Life in Lyranias was transpiring as usual. It was afternoon and people were filling the streets of Utopia and moving hurriedly whether it was to their work or to return to their homes, everyone had their own problems to care of, they couldn't be bothered with whatever problems may arise that had nothing to do with them. Everyone seemed to be entranced while walking towards their destination, some were holding their phone while walking and others had their headphones on as they were walking. But all of this was interrupted.

*BZZZZZZ*

A blank sound was emitted from every electronic in the island as a whole, as if someone just changed the TV channel promptly and without warning. Many jumped from the surprise, mainly because their phone and every TV or computer around was now transmitting an important message from the ruler of Lyranias, hence the sound.

The bearded man, who appeared to be rather old, stroke his beard before speaking. Elbel Anders Nesterov cleared his throat and then opened his mouth ever so slightly to address his people.

"People of Lyranias. Today I come to you to inform you of a most horrible thing that has happened in our peaceful Lyranias. As some of you may know, yesterday, hiding themselves in the shadows of the night, there was an attack directed to the Alstreim, being more precise, an attack directed to the School of Advanced Swordsmanship." Elbel coughs before continuing with his speech. A slender hand from out-frame hands Elbel a cup of unknown contents to the public, which she drinks. "Thanks a lot, boy. Now, as I was saying, The Alstreim suffered no major damages and while their ruler has expressed his discontent with this, we are working our best to discover the identities of the perpetrators of such a horrible act. For now, we have discovered that the perpetrators aren't Connecters, they are plain humans carrying guns, from a terrorist organization. I ask you all to be wary of anything and anyone that may look suspicious. I desire you all a good day and safe travels."

*BZZZZZ*

The transmission cuts and every electronic returns to normal. Many continue walking as if nothing at all had happened. Some high school girls laugh it off rather loudly, but a single hooded man grits his teeth after hearing such a thing. "Do we need to rush things, after all? They aren't even taking it seriously! Damn it all!" The man tightens his fist. He turns around and directs to the central square of Utopia.

In said square, where the sun sets in beautifully and many couples come to spend some quality time, the man arrives. He gazes into the place. A fountain sits in the centre of it all and makes for the cherry on top, apart from the fountain, everything else looks spectacular, 4 large green areas which almost seem to be a forest of their own, decorate the square and rows of benches set across the paths between one little piece of forest and the other. The man grits his teeth again.

Before he can continue cursing everything inside his mind, another man passes by him, whispering "Everyone's in place." After hearing those words, the tense expression of the man changed for a smile.

"Excellent. At my signal then." He says louder than the other one, who only shakes his head, unable to believe a man like that can be leading something like this, but not long after, he gives a thumbs up and runs off.

The man takes his hood off, as well as a rifle which he had been hiding inside his clothes before.



A burst of shots is heard all throughout the park. Many people crouch in fear, others valiantly start walking towards the man, knowing that most possibly their weapons will be futile against their powers. However, before being able to reach him, explosions start popping out from everywhere, the trees in which the explosives were set quickly fall down. Many other people in the same square take out their weapons as well, all lock-and-loaded, they point their weapons against the Connecters they now had surrounded. Knowing that it may not be the best idea to try and confront so many people, many others also cease their hostilities. They have now become hostages of this group of extremists that somehow infiltrated into Lyranias.

"Okay, listen here people!" The bearded man shouts. "We don't like ya taking on the spotlight an' livin' here in such a peaceful manner. It pisses me off that ya can do so many things while the rest of us have to work our asses off to at least have a quarter part of what ya haft here!" He takes his rifle and goes near one of the hostages, a little kid. He points his weapon at the kid's head. "So, we came to crash on your party, darlin's!" The mother of the child quickly covers him. "Tsk, borin'." The man says after the woman covers his child. "But still, we ain't on to killing those that are the same as us. If any of ya is a simple human just visitin' here, then please stand up and come over here. We'll hand ya a weapon." Some people start standing up, afraid of their lives and take up a weapon. "Ya must think that Imma little stupid for doing this, whoever wanted could just shoota me and it all ends here. But that ain't gonna be so easy!" He takes of the hood, now completely, to reveal that under it his whole body is covered with explosives. "And this ain't just me! Everyone else here has the same quantity of explosives attached to their body! So if ya try anything funny, we'll all go to hell!"

The situation seems tight. Whatever this people want seems to be big enough as to risk their lives for it. However...

---

Back in the government's headquarters, Elbel is sitting on his chair, in front of the desk, where a young man is resting as well.

"Do you truly believe this will drag them out?" Elbel says, while resting his head on his hand.



"Of course, Elbel-sama. They will never expect it to be a trap set to catch them," Ryo says with a smile.

"I trust you will also ensure that no lives are lost, Ryo."

"Elbel-sama, you offend me! Everything will go according to the plan! Unless we have an unexpected 'Hero' factor. I just hope no one is crazy enough to do that before authorities arrive, because if they do, it is probable that will lose many people."

"Hmm...." Elbel closes his eyes while thinking of what to do.

---

Many curious bystanders were now trying to steal a peek on whatever was happening on the central square. Not many were willing to go and try to stop whatever was happening, though. Alexander was between those bystanders. He was unsure whether he should interfere or not. He thought that maybe the police would arrive soon and that then he could join them, but if some brave soul wanted to help then he would join them, but for now he'd just be in standby.

That man and his goons made the biggest mistake of their lives, Lyranias is a home for the united, a home of unity and fortification of honor and nobility regardless of race, language or religion, to build a democratic society, based on justice and equality, so as to achieve, happiness and prosperity and progress for the nation. As a matter of fact, the Tsurara Clan Police Force were already implanted in cover, some of them are bystanders in disguised, they are able to send the information they see instantly by spreading the word. Hence, the Police Force will be arriving in thirty seconds or less, never mess with the Tsurara because justice will be served cold.

---

Police Force Deputy Captain.
Detective Sayaka Tsurara

The woman clapped her hands as she approached the bearded man and strips off to her Police Uniform, "Freeze! You are hereby raped and under arrest by the Tsurara, would you submit yourself k-kindly, after all we're gonna have a good time." She said it and it follow by a platoon of bystanders that appeared to be Tsurara police women, their seduction knows no bounds.

