บท 44: Race To Hanabi
Shelly and Katsu exit the forest first and Katsu is running on his own now. Destroyed trees lay on the ground, a human corpse under one they hop over. He looks back and can see his friends at least 10 yards(~9m) behind them.
He looks ahead, the city brick walls and the arching entrance with "Hanabi City 'No' Entrance" over it, the "rth" of the sign missing.
The sky is now dark with storm clouds fitting for the alien snow still falling. Once they are all out of the forest, a 20 foot(~6m) tree can be seen leaving the forest with them, flying. As it lands like a javelin 30 yards to their right, kicking up dirt, Katsu looks back to see a giant Iceman, over 50 feet tall, walking above the trees but it is not by itself, one small straggler but no other giants.
The clouds can now be seen gathering static and the rumblings of sleeping thunder can be heard.
Katsu:"Shelly! Once we get into the city take a left! Mr.Bloom's arcade building looks out of it's way! We can take-"
A tree lands only a few feet away from him shaking the ground making Katsu land on his right ankle awkwardly and before he falls he shouts in pain.
Katsu: "Ahhow!!"
Shelly quickly turns around and runs back to her adopted brother to help him up.
Shelly: "KATSU!"
The giant Iceman and its small partner are now out of the forest. The smaller one sees the group of retreating humans. The giant slightly turns towards their potential meals and both begin to move towards them.
The humans are about 50-60 yards from the city entrance but the Icemen are 150 yards away from the humans and approaching.
Shelly gets to Katsu and takes her backpack off. She puts the middle of her sheathed katana across the nape of her neck and shoulders. She brings her forearms over the slender sword and bends on one knee, with her back to him, "SHELLY 40" in his face.
Shelly: "Katsu get on!"
Katsu: "Shelly I- ah!"
He tries to stand up but his ankle is shaking from the pain.
Shelly: "KATSU! NOW!"
She looks him in the eyes with pure anger.
Itsuka runs side by side with Daisuki and Saku. She shoots an angry and disappointed look at Saku. Saku sees it.
Saku(running): "What?!"
Itsuka(running): "Are you 'men' going to just let her do that by herself?!"
Daisuki(running): "Itsuka was it?!
The woman looks at him as he continues.
Daisuki: "Since you are also a strong and independent woman, it will be easy for you to understand what I'm about to ask. But are you claiming THAT woman, known by the entire military academy as "THE Beast of the Beasts in Humanity's Final Flame", can't carry the one person she loves more than anything?"
Itsuka looks forward, watching Katsu take his bag off and slowly get on Shelly's back, thinking about the man's words.
Saku is now annoyed and goes ahead of them with Friend. The dog bites the top of Shelly's bag in stride and Saku grabs Katsu's, they continue running ahead without either losing a step.
The stumble from Katsu gives the rest of the group time to catch up but also lets the Icemen gain ground, the smaller getting closer to the group of humans while it is further separating itself from the giant.
Katsu who is 6 feet tall and about 165 pounds(about 74.5 kgs) with his single HHolster and SSword, piggybacks on Shelly who is 5 feet 5 inches tall about 115 lbs (about 52 kgs) with her full set of anti-Icemen weaponry strapped to both her hips.
With Itsuka on her left, Daisuki on her right, and Katsu on her back, Shelly runs, stride for stride with Itsuka and Daisuki. The smaller Iceman is now only 20 yards away and the giant is 50 yards.
Saku gets to the entrance first, with Friend not that far behind. He looks back and the rest of the group is right behind him but the smaller Icemen, like a predator in the wild, is aiming for the "two-for-one" Shelly carrying a weakened Katsu.
Saku: "Friend STAY!"
Friend barks in encouragement as Saku runs back in the direction towards the chasing Icemen. He unsheathes his SunSword and runs past his team. As they all get under the signs arch, Saku ducks under the enemy aliens swipe, he cleanly slices its head off, and uses the aliens headless, still standing body for momentum to jump back towards his comrades and away from the approaching giant alien that is two of its huge steps before in it's arms reach of Saku.
