"I'm fine." Lee Seng reassured his friends. He couldn't help but stare at the destruction around them. The fight with the two Deimons had destroyed this part of the city more than Lee Seng would've liked. He looked to his friends as they helped him and his brother up onto their feet.
"Are you sure? We can rest for a little longer." Olivia suggested. Lee Seng and Keng smiled and shook their heads.
"We're fine." Keng answered.
"There'll be time to get ourselves back to normal while we fly." Lee Seng added.
"I forget you can do that." Jiro commented. His eyes finally focused on his brother and his friends. They may have been worrying over their members, but they all seemed even more confident now. "Lee Seng, can I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead." Lee Seng turned to Jiro. Jiro casually slung the longsword over his shoulder before he asked his question. "Why are you going this far to stop your father? If you know he's the one orchestrating all of this, shouldn't you just go straight to the place and blow up the building with him and all of these Deimons inside?"
"It could be as easy as that, yeah." Lee Seng nodded. "I would be lying to myself if I said I didn't fully care about my dad. I've tried so long to tell myself I didn't care. I even used my new identity to justify my actions… even through all that, the one feeling that hasn't really changed is my hesitation to kill him outright."
Lee Seng became lost in all of his thoughts. All of his friends had heard the vague idea of what Lee Seng might do, but hearing it again with their friend's vulnerability was different. Ritsuka put a hand on Lee Seng's shoulder, snapping him out of it. Liz put a hand on Lee Seng's back, pulling fully back into the moment. Olivia side hugged Lee Seng, re-centering himself. Evan back hugged the entire group, reminding Lee Seng he wasn't alone anymore. Finally, Keng patted Lee Seng's heart, reminding him he wasn't the same person from two years ago.
"Right. I'm not alone anymore." Lee Seng looked down. He was embarrassed that he was so vulnerable in front of Ritsuka's older brother. Jiro smiled and planted the tip of his longsword into the ground.
"Oh, how I miss the days of my friends and I together." Jiro walked over to Lee Seng and the others. He looked at Ritsuka. "You found some really good friends. When I heard my brother made some friends, I wanted to meet them. Then I heard the Creator's son is one of them and instead of getting concerned like Ryu and Hayami, I gave it a chance. A book shouldn't be judged by its cover… It's about the content inside that matters. You did well in finding people who will stand by you."
"Eugh, don't try to make this more mushy than it is, niisan!" Ritsuka pulled away, shivering in cringe. Lee Seng and the others laughed as they pulled away. "I'm trying to go for a muscle-head vibe! You're ruining it!" Ritsuka quickly wiped his eyes.
"You're always a softie." Liz side-hugged Ritsuka. "When you and Manny fight, I always hear you sniffling afterwards."
"No I don't!" Ritsuka turned away.
"Awh, it's okay, Ritsuka. I like a big muscly man with a big heart." Liz smiled at Ritsuka as he wiped his tears away. Jiro turned and pulled the longsword out of the ground.
"I think we should go now." Keng looked at Lee Seng.
"Mmm." Lee Seng nodded. He stretched and cracked his body, releasing some of the tension on him. "Are you guys ready?"
"Yeah." Olivia nodded.
"Let's go." Ritsuka sniffed. They moved closer to Lee Seng, who lifted them up into the air and started on his way towards the lab.
The lights flickered as Queen and Michael entered the dark room. It smelled of dust, grease and metal. A light flickered in the room, revealing the other Deimons. They turned to look at her, half-acknowledging Queen's presence while other simply ignored her.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the self-proclaimed Queen, herself." Joy Childs spoke from behind. Queen stopped and waited for Joy to say her piece. Joy pushed herself off the wall and slowly crept over to Queen. "Any luck in getting the boy's head? Oh wait, your best man died, too."
"You only have one person left on your squad, Childs." Queen turned. The pressure in the room grew as something in the darkness started to move. The two Deimon women stared at each other like this was some high school confrontation. Queen smiled and shook her head. "I have two people and have come here with the final product."
"It doesn't look like much." Joy looked at Michael. He didn't have anything in his hands and Michael anxiously scratched his arms as he waited for Queen to return to his side. "I don't know why you keep such a tired and anxious man by your side. I heard you haven't even sent him out on any missions. He's useless."