“Just a tourist, don't shoot me, please.” Haru had said calmly and had then approached the terrorists with his hands on his head. He'd lived most of his life pretending not to be a connector, fooling a bunch of madmen was hardly a challenge. Once Haru received his arms, he simply slipped to the back-lines and summoned Mizaru and made himself and the statue invisible to their surroundings. All the noise easily covered his footsteps as Haru removed himself from immediate danger. Haru took a minute to inspect his new gun; business had been slow on an island where the majority of it's inhabitants were supernaturally inclined. Surely this gun would score him a pretty penny. A man needed to eat, Haru thought, as he disassembled the weapon and wrapped it in his jacket, which he bound to his bo-staff making it seem like a knapsack. The weather was a good enough to excuse the magician to go out shirtless, and he had the body to pull it off. Once his disguise was finished, he dismissed the monkey and reappeared behind a tree; just outside of the terrorist and hostage circle. However, during his escape, the stand-off between terrorist and islanders had escalated. Women hostages stripped down to a police uniform, even if they looked more like they'd belong in a gentleman's club than a law enforcement organisation.

Things were a hell lot different on Lyranias. Terrorism inspired by jealousy, police officers in fishnets. It'd only been a few days on the island, but it was already more bizarre than what Haru attempted to convey in his magic shows. Still, he got a free rifle out of it, he could hardly complain. Now all he had to do was to get out of the park, find a dark alley, sell his spoils and pick out a restaurant. However, Haru could not help but be curious about how the local police would try and deal with terrorists. He climbed the tree to get a better view of what was happening, looking down on the stand-off. This might just become interesting.

"Zzzz..." Roville Merthus snored. It was afternoon, and obviously that meant having an afternoon nap. For those who work during this time, too bad. Roville Merthus is above working. T'was a summary of what was going on inside his dreams of wealth and fame, and Roville grinned in reality. It seemed so real, all that money-

*bang bang bang*

"Whu- what?" Roville sat up with a start. He heard gunfire, or at least he think he did, if he was even lucid. "Guns? What in the world is happening out there?" Roville got out of bed, still in his pajamas and opened the door to his flat. He immediately slammed it shut when he saw a group of men holding rifles in the park across the street. "I think I'd better stay out of this." Roville was about to climb back into bed, but then he heard...

"Ya must think that Imma little stupid for doing this, whoever wanted could just shoota me and it all ends here. But that ain't gonna be so easy!"

Curiosity got the better of him and he peeked through a window to see what was happening now. "E...explosivessssssss!" Roville observed frantically. "Oh no oh no what should I do?! If the explosion hits my flat, I won't be able to pay for another!"

A brass scale popped out of nowhere and replied, "That's what you're concerned about? Roville, you're not a man at all."

Roville's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "What do you mean by that?" He then caught himself and shouted, "Ah, this isn't the time! I've gotta stop those jokers before my house goes down in ruin!"

With that, he ran out, pajamas and slippers and all. The very first thing that greeted him was a man in the tree just outside his second storey flat. He seemed intent on observing the brouhaha opposite the street, and looked extremely suspicious, but suspicious men in trees were the least of Roville's priority right now. Roville dismissed Libra and dashed across the street, where police had already arrived, but the situation merely seemed to tense up even more. Roville attempted to join the onlooker circle discreetly, but failing dismally due to his yellow pajamas. He decided to observe the situation since the police were already there, but if things got out of hand, he would interfere, at least to save his flat.

Illua had been lazily floating along on thermal as she attempted to find their recipient. She herself was having trouble finding him, then a little voice in her head interrupted her search. Saw him. Onlookers, right below. Deliver and then assess the situation. We may need a few feathers to tickle their noses. She nodded and did a slow wingover into a dive, folding her wings against her body to maximize acceleration. She waited until the final ten feet to spread her wings and abruptly slow her descent as she landed softly beside their recipient. She took out a package wrapped in brown paper and held it out to him. "Bad time for a delivery, but here it is. Came from a woman in the business district." She glanced over at the group of crazies before motioning with her head over to them. "You look antsy. Looking to do something about them?"

Utopia... A play of aesthetic magnificent beings living unified. Unhappiness seemed like a feeling not pondered by the inhabitants of this Eden on earth. It is only a matter of time until the forbidden fruit will be tasted. Falling from paradise, in a way, is the only way to really have any fun around here...
A small skeletal boy rested on what seemed to be the only dying tree. Not really anywhere, no electronics or people around him. Pondering and wondering about the things this place could still offer him. Any injustice tends to be dealt with by the authorities. Majority of any fun is stolen from him. The blades he carried only for show it seems. Grimm pulled himself up and away from the tree that has homed so many guests. His yellow eyes darted around, really looking for anything of interest. Unfortunately, nothing.
"Train...Train... Improve myself for what?" He smirked when he realized he really just ran around any area with trees slashing at anything. This place was perfect it appears, not needing any help. As if his goal had been achieved without any work from him. Then why did he feel empty?

A scheme of beautiful tranquility will always be shattered by the desires and splendors of wicked men.

He adjusted his black hair out of his eyes and dusted himself off. He then heard gunfire. Then explosives. He did not need his friend to tell him this was his chance.... To help people of course.
To repair the withered and chipped old blade that is humanity, first any dirt and dust that has collected must be wiped away.
He had started walking toward where the explosives originated, soon going into a full sprint.
When he had found that many trees were knocked over, he gritted his teeth. Unnecessary damage to anything pissed him off a bit. Because something can't scream doesn't mean you should stab it... He continued walking and soon he had seen the men with guns holding hostages and prepared to kill anyone. Also some stripping police lady, rewarding people for their crimes with a good view? Strange world, Aye? Unfortunately, he was easily spottable, a few feet away from any other bystander, and had stopped his running immediately when he had found all the armed men.
Some People willing to have fun?

Enrico was a man of simple tastes. He was spending this fine evening relaxing in Utopia, drinking a nice warm cup of joe in nearby a cafe with a nice view of the square from the hilltop vantage point. Or at least, that was how he planned to spend the rest of the afternoon. Unfortunately, Murphy's Law was in full effect today as, almost immediately after the whole warning public service announcement with the Nesterov Clan's elder, he heard the sounds of explosions, screaming, gunshots, and rather loud yelling. It seemed that he was no longer viewing a nice, peaceful park-plaza and was instead being witness to a rather large hostage situation. How fun.

