hand movement using Gae Bolg required, and it was made worse by its weight offset.

But thanks to this Quirk, even with the slight amount of practice he had, he could use it as a spear quite effectively through replicating things he had seen before. Spinning Gae Bolg through the air, he looked towards Neo with a smile. He was planning on training his control over Gae Bolg while also defeating Neo and using her as a way to obtain XP.

After all, Zaff alone already gave him an insane amount of XP even if Neo gives ⅓ of what he gave since he's defeating her and not killing her. It was worth it. Pointing Gae Bolg at Neo, Shen smirked. "So, are you ready?" Neo showed a pretty dead-panned expression as she looked at Shen.

"Oh, come on, don't you want to know my capabilities? To see if you're capable of killing me? This is your chance." Neo hesitated as she looked at Shen. After a moment of inner debate, she took a few steps back and opened her umbrella. Standing there, she took a stance that showed she was ready to fight.

"Good girl." Twisting Gae Bolg through the air Shen took his position. The next moment he attacked. Spinning Gae Bolg in his hand, he struck down on her. Neo quickly closed her umbrella and dodged to the side. Seeing that, Shen pulled back and began releasing thrust in a circular motion towards her.

Dodging a few at first, Neo began utilizing her umbrella to counter and deflect most of Shen's attacks. 'Alright, let's see how you deal with this.' Jumping up mid-attack, Shen swung Gae Bolg in an arc towards Neo. Leaning back, Neo attempted to flip out of range; however, in the instant she did, Shen nimbly twisted Gae Bolg causing it to extended in his grip.

Her eyes widened as she hit clean on her side. The weight of Gae Bolg with Shen's strength behind it immediately caused Neo's body to move. She flew to the side towards the wall to Shen's right. Clenching her teeth, she maneuvered her body in mid-air, landing vertically on the wall. Jumping, she leaped straight back towards Shen taking the offensive.

Seeing this, Shen attached a Life Fiber to the end of Gae Bolg and threw it towards her. Gae Bolg cut through the air as it flew towards Neo. The next moment it completely pierced through her as her figure disappeared like a shattered mirror. "Hmm?" Pulling back, Gae Bolg Shen immediately turned around and blocked.

Neo's leg collided with Gae Bolg's shaft pushing Shen back. 'Her semblance really is amazing. What I would do with an ability like that.' Shen was given a moment to think about it as Neo continued her attack. Her fighting style was completely based on her small size and momentum.

She would hardly ever initiate a real attack and simply did it to goad her opponent into attacking with full force. Once they did, she would find an opening or possibly use her semblance to make one and fully counter them. However, that was assuming she had a chance to in the first place. As the pacing of their fight slowly increased, Neo's dodges began cutting themselves close.

Shen was barely utilizing his Life Fibers in the fight, which proved that relying purely on Gae Bolg and his new stats allowed him to force her into a corner. Using her semblance as Gae Bolg seemingly pierced through her, she vanished. Shen's eyes scoured the room before his eyes glanced up.

Neo landed directly onto Gae Bolg, balancing on it as she flipped back, kicking Shen in the chin. She expected Shen to be stunned from the impact or at least the pain for a moment as she retreated. However, Shen did the exact opposite. Seemingly ignoring the attack, he reached out with one hand and grabbed Neo by her leg.

"Gotcha." Neo's eyes widened as Shen turned around and threw her towards a nearby wall. Neo spun through the air for a few meters before opening her umbrella to slow herself down. But as soon as she did, Shen took advantage and rushed her, raising his leg and kicking her in the chest directly.

Her grip on her umbrella loosened as she slammed into the wall. Shen had not held back in the slightest her body nearly embedded itself. Moving his hand, Life Fibers shot towards her pinning her against the wall and restricting her movements. By the time she finally came back from her shock, she saw the tip of Gae Bulg pointed directly at her.

"And I think that ends our little spar, don't you?" Neo's eyes looked as if they were unfocused as she stared at Shen. Clearly, she wasn't expecting to lose their fight even if they weren't trying to kill one another. After staring at Shen for a bit, Neo lowered her head, showing she gave up. Shen immediately felt he had gained XP, which came as a pleasant discovery.

'So defeat is based on if the System believes the opponent has lost, not just on a knockout. I wonder if that counts if I break someone's spirit. If so...' A malicious idea appeared in Shen's head before putting it to the side. Releasing Neo, she was still a bit woozy and almost fell, but Shen caught her with his arm.

As Neo fully recovered, she pushed Shen out of the way and grabbed her umbrella, which had fallen to the floor. "We'll be making a move in around three days, so we'll have plenty of time. I hope you'll perform a bit better tomorrow." Neo glared at Shen before leaving the room. He still had a smile on his face as he made his way towards the couch and laid down. 'Time for that nap.'

Outside the room, as Neo was walking away, she still felt sore all over. Thinking back to her fight with Shen, she immediately felt angry. She knew Torchwick left her with Shen so she could spy on him while he wasn't around. But at the same time, she thought she might have had a chance to kill him if it became necessary. But now, she didn't feel confident about that at all.