The air immediately changed. Joy Childs could feel something from the flower dressed Deimon in front of her. It felt like Queen was trying to snake her way into her mind. Joy fought hard against it, lighting her arms up in retaliation.
"Enough. Come here." A voice called out from the darkness. The shape writhed in the darkness as a light flickered on, revealing a large monstrosity of a woman and tendrils. Queen turned and left Joy Childs to her own devices. She wasn't here to fight with a low-class Deimon. She was here to show the task she was given.
The Deimons lined up with Michael standing behind Queen. Joy moved to the front line and they all bowed to the tiny humanoid walking into the light. The Creator pushed his glasses up, sluggishly moving forward. A noticeable dragging noise caught Michael's attention which the higher-ups ignored. A tendril was placed into the back of the Creator - their master.
"You've all come. I hope you've brought some good news?" The Creator asked. He stood up straight with his arms behind him. The tendril attached to him writhed as the higher-up Deimons raised their heads. "We'll start right to left. D004, are the walls secured?"
"The Biohumans are still pressuring us away from the walls, Master." D004 answered. "If we give them another day, I think they'll—"
Splat!
D004's upper body exploded. Michael shook in fear as the lower body of the Deimon fell to the ground.
"Job failed." Creator shook his head. He looked over to Queen, next. "D003, you've already failed to contain the Academy area and get Lee Seng Chang. I hope you've brought me what I asked for."
"Yes, Master." Queen bowed. She turned and motioned at Michael. "It's all right here." The Master raised his hand and motioned for Michael to come forward. Michael gulped. If the Master didn't like the results, he would turn into nothing like the other Deimon!
Michael inched forward, pulling out a chip. A large Shifter woman stepped out from the middle of nowhere and stopped Michael. She put out her hand, drawing Michael's attention to it. There was an odd mark on her face before fear set into Michael's body. He set the chip into her hand and bowed. The woman turned around and moved to the Creator's side.
"This chip will do what I asked?" The Creator asked.
"Yes, sir." Queen nodded. "If you input that into a Failed One, it should stabilize their bodies and reform them."
"Have you tested it?"
"Uh, no, Master, sir…" Michael stuttered.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to try." Master handed the chip to the large Shifter woman and nodded. "You may return to D003's side." Michael bowed before returning to Queen's side.
"Bring her out." The large monstrous woman ordered.
"Yes, madam." The Shifter nodded before sticking her hand in her pocket and pressing something. A large blaring noise echoed throughout the chamber as red lights flashed. A large cage appeared with intricate runes carved into it. A buzzing noise grew as a large wasp-like monster fluttered left and right.
"Out! Out! I'm getting out!" The wasp monster shouted happily. The Shifter woman moved up to the cage and threw the chip into the air. "What is this? What is this?" The wasp attacked the chip, instantly being pulled into it. The chip fell into the ground and silence fell.
Time felt like it moved at a snail's pace. Michael scratched his arms anxiously as he waited.
'It's only a matter of time before it triggers.' Michael reminded himself. The chip had worked against the monsters he was given, altering their forms at an unpredictable rate. The larger the monster, the more time it took. He had worked hard to get it down to a considerable limit.
The chip shook, cracking as the buzzing returned.
"WAH!" A teenage girl wailed as she flew out of the chip. Large wasp-like wings fluttered on her back as a humanoid body formed. Strange light tanned material covered her body as she fluttered into the air. The other head Deimons gasped. The crazy Deimon had done it! "I'm… I'm me! Ahahahah!" The wasp humanoid slammed against the gate, reaching her hand out trying to grab the Shifter. "Let me out!" The Shifter turned to look at the large monstrous woman.
"Bring me more chips. I think it's time for us to enact the third phase of our plan." The monstrous woman ordered.
"Yes, madam. I've come prepared." Queen turned and motioned at the door. "Neo, you can come in." The doors opened and a cart rolled through the dark metallic room.
"Yes, your majesty… I've brought all of the chips as instructed." Neo spoke.
"Who's first?" Queen asked.
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