The Spaniard stood from his seat along with a few other cafe patrons, morbid curiosity piqued by the commotion caused by the suicidal fools who pulled this charade. As he watched the event transpire, beginning with the bearded man's threats. Even if Enrico hadn't debunked his assumption that this was the Kimera Tenma already - they weren't nearly that suicidal after all - the man's ranting definitely made sure there was no mistake.

These were just a bunch of jealous loons who didn't know what they were doing, and most of the people they had summarily drafted into their group were only there to save their own skin. Essentially, all they had was the illusion of numbers. In reality, they didn't gain any effective combat strength whatsoever. Enrico knew this well enough and was on his way down the hill to further examine the situation in order to see if there was anything he could do to assist.

After arriving near the circle of bystanders immediately outside the hostage situation, Enrico continued watching, occasionally moving to get alternative looks at it. From the looks of it, he'd have to take them out fast and stealthily enough to make sure the others don't notice anything amiss, or everything would start exploding again. Unfortunately, he lacked any Bukizoku effective for the situation at hand. Sure, Gorgoneion could petrify them all, but then it'd petrify them all, including the hostages and bystanders. Nor could Talaria and Aidos Kynee allow him to take them out non-lethally quickly and quietly enough.

Fortunately for the Spaniard, however, the Tsurara Clan Police Force decided to appear from within the crowd and show their strange uniforms once more. He'd never get used to that sight - though thankfully he was no longer on the receiving side of one of their manhunts - nor would he ever forget what a friend told him about the recreations of their uniform being popular at a certain sort of establishment, the bastard. Seemed it was all some kind of elaborate sting operation to apprehend some criminals. Enrico wasn't the type to go out of his way to assist people who obviously didn't need the help - anonymity was a very useful resource to have after all - so he just stood and watched like the rest.

“You could use your inner darkness to handle the situation” said Mayari within Evelyn’s mind.

“No, I don’t want to reveal myself yet. Besides we don’t know if the explosives are connected to terrorists. Kill them and we have casualties.”

“Well you could always summon my scythe, detached form. That should be sufficient enough to eliminate them.”

“Yes, just the sickles instead of the entire scythe. I also notice darkness and shadows nearby and if I act quickly, I could take out the terrorists.”

“I will let you make the decision Evelyn.”

Evelyn in the circle of bystanders watched the situation. The terrorists were armed to the teeth and had to act quick in order to save them. At least just using the sickles from Mayari’s suggestion would suffice without revealing her entire powers. Observing, one thing that Evelyn never took seriously was the Tsuara police who…stripped themselves.

Welcome to Lyranias, where the police are a bunch of girls who strip down in front of the enemy.

Evelyn would wait. Maybe the police could do something about or maybe some other connector within the bystander. One thing for sure though was that she was ready to jump in.

It was supposed to be a fun day after school, really. Eclaire was planning to spend the afternoon checking out that new cafe place with a couple of her friends, and then, afterwards, going out for some window-shopping. And before that, she was planning on having a nice time strolling around in one of Utopia's many parks, perhaps buying a Popsicle to accompany her while she wandered through the tree-lined trails.

Instead, though, she had found herself flattened onto the ground by a round of explosives, before somehow being swept up amongst a group of other civilians and tourists by armed gunmen. Armed, non-Connector gunmen who had a grudge against Connectors. Because of the unfair advantage granted by their Spirit Connection, was it? Even though businesses run by Connectors still paid taxes. And taxes still required math. Things that normal people could learn. She wondered if there were third-world citizens who attacked first world citizens with knives and tigers because the first-world had robots to do their work for them. What Eclaire felt was not anger, but a certain degree of pity for those terrorists. They must have suffered through a lot, for their perception of the world's inequities to become warped by this much. Were countries in the past, before the Connectors revealed themselves to the world, jealous of each other's prosperity, to the extent of attacking them? No. In the past, it was about the ideals and beliefs of separate religions that caused strife.

Now, with the proof that all religions were 'correct', it seemed that terrorists degraded into tragic people who disliked peace and prosperity, disliked the fact that the Connectors wished to keep themselves isolated from the rest of the world.

As she cared for an injured man, rendered unconscious by the explosions that they used to disorientate the Connectors, the girl watched as members of the Tsurara Police Force made themselves known. Another pity, for an organization that was meant to exhibit high morals to be amusing themselves with such base comments. They made lightly of 'rape', didn't they? They chose to put civilians at risk in order to draw out the enemy group, didn't they? They were confident, weren't they?

Lost lambs and straying shepherds, milling about the fields of Utopia.

In a world where religion had been proven 'true' by the existence of Spirits, there were still atheists, hedonists, and psychotics who thought themselves exempt from the judgement of beings that existed on a higher plane than themselves.

Eclaire brought her hands together in prayer, enclosing them over the cross she wore around her neck, and said a single sentence.

“May the Light of the Lord show you a proper path, lambs trespassing this sanctuary of peace.”

She hoped that the policewomen, despite their questionable attire, would settle this quickly and painlessly. The child did not want any lives lost that day, if she could help it.

Because if there were lives lost, there would be divine retribution.

Weirdos were arriving, left and right. Guys with wings, policewomen who at a single glance seemed to be strippers and many other bystanders. Marcus sweatdropped at the arrival of the police and their sudden stripping. Life in Lyranias' seemed to be really ridiculous if their police force dressed like that. He just wondered how could they inspire respect when they didn't even had respect for themselves. Tsurara traditions seem to be on another level.

Marcus laughed lively with his deep voice at the arrival of the police. He points his gun at Sayaka before speaking. "Huh~... Ya seem awfully confident lady! You don't seem to understand the situation ya just got your friends in! Lookie here!" He shows off his body rigged with explosives and holds high the detonator with his left hand. "If I see ya or any of your friends using one of your weird powers, then we ALL blow up!" He laughed at the though of it, but, was he really up to the task to press the detonator if the time ever came?

Whether he would be able to press the button or not was left aside as he pointed again with his rifle at Sayaka. "Now, I think I'll make an example out of ya... So nobody ever thinks to do something like this again!" He starts walking towards Sayaka, but before Marcus or her can do anything, Alexander interferes. With his sword unsheathed, Alexander jumps between Marcus and Sayaka, cutting his rifle in half as a knife with butter.