Daisuki looks up at the sky and sees a small streak of lightning move in the dark cloud above them, as if charging up. The mentor's eyes get wide like he knows something is about to happen and he turns to the young group in a panic.
Daisuki: "Everyone, get behind the wall and get down!"
They all dive on separate sides of the red brick entrance at the same time Saku falls from the shaking caused by the Iceman foot 'right' behind him. As soon as all the humans land on the ground, a GIGANTIC lightning bolt strikes the top of the giant Iceman's head before it can pick up Saku.
The delinquent gets up in shock and joins back with the crew.
The giant ice alien's loud shriek of pain can be heard for less than a brief moment but then it's silenced over the thunderclap of the direct hit. Cracks form all over its body and it "explodes" into snowflake sized pieces as if the being was, shattered.
Squad 40 and the Promoted Squad 20 captain get up and look around for the enemy chasing them but it has "disappeared".
Saku(covering Friend): "What in the ever loving Hell just happened!?"
His confusion turns into amazement as Saku and Itsuka, who have never witnessed an Iceman death with their own IceEyes look up.
A bright red cloud is floating towards the sky.
Itsuka: "Well I guess that was lucky huh?"
Daisuki(looking up worried): "It wasn't luck. I thought it got too cloudy too quickly while we were in the forest...and now this proves it."
Daisuki pops off his 2nd stage and looks around, a purple aura releases from the alien eye. The dark clouds begin to quickly fade away and the sun begins peeking from them and the blue sky appears again, the alien snow still falling.
The red cloud only seen by humans with the alien eye, is gone. Shelly bends down on one knee to let Katsu down.
Itsuka: "What do you mean Daisuki? There's no way that was an eye power. Was it?"
Katsu falls off the ride and onto his ass. He holds his right ankle, wreathing in pain. Shelly gets on her knees in front of him and begins to untie his right boot. He winces as she takes it off and rolls his sock off past his ankle. It is slightly purple and swollen. Shelly looks at Saku.
Shelly: "MY BAG!"Saku, who is on the opposite side of the entrance, holds up her bag and slowly walks with it in hand towards them.
Saku: "Relax it's just a-"
Shelly(angry with tears): "HURRY UP SAKU! PLEASE!"
Saku(looking at her pitifully): "Katsu, whatever happens, just don't you ever actually get hurt or she'll probably be impossible to handle."
Shelly:"Shut up and give me my damn bag!"
She snatches it and unzips it.
Saku: " Or unbearable to be around."
Shelly pulls out an instant ice pack and smashes it to activate the chemicals inside.
Katsu: "He's right Shell- ah. I'm okay-tsss. It's not that-ah"
She then grabs medical wrap, and medical tape from out of her bag. She bites a piece of tape off the roll, puts half of it on the end of the wrap and the other half of the tape against Katsu's upper ankle. She wraps around twice and then applies the ice pack on his injury and continues wrapping Katsu's ankle.
A door from a nearby building opens and a classic store bell jingles. Daisuki, Itsuka, and Saku all clutch their SunSwords and turn in the direction of the usually friendly sound, while Friend growls.
Shelly doesn't fully finish wrapping. Before the medical wrap hits the ground, Shelly quickly grabs her katana on the ground next to her, unsheathes the cold steel and stands in front, her back towards her injured squadmate.
The new hitman, Nephilim, and he is with "someone".
Like Nephilim, the acquaintance has a fire red left eye and an eye-patch covering the right eye. They can't be identified as male or female because the bottom of their face is covered and their hair up in a top knot.
The two strangers have anti-Icemen gear on both hips but no backpacks.'Top-knot' though has an Armalite M-15 rifle strapped to their back.
Nephilim holds his arms out wide and smiles at Daisuki.
Nephilim: "Well, 'Dice'? Like how much my powers have grown, in MY way?"
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