And as Shen had stated when she left, their sparring did continue. Sometimes they only fought once a day while others they fought twice. On the second day, Neo fought harder than before. She utilized both her semblance and her fighting style more than she did before. However, although the fight lasted longer, the result did not change.

This continued on to the next day as well and the day after it until finally the time Shen had set previously arrived. "You seem more aggressive today? Is it because you know this is your last chance to beat me?" Shen was taunting Neo as he avoided her strikes and mainly acted defensively while holding Gae Bolg.

Neo's tempo sped up after Shen said that, proving he was right. As he moved his head, dodging a thrust using her umbrella, he saw Neo lower her stance. Avoiding Gae Bolg's area of the effect, she tried to sweep Shen's legs. However, raising his leg, Shen stepped on her foot, pressing it to the ground, stopping her movements entirely.

Swiping Gae Bolg, he hit her using blunt force, knocking her to the ground. "And I win again." At this point, Neo didn't show any looks of shock or surprise and simply clenched her fist. Shen cracked his neck as Neo got up, and he heard an alert from his System. 'Oh well, that's a pleasant surprise.'

[Level Up!]

"Alright, Neo, time to go." Shen left first as Neo dusted herself off and followed him with a solemn expression on her face. As they made their way outside, L1 and L2 were already waiting for Shen. "They are ready for your orders." Referring to the members of the White Fang, Shen saw there were all kinds of Vehicles, mostly Military, lined up outside.

Obviously, the Purple Lotus supplied them, meaning Taupher did a fairly good job managing things. "Good, before we deal with The Black Sheep or The Hana Guild, we need to strip them of any potential support. So our first target will be The Madfall's." From what he knew, they dealt in Dust and were the main suppliers in the city.

No matter what, Dust was one of if not the most valuable thing when in the remnant. Taking control of them would mean Shen would control most of the Dust transportation within the city. L1 and L2 nodded as they began relaying orders through their scrolls. "Alright then, let's get a move on then."

Neo stared at Shen for a moment before following behind him, in which L1 and L2 did the same. Getting into the lead vehicle, everyone began to move. Dozens of Military Jeeps with mounted guns on their roofs and transport vehicles began to drive out of the Purple Lotus's territory. As they drove through the city, this level of force being mobilized caught a lot of attention.

"Is that the Purple Lotus?"

"I think so. Their insignia is on the vehicles."

"No, wait! Those are White Fang members."

"You're right… So the Purple Lotus really did get taken over?"

"In a single night?"

News had spread fast, and while some didn't believe it, others did. Either way, this was confirmation that the Purple Lotus was now working with or for the White Fang. Kuchinashi City wasn't too large or too small. It only took around half an hour before Shen heard L1 say something. "The Madfall's base is down this road, but it's blocked."

Shen's face didn't change expression as he said something."Mow them down then." Unlike the Purple Lotus, The Madfalls had a proper Manor which they owned in the upper regions of the city. With a large wall surrounding it, the only way to get in was through the main gate. They handled all their business in the building itself while the dust was dealt with the underground.

"Open fire!" L1 sent an order through his scroll to the other vehicles behind them. At the front gate, two guards spotted the oncoming vehicles. "What the hell? Aren't they coming in a little fast?" One of them took a step forward, but immediately his eyes widened. The White Fang, who were on the mounted guns, opened fire.

A hail of bullets ripped apart the two guards and the gate."Huh?" Inside the Manor, multiple people heard the gunshots. It didn't take long for them to start raising alarms as more members of The Madfalls made their way outside, guns ready. Shen opened the roof of the car as he looked towards L1 and L2. "Take care of the ones outside. Well, go after their boss."

Neo stood up, following Shen's lead. Right now, the White Fang had gotten out of their vehicles and parked them in a way that let them use them as cover. As soon as the first shot was fired, it became an all-out war zone with both sides firing at one another. "What the hell is the Purple Lotus thinking attacking us. Did the White Fang really take control of them that fast?"

Leaping onto the car, both Shen and Neo completely ignored the battle occurring. Running ahead, they charged straight towards the manor's front door. When they were spotted, some of the guards tried to shoot them. Opening her umbrella, however, not a single shot managed to hit Neo as she jumped and landed on one of the guards knocking him to the ground.

On the other hand, Shen spun Gae Bolg in a way that blocked each shot before throwing it at the guard. The attack pierced straight through the guard's heart as he died on the spot. Pulling on the handle of her Umbrella, it revealed a thin blade. "Wai-" Before he could speak, Neo pierced his throat.

After dealing with that, Neo looked around before staring at Shen. "If I had to guess, he's on the top floor. L1 and L2 should be able to handle the guards outside, holding back our main force. All we have to do now is reach their boss, and they'll be done for." Neo nodded as she began searching for the stairs.

'Though it'll be a shame if we rush to the final boss. Perhaps that'll be a good chance to test out my theory.'