"Don't you dare put a hand on her!" He thinks of how this may make her fall in love with him, however, he didn't quite think about what would happen after. Terrorists surround him, all pointing their weapons at his head, chest or legs. He was obviously at a disadvantage, but he just jumped in the spur of the moment, without giving it a second thought.

"Dammit, gimme another one!"[B] Marcus shouts and another man throws him a weapon. [B]"Well, whatever. Whether you die by my hand or the hands of others is of no interest to me." He walks to the centre of the park and searches through the park with his eyes, trying to find a camera and when he finally spots one he turns to face it. "Yo, bigwigs! I wanna say something to ya! What we want is enough money to be able to live our lives without having to worry about damn expenses again! Basically, about 10 million dollars, or Lyras , whatever ya call money here." His more than idiotic request made many, even Alexander think that this guy was really an idiot. "That much isn't even a thorn in your side, is it? And if you don't want..." He walks towards the hostages and points his gun at someone's forehead, a middle-aged man. "Then we are gonna start killing off hostages, one every 30 minutes. We'll be waitin', sweethearts!" He laughs again.

Alexander raises his sword. "You made the wrong decision, trying to come to Lyranias just to be able to live your asses off comfortably." After he raised his sword, spiritual energy started swirling around it. He was preparing to enter in Tamazoku and crush these guys, but as he was about to, a big shot is heard and seconds after it, his sword is pierced as if it were mere paper. "What?!" Alexander searches for whoever just did that and on the top of a far away building, he spots the culprit because of the glimmer his scope causes. A sniper, kilometres away from them, providing support for the terrorists. 'No mere human would be able to shoot from that distance...' The realization struck him. "That's how you got in, bastards!"

"Heh heh, ya got no chance against us." He raises his arms and addresses his fellow terrorists. "All right, since our sniper has been discovered, then you are authorized to kill anyone. Just be sure you leave some of them alive, so we can still use them as bargain chips." He motions with his hand lazily the order to fire and many of the terrorists grab some of the hostages, other grab some of the Tsurara officers, making sure they cannot do anything against them. They will be the perfect examples for why they shouldn't be taken lightly.

Hell is about to break loose. How deaths can be averted is all up to the bystanders and hostages, and whether they want to risk the lives of the few to save the many.

Were Ryo's calculations off? Most certainly not. An unknown force struck the terrorists, immobilizing them for a second, but for many it is more than enough to shake off the attackers.

---

Elbel, on a balcony of the presidential office, holds out his hand and suddenly drops it. He turns around to see Ryo, his secretary.

"Now it is all up to head police officer, Sayaka-chan. Let's hope she takes the chance." Ryo says to Elbel.

"I trust your judgement, Ryo, but Sayaka's is a bit off. Those bombs weren't something we predicted." Elbel massages his wrist with a preoccupied look on his face.

"Yes, it makes our whole strategy go upside down, but as I said, there's nothing more we can do than hope lives won't be sacrificed just to make this a success."

---

After the unknown wave of power immobilized the other terrorists, the faraway sniper flinched. The man was using a gas mask, to avoid anyone from getting a glimpse of who he was. "Shit! Damn that old man!" He scratched the side of his head. "What did the doctor said? Oh yeah, protect Marcus no matter what. An important test subject." He aims at Marcus' surroundings, waiting for anyone to get near enough and kill him.

Now was the chance to counter-attack, anyone could take the terrorists down, as long as they tried to. Many had already stood up and battling with some of the terrorists, who were still dumbfounded.

Sayaka Tsurara


The man who called himself Marcus were heavily underestimating the Tsurara Clan Police Force, Elite Unit. He got no idea who is he going up against, 38 of Lyranias finest Police Women against a group of terrorist, what could possibly happen? Alexander enters the fray to ensure Sayaka's safety due to Marcus's attempt of murder, Sayaka still remained calm and smiling. Relentless threats have been going on and on.

"You guys... Let the police handle it!." Sayaka levitates and used her nature spirit energy, forming a cold compressed air around the terrorist's bodies and especially the head, it continues with the rest of the Police Force. The usage of Shizenzoku, concentrated rei on their body parts were inflicted thus outright freezing them into frozen ice sculptures, the more they struggle, the chances of frostbite increases.

Marcus was getting away, the Police Force only managed to take down just a few yet valuable aspects for interrogation. "Don't let them get away, it---." Sayaka got shot in the torso by the Sniper. The most suspicious thing is, how can they get away from the spreading barrier? Who gave them Intel about it?

Grimm looked around and noticed the very visible amount of increase in the quantity of bystanders. Perhaps other fancied similar pleasures as he did? Probably just the human tendency to run towards what could possibly be hazardous. He noticed the terrorist seemed to have a similar expression as him, unfamiliar with the authorities methods. The man spoke to the woman about the explosives wrapped around him, threatening to blow himself up. Grimm just leaned on the nearest tree and held his head low while swinging his head left and right every time he heard something he disapproved.
Humans.....
He wouldn't mind running up to him and pressing the detonator himself, this man was an annoyance to him.
The skeletal boy looked up when the terrorist aimed his rifle at Sayaka.... Could at least wait for her to show you what she has prepared for you.... Grimm laughed a bit despite the lack of anything perceivably funny. Grimm pushed the statement made in his head aside and started to stride toward the man about to shoot someone, but before he could do anything a man jumped between the terrorist and detective; cutting through the mans rifle easily. Grimm's ordinary standard sword couldn't perform such a task, this man or sword was different. No surprise in Utopia but Grimm found it interesting. Everyone had their guns aimed towards the heroic swordsman. The man received another and made demands about some grand monetary gain of a sort. The heroic man's sword clearly was magical when something odd spiraled around it.
Grimm looked on curiously but a sniper had shot right through his blade. If now wasn't the time to attack then when?

When a few are immobilized is when. Grimm began to run towards one of the terrorists smirking, his hand on his ordinary knife. One of the terrorists unfrozen by the police probably pissed his pants when Grimm grabbed him from behind. He unsheathed his blade while having his other hand covering the terrorist's mouth.
"Shhhhhh." He laughed a bit while telling him to shut up. As if his uncomforting shhhh's would make him quiet. Grimm gradually took his blade out, savoring every single moment, running his fingers along the hilt constantly until the blade touched the fallen man's throat. "Farewell." He said casually as if saying good bye to an old friend he had just run into on accident. In less than a second the blade was no longer touching his neck, but being wiped on Grimm's shirt. This would be the only epitaph for the bastard.
Grimm ran to the next terrorist closest to him and let his blade enter his abdomen. The smirk on his face not truly depicting his content. This grandeur display was beautiful in every aspect. Grimm proceeded to butcher as many terrorists as possible.
Shit... I forgot to count.
He removed the explosives from one of the terrorists and held onto it. Only one hand needed to entertain himself with all the childish beings around him.
He would never get bored of these toys. After sometime, he grabbed one of their rifles and looked around. He had forgotten waaaayyy too many of them. He aimed the rifle he was incredibly untrained with at a terrorist and used the weapon properly.
He then turned and looked for the sniper. He would have to wait for the next shot fired by him/her to find them. He then proceeded to actually look where the blood splattered, his general location could be found that way if he didn't move around. Grimm continued to analyze the area around him.

"Oi, oi, this isn't looking good at all," Merthus muttered as he watched the onlookers flee in panic. "From what I can figure, that sniper is a Connecter, or I'd assume. Taking him on is probably not in the best of my interests, after all."

"But first things first..." Merthus called upon Libra. "Hey, could you do me a favor and make it such that the detonator doesn't work any more? I really wouldn't want that thing to go off." Libra replied, "Of course not. I don't do favors." Merthus clicked his tongue, "Tch. Here I was hoping you'd change your ways for once. Meh, whatever. How does a day of luck sound?" Libra fell silent for a few seconds, pondering the offer, then replied, "Deal. Mind, though, your day is probably going to suck bad once this trade is done."

Merthus scratched his head and said, "Ahh, whatever. It can't be worse than having my home blown to pieces. Alright, finalize the deal."

The brass weighing scale glowed for a couple of seconds, and then Libra spoke, "The trade is complete. Any further offers?" Merthus shook his head, "Probably none, for now-"

He saw the head policewoman (he assumed she was the leader of the police clustered around) get shot in the chest by the sniper and quickly changed his mind, "Libra, another trade, pronto!" He ran towards the fallen lady and lied hurriedly, "Hey, don't move, I'm a trained medic and I'm going to be healing you now." Well, it was a blatant lie, but officials loved qualifications above all, right? "Okay, I'm still in the sniper's line of fire, but I'll have to do something about that wound first... Libra, if you would, extract the bullet and close the wound. The offer for taking the bullet out will be my physical strength and concentration equivalent to that if I had taken it out on my own, and the offer for closing the wound would be that I will suffer the same wound on... let's see... my arm."

The disadvantage of Merthus' ability showed itself clearly: he had to be extremely specific about the trades he wanted to make if he expected an acceptance on the first try. After brief consideration, Libra agreed and began to shine once again.

Mad. They were all certain degrees of crazy, weren't they? And for them all, as the air chilled, growing stagnant, Eclaire could only feel sorry for them all.

The leader of the terrorists was greedy, and yet straying, clearly not the root that had caused it all. There was someone behind all this, a person who supported and influenced the man and his cronies. His face was scarred, now that she could get a better look at his face. How was it scarred? What had happened in his past? What was the reason of his hate for Connectors? She wanted to speak, but she couldn't. She only watched, as a bystander valiantly went between the stripping police officer and the misguided gunman, the sound of metal sliding against metal, before the gun was cut in half. Metal parts tumbled and fell on the ground, and in an instant, all guns were pointed at the swordsman.

Yet there was no order to execute him, and Eclaire's clasped hands gripped over her cross even harder, as the gunman went on to make his demands clear. Ten million dollars. Truly a...pitiful amount. A sad smile encroached her face, as she watched the one-sided exchange. Was that truly all? Ten million for all the humans who staged this hostage situation? The price of their life, in case they pressed the detonator? Was ten million dollars worth enough to them that they were fine with eternal damnation? Who provided them with the arms? Who forced them along this path?

Who is the serpent here?

The situation escalated, and Eclaire, involuntarily, trembled. The cross hidden in her hands was hot, a familiar, yet painful sensation of burning enveloping her hands. It was a pain that kept her focused though. The air chilled further, faint traces of frost developing on blades of grass. A sniper, one with range that reached kilometers, made his presence known, instantly shifting the battle into the favour of the normal humans. One bullet shattered the blade of the swordsman. Another bullet buried itself in the Tsurara police officer's chest, just as she began to incapacitate the gunmen. A wave of energy pulsed outwards, immobilizing them even further, as the leader began to run away. A Connector who must once have been a hostage willingly joined the fray, and with a knife, began to systematically slaughter them all.

Blood covered ice, as shots were fired, flesh was cut, and corpses were made.

And there stood Eclaire, amongst all the chaos, her blue eyes wide as drops of blood sprayed upwards like blood petals, splattering. People were dying, weren't they. The innocent, the guilty, and those killed using the justification of retribution. There were no true demons here. Only humans.

She wanted to stop this, somehow, but she didn't. She should be running. It would be easier to forget about all her ideals, and just ignore this all. This wasn't school, anyways. Right now, she was alone, and in this situation, anyone would forgive her if she chose to preserve her life first.

But is this what you truly want, little maiden?

The familiar voice of Artemis echoed in the back of her mind, the strong soprano breaking her out of her self-depreciating thoughts.

What is in front of you are not beasts, Eclaire.

Yes, she was aware of that, but still...it wasn't like she was breaking up a fight between two delinquents. They were armed gunsmen, and she was a girl who only barely passed the physical examinations at school. If they started shooting, she definitely wouldn't be dodging.

Trust in those around you, Eclaire. And if you don't, trust me.

But what's she even supposed to say? She didn't have time to prepare a speech, and she was never a spontaneous person who could spout out dramatic, heart-changing words in the spur of the moment. Everything she did in the past was due to preparation and rehearsals.

Don't worry, I'll provide you with the words. Just vocalize it.

But...

No buts, Eclaire. You know what you want to do, so, in the end, all that's required is for you to do it, right?

The girl stood up, slowly. Butterflies were tumbling madly in her stomach, and she repressed the instinct of pressing her hands against it. A bullet whizzed by her shoulder, striking and shattering the surface of the tree. In the palm of her hands rested the Light of Revelations, but all she felt at the moment was the clammy dampness of her fingers. Cold. It was getting really cold now. Her skin was paler than normal, and when she exhaled, a mist could be seen. How long was it since she had started charging? Three minutes? Four? Five? What should she do?

And then, from behind, for a moment, she could feel the embrace of the Goddess, warming her from the core, the slim arms of Artemis wrapped around her body.

A little bit of courage is all the magic you need.

Yes. In this situation, she did not need the Spear of Judgement. Before the Connectors were revealed in the world, what moved the world, what influenced the hearts of millions, was the power to communicate. The voice of an individual.

Eclaire stopped trembling. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them once more, they were red. The red of the Goddess Artemis, the Moon-Huntress.

The heavens parted, and a spear of light, eight-meters in diameter, fell vertically. With a thunderous roar, it struck the ground, just a few meters in front of Marcus, leaving an unfathomable hole where the road once was. Following that was the dispersion of the light itself, filling the park with a thousand moonbeams. A gentle warmth followed, as all those beams of light reflected off the ice and frost, creating a spectacle of sparkling mist. And from that mist, one girl removed the light jacket she wore, so that the only piece of clothing on her was a long, white dress.

The backlight of shimmering crystals gave her silvery hair a soft glow. The shine of the icy mist gave her pale skin a luster. The flare of her red eyes gave her an aura of divine command.

And then, the voice of a child, unburdened by the twisted reality of this world, filled with ideals and hope, cut through the park.

“Children of the Lord, what is the meaning of this conflict?”

“My brothers, is ten million dollars truly the price that you would sell your soul for? Is ten million something that you would give your life for? If you died so that your family and friends would get a share of ten million dollars stained with your blood, as well as the blood of those whose only sin was to be born as a Connector, is that something that'll make them happy? Do you underestimate the magic of Connectors that much, to believe that you'll be able to live a single day in peace, forever hunted by the Tsurara Police Force? We all share the same blood, so why do you shed this blood for something as unstable, as material, as cash? There is no guarantee that you'll come out of this alive. I'll ask you again. Do you believe that a share of ten million dollars is something that's worth your life? The tears of your families? The sorrow of your friends? Your life is not simply your own! It's not only the dead who have regrets! Before you throw your lives away, think about those around you! Those who you've met in the past, meet in the present, and will meet in the future! Your path now may be unclear, but I'm sure that, one day, in the future, you'll find your place in this world! A place that you'll never find if you
ruin it by following through with your current actions!”

“And my brethren, have you already fallen into corruption with the extent of your powers? Do you prescribe by the concept that 'might makes right'? Do you believe that Connectors are the superior race, and thus, normal humans can be ignored? Can be killed? Slaughtered like sheep? Their demands ignored? What happened to times where negotiations were made, instead of marching in proudly and demanding that they put away their arms? When has such a bold statement ever worked on a Connector criminal? Connectors and non-Connectors aren't different races! We're the same species, created in the image of the same God! Our only difference comes from our values and beliefs, but those can only be communicated through words, not blood shed. Before you're all so ready to take up arms and end lives, remember that we all have loved ones and family. They may be expressing their discontent about the world in the wrong way, but considering how many of them there are, maybe we should hear them out. Yes, Connectors are strong, but pride in such strength is the poison that will isolate us from the vast majority of humans who aren't Connectors.”

Her face was flushed now, and she wasn't even sure what was spewing out of her mouth, before she turned to face the terrorists once more, and extended a hand outwards to them. A hand that held a burn scar in the shape of a cross.

“Before you wield arms, is it not better if we communicated? After all, we're all humans, speaking the same language, living in the same world, with people whom we hold precious. And if you choose this route, I, Eclaire Lachapelle, swear by my God, my Spirit, and my family name to insure that you will all get a fair judgement, and all your voices shall be heard.”

“So please, put your trust in me, and I shall to do the same towards you.”

And, as the afternoon sky reddened, the girl smiled, a saint-like smile full of acceptance, mercy, and purity. It felt safe, to be in the embrace of Artemis.

Well done, Eclaire.

After Sayaka froze the terrorists and the unknown force struck them, everyone engaged in battle, but the only side experiencing heavy losses was the terrorist side. At this rate, Marcus would have to make a run for it to be able to fight another day. He clenched his fist, cursing the Connectors and their odd powers. If only he wasn't a mere human.

And as he was thinking that, a spear of light came down and with an expansive wave, light filled the park. He was obviously dumbfound at this, but soon a girl, who Marcus deduced was the cause of the spear, stood up and starting lecturing everyone.

The girl truly sounded as someone who was preaching the right things. Peace and love, asking everyone why should they continue with this pointless conflict. The child really believed that she was a saint... Just who the hell did this child think she was? Acting all high and mighty, talking as if she has already gone through hell and back. What did she know about true suffering? She was just a frigging child, for the love of god! Even if her spirit was the one talking, did such a thing held some kind of right to bring judgement upon them? It was just something that lived long ago, what did it know of how life was lived nowadays? As more and more words got out of the girl's mouth, more did it piss Marcus off.

So, he waited, until the glorified little kid finished her monologue, and when she did and extended her hand, the first to walk to her was Marcus, with a stiff expression on his face. Everyone else around him felt disheartened, guys who were trying to pacify Grimm ceased hostilities, everyone had in their minds, was it really worth it? Risking your life for just money? Many knew that no, it wasn't enough reason to risk their lives AND the lives of others because of such a thing. But still, Marcus had the last word, should they pull out or send everyone to hell was up to him.

And as the leader of the terrorist organization, Marcus took a hold of Eclaire's hand. A gentle touch, as not to scare the girl. After taking it and slowly growing accustomed to it, he firmly shook it. "Miss... What you speak, is something really beautiful. Indeed, is it really worth risking our lives just for money? What would our families say if they saw us now? What would our friends say?" A shadow fell unto his face and he looks down, but soon, he raises his head and looks at Eclaire dead in the eye. He seems to be about to burst into tears, the only thing holding it in is his anger, which is present in his eyes. He seems to loathe Eclaire with every fibre of his being. "Oh, right. THEY ARE F*CKIN' GONE!" As he shouted this, every terrorist was reminded of why they were here, with bombs rigged to their bodies. Of course, they didn't had anything else to lose.

Marcus pulls Eclaire towards him and then grabs her by her neck. "Don't think we're just doing this 'cause we don't wanna work again. No, our families were all taken by the lot of you damn Connectors, and my friends? Loyal bastards are standing here right now with me! Accompanying me in this crazy shit! I was the only one who wanted revenge, they could have just gon' and live their lives comfortably, working, maybe even make a new family, but no, they decided to accompany me." Silent tears roll down his cheeks.

"What can a child like you know of the world girl?! You have been livin' your life in this sanctified piece of island, never worrying your pretty little head on what may be happening on the outside. You damn Connectors are the friggin' aliens here!" He shouted. He was hurt, deep in his heart, but he wasn't about to tell the story of his life to some damn kid. With a firm grip still on the kid's throat, he takes out his gun and points it at her temple. "Fair judgement my ass... I'll be passing trial right now."

He put his finger in the trigger and was about to pull it, and, at the same time, every other terrorist resumed hostilities with a big cheer. After being reminded of why they were here for, they were revitalized. Pushing their bodies at inhuman paces, they were even able to pull back the Tsurara police force. After the pep talk, will the tables turn on their favour?

"Well shit," Enrico sighed loudly, a finger massaging his temple as the terrrorists began to act, revealing the explosives they strapped to themselves and the detonator in the ringleader's hand. And, for good measure, the big boss decided to use the pause caused by the great big reveal to go for a kill. Well, it would've been a kill had this brown haired fellow with a sword not decided to play hero and slash the rifle in half, protecting the Deputy Captain, if his reading of the insignia ranking was correct. Naturally it ended with a bunch of guns getting pointed at the guy, but Enrico had to respect his foolhardy courage. Even if the guy ended up going all swiss cheese on them all, at least he (kind of) saved someone, and the Spaniard had to respect that kind of selflessness. No matter how stupidly impractical it was.

Fortunately the hero wasn't breathing from a dozen new holes, and evidently got their terrorist leader to start ranting at a camera about their motives. Ten million. What a joke. They could probably get more money, more safely by just robbing a bunch of banks. Enrico would know, having experienced it first hand. Though to be completely honest, people willing to blow themselves up and take superpowered hostages in a land full of other superpowered people for $10,000,000 probably weren't the type to really think things through. Still listening, Enrico swore upon hearing the 'one dead every half hour' before taking inventory of the surrounding area. He registered a glint in the distance as he circled the crowd and heard the sound of a rifle firing. Ah, so they had a sniper. Great. And it seemed that that particular revelation had incited the terrorist to begin actively attacking. Even better.

Enrico invoked Aidos Kynee, and draped the black mantle over himself. To outside observers, he'd appear the epitome of normalcy, and that's what he needed. As he maneuvered himself into a position behind the terrorists, he registered frozen terrorists, the Deputy Captain falling from a sniper wound, a young man going to help, and a skeletal-looking boy going absolutely ballistic against his enemies. That last image hit Enrico harder than it should've.

Crumpling a straggler with a swift kick to the back of the knee, the Connector of Perseus wrapped his arm around his victim, putting the poor terrorist into a chokehold before throwing him aside when the deed was done. He proceeded to repeat a similar process to taking down a few more stragglers and those who chose to stay put and fire. Usually a chokehold, sometimes a head slamming against another head, and other times breaking a few kneecaps or arms. Upon locating a masked terrorist, Enrico looted the concealing headgear and placed it on himself before dispelling Aidos Kynee. A mask was just as effective as a magic cloak, and it didn't waste his Reiji.

Just as he was incapacitating another, the clouds parted, a heavenly spear descended, and a ray of light shone on a child in white, speaking the words of a saint. Enrico would've been touched by those words, had he not been in the process of choking someone out. They were beautiful words though, but they served much better as a distraction. Anyone with strong enough convictions and a loud voice could make people believe in them, and it seemed to have kept the terrorists at bay for the length of the speech. Unfortunately, the leader retaliated by rousing his troops with a speech of his own and taking the girl's execution into his own hands. Enrico sighed, he was tired and not all that good at true hand to hand. Stealthy precision attacks that drop people fast and efficiently was more his forte. It wasn't as if he had gotten out of all his fights unscathed. Chokeholding somebody was simple enough, but breaking someone's bones or slamming them against their ally definitely involved some entering of frays. He looked down at a terrorist's gun.

"...Screw it," he resigned, picking up the gun and aiming for legs.

Grimm continued looking for the sniper but had no luck. Looking around he had seen some kind of chaos form, though he seemed to be winning the game. When the disorder had occurred a few people attempted to aid others. He dully noted the boy arriving to the side of a police woman who had been injured. But a more important significant events were happening. A man had run in and started choke-holding many of them to Pacify them, not exactly killing them but he was receiving help and he would have to thank him later.
A more interesting event happening caught his eye, a small girl had stood up and started to speak.
Her words seemed chosen carefully and precisely. Criticizing the actions of the terrorists and Connectors, mainly himself in Grimm's mind, probably attempting to change the minds of those who have used violent methods. Grimm was listening but didn't truly care about a fair judgement. Or allowing disorderly chaotic people live, he would never compromise with such people.

One line stuck in his mind. "Slaughtered like Sheep?"
No... Do not compare an animal and a demon....

Grimm still was open to her perspective though, when he plunged his knife in one of the closest terrorists it was in a non-lethal area, he then left it inside of him. Grimm absorbed the speech but had already pondered such ideas of eternal punishment and afterlife. He did not really believe anyone would miss him if he died. He had shrugged it off. It didn't faze him in the slightest.
The man who led the terrorists walked to the girl, the men attempting to pacify and defeat him stopping. He froze and observed. When he touched the girl's hand is when Grimm placed a hand on his longsword.
The man lowered his head then raised it again. A hatred in his eyes Grimm had while fighting his men. He proceeded to unsheath his normal blade when the man spoke of his dead family. He started to stride towards him when Marcus aimed the gun at Eclaire.
He swung his blade around skillfully, slicing straight through a few terrorists but being incapable of really enjoying his new play things. They were indeed boring. Their leader seemed to be the interesting one.
He came within 5 yards of him and turned his head towards Enrico. He shook his head as if telling him to not fire, at least for now.

He started to speak to Marcus. Hair untidy as usual and his yellow eyes wide. Shirt covered in the blood of a few of his comrades
"I do not believe you understand the situation you are in right now. Thoughts of dying by my blades would be the thoughts of an optimist. Do not think I will relieve you of your pain, I will not kill you. But murder that girl and I will kill all your allies, and you will only think of returning to your vomit like the dog you are; because I don't let sinners like you go without your punishment..." He could not be taken seriously no matter what way he said it because he looked ready to laugh the whole time, not taking himself seriously. Dealing with this man was a joke. He also seemed to just want to kill Marcus, despite what he said. His hand on his face, his eyes peeking through the cracks made by his fingers, laughing. He was wielding his sword in some kind of drunken fashion waiting for a reply. This boy is a strange one.

Sniper Guy,also known as Zodiac Shutter


The sniper guy reloads his FD-200, T-12, JNG-90 and AMR-2, each gun functions differently with different ammo, he uses his Rei Vision goggles to see what's happening farther away. Four Kilometers away, shooting won't be a problem, as long he gets rid of the Tsurara Police Force, everything would be fine and proceed accordingly. He's able to use meltdowner ammunition, a type of rounds that is perfectly designed to take down a Tsurara and block their Rei thus proceeding to melt them. However, it did fail, Zodiac sees that Tsurara Sayaka was able to survive from that and she made a double just in time. "You really are good, Deputy Captain, Sayaka Tsurara."

---

"Hey! I'm right here, I'm alright!." Sayaka comes out of her mirrors, we see her materializing in physical form, her clothes are all ravaged from the meltdowner effect. "Sorry... sorry... I appreciate you trying to heal my clone but the real me is here, safe and sound." She said. 'Meltdowner ammo? Its spiritual pressure and reiji is comparable to the Alstreim's steel and fire proficiency but it's not the time to think about that, we have to deal with Marcus.' She stands up and prepares her gun, Sayaka shows no shame just because she is ravaged. "I didn't expect to see you here Enrico." She said with a causal tone while looking at him with an aloof glare.

---

Going back to the Sniper guy, he deducts what Sayaka did and it only made sense just as easy, "Those mirrors are nasty, so this is what "he" was talking about.... Sayaka Tsurara is in fact able to travel through dimensions not only by the amplification of Nature Connection."

Flashback
Sniper guy recalled what happened, the moment he fired his JNG-90 with meltdowner ammunition on Sayaka, she took the hit and formed an invisible mirror that the naked eye can't see and at the same time she created a double, a clone which will make it think that she is out of commission. Sayaka has the same flashback too.
Flashback END

---

"I can't get a clear shot if that Lachapelle kid and that Weapon Connecter is blocking my field of vision. I have to get rid of him first." He triggers and shoots at the weapon connecter(Grimm).

---

Sayaka is still in her stance, "I demand you to stop this at once, put the young lady down this instance. You have a cold chain at your spine."She already have a mirror behind Marcus's back, that means to say she'll pull the trigger at any moment.

Grimm had continued to hold his stance, facing Marcus; the skeletal boy tapping his foot repeatedly as if needing to pee. He depicted chaos, if chaos took a human form. His shaggy black hair out of place and wild, his golden eyes widened, and his clothing completely mistreated. The blood of those he had slayed staining his shirt. Somekind of twisted epitaph for those defeated. His bare feet appearing pale and dirty while his hands appeared clean still. Other then being slightly clammy and twitchy.
He had forgotten completely about the sniper.
Stupid child, it wouldn't be long till he remembered.
Soon a bullet pierced his thigh. Grimm didn't react quickly and froze in place for a few seconds before placing a hand on his thigh. Blood on his hand. It is then he realized he was shot. The skeletal boy leaned a bit more on one leg while attempting to prevent whatever bleeding was present. He didn't know much about getting shot except knowing it hurt.
"Why didn't you warn me?" Grimm seemed to grunt to himself.
You were aware. An adult woman's voice echoed through his skull.
Anyways, you said yourself, we all deserve a little bit of pain every once in a while.
He did say that. His friend knew him so well. He chuckled a bit after the short conversation.
A wave of anoyyance came over him, not quite sure why he was so enraged by this sniper himself.

"Are you shitting me!? Come out and fight me like a man you pussy!" Grimm vocalized his thoughts, not really looked over, hence the crude immaturity. He hoped at best he could make the sniper uncomfortable.
Grimm couldn't really do much else to a man so far away and started striding around, not wanting to get shot again. Well now he had a story right?...To tell who? While walking around in circles he fell down. Grimm forced himself up and grabbed a terrorists body as a meat shield

Merthus looked as Libra's shine vanished and nothing happened. "What the-" he managed before the real Sayaka emerged from one of her mirrors and revealed that she was completely fine. The Sayaka that Merthus had been attempting to heal had vanished. Merthus hit himself on the head for his stupidity and rashness, "Oh, right. Connector country, superhuman powers. How could I forget?"

As Sayaka left, Merthus observed the carnage once again. He held himself behind a tree, away from the sniper's line of fire and looked around. That guy with the sword seems to be doing a good job, but what's with all the unnecessary killing?

A spear of light fell from the sky and fell near Merthus, He froze up in fear and his eyes became glassy. "I think... my life just flashed before my eyes," he told Libra. Looks like his streak of bad luck had begun. A girl stood up and began to speak. Time seemed to stop as the carnage paused in favor of the girl's angelic voice. The girl spoke of ideals, the equality of humanity, Connector and otherwise, and Merthus listened intently. His face became grim, however, at the end of it all. Girl, you've got courage. But that naivety... I'm sorry, but it's more difficult for Connectors and normal humans to coexist than you'd imagine. How could normal humans ever know how a Connector lives? Once a human becomes a Connector, they become something else. And to some Connectors, a human is too, something else.'

The ringleader seemed to feel the same way, as he grabbed the girl and threatened to fire a pistol into her temple. "But, y'know what, Libra? I reckon there was something right that the girl had said. Lives are lives, no matter human, Connector, animal or whatnot. I'm going to try and stop this peacefully... But whether this all works will depend on the rest of the Connectors here," Merthus monologued, having thought up a risky move.

"Why're you talking like that? It's creepy," Libra said.

Merthus groaned. "Way to ruin my cool moment, Libra. Anyway, here's what I need you to do. Make it such that the ringleader's brain hits the side of his skull with enough impact to knock him out. Hopefully with him down, the rest of the group would surrender. As payment..." Merthus gulped. "Do the same to me."

Libra warned, "That's fine. However, I'll only do that to him with as much force as you can take without killing you, so knocking him out isn't a 100% guarantee. Is that okay?"

Merthus nodded, and Libra shone golden once more.