Location: Main Headquarters, Mato
There was only one word to describe the mood right now.
Grim.
Watching the footage of what was happening in Tokyo, all the Chiefs of the Mato Defense Force sat quietly, their attention glued to the massive screen.
"Is that all you've got, wimps?!"
"Glory to the Thunder Gods!!"
"Now whimper helplessly while I cut off your feet like a helpless pig!"
The sounds of what was happening on-screen covered the entire Conference Room, filling it with an oppressive atmosphere.
Instead of seeing Shuukis, they were watching soldiers fighting countless unidentified masked individuals who were giving them a hard ti, all while boasting that they were Followers of the Thunder Gods.
The sa Thunder Gods that were on top of their most wanted enemies.
They had grown suspiciously quiet after everything they had done. Multiple possibilities had been anticipated, and security asures had been tightened accordingly inside Mato. However, an invasion of the outside world on this scale had never been among those predictions.
A regrettable oversight on their part.
Kyouka could only grit her teeth as she watched countless people being slaughtered and mocked while it happened. She wanted to move, to rush out there and head straight for Tokyo. However, despite the ergency before them, the irritating protocols still had to be followed, forcing them to remain as spectators while awaiting further orders as backup.
"Damn it!"
Like her, Mira was also losing her patience, shouting as she slamd her fist against the table.
Riu could only close her eyes, choosing not to reprimand the sudden outburst. Truth be told, she was just as unhappy as Mira about the fact that they still had not been deployed. Because of the Thunder Gods' involvent in the current predicant, they could not simply stand by and allow their followers to carry out their bidding.
"The Thunder Gods might be there without our knowledge."
Displeased by even the thought of it, she still could not ignore the very real possibility of those unknown beings waiting for an opportunity to strike when they least expected it.
"When will those higher-ups make up their minds?"
Tenka remarked in a neutral tone while crossing her arms, her fingers tapping lightly against them as her eyes remained closed.
Despite appearing relatively calm in contrast to Mira, Tenka's aura scread of her deteriorating mood, her iron restraint the only thing preventing her from spouting a string of foul words.
"Mhmm?"
When the footage shifted to what was happening in Shinjuku, Fubuki's eyes widened for a brief mont. Her mind paused for a split second, and her head lifted from where it had been resting against her hand.
Noticing Fubuki's unusual reaction, even though she was accustod to minding her own business, the Eighth Unit Chief, Varvara Pilipenko, was genuinely caught off guard by the rare sight.
"..."
"Don't worry. I might have just imagined seeing an old acquaintance."
"I haven't said anything, though."
"Your stare said otherwise."
Hearing Fubuki answer her unspoken question, Varvara simply shrugged, a small sigh escaping her lips. Her gaze lingered on Kyouka for a mont, and she quickly hid the smile forming on her face, feeling strangely energized by the sight of her despite the irritated expression she wore.
"Kyouka-sama is still the best."
She daydread.
Amidst the not-so-happy atmosphere, Yakumo visibly lit up for a mont when she saw the footage transition to a new face.
"Yepeee, it's Rider-chan~~"
She cheered in a sowhat low-energy tone.
Inside the screen, Hideo and the Special Force were engaging in a joint assault against a Unique Shuuki with a scorpion-like tail, with him butchering it after its tail had been taken out by the others. Not only that, but he had also carried a destroyed truck off the road and cleared a path for the responding vehicles.
Carrying an unconscious man like a sack of potatoes, he coordinated with and followed the rescue team's leader, acting as extra manpower while also serving as a de facto guard in case anything went wrong.
"I... can't even say, for that matter, why he is in Tokyo."
Kyouka sighed and adjusted her cap.
Even so, a small smile and a sense of reassurance appeared on her face.
She might have started going a little soft on the guy, even if he was a literal oddball who frustrated her to no end with his actions and unpredictability. However, his nature was genuine, and he was not soone she could ever bring herself to despise.
"If giving headaches was a job, the Kan Rider would be a millionaire."
"You sound like you don't mind it, though."
Mira said, calming her nerves after seeing him doing his usual thing of ddling.
Kyouka simply pushed her hair back gently and looked at Mira.
"I guess he does make my job of handling Gates noticeably easier."
Being honest with herself, Kyouka gave a wry smile.
Mira only shrugged with a casual smile and thought to herself.
"It's really hard to hate that guy."
Her positive thoughts were cut short when a shiver ran down her spine. Looking around the conference room and at the Chiefs, her eyes twitched after discovering the source of the chilling sensation crawling across her skin.
It was none other than Tenka.
An ominously innocent and friendly smile rested on her face while her gaze remained fixed on the Kan Rider.
"Ever since that ti we took a sample from the dead body of that shitty plant I fought, her mood swings have really started to scare ."
Mira kept the thought to herself.
Noticing her staring with a deadpan expression, Tenka tilted her head.
"Is there sothing wrong with my face?"
Tenka asked curiously.
Mira simply shook her head in response.
A question mark practically appeared above Tenka's head, but she quickly moved on.
Mira inwardly thanked her for not prying any further.
"Ren, and now Tenka."
Her eyebrow twitched.
Resting her chin on her hand while watching the screen, Yakumo looked at the rest of the Chiefs and asked,
"What if we get Rider-chan to join our organization?"
Taking a mont to process and swallow her suggestion, the Chiefs exchanged glances with one another.
"I don't think a free-spirited guy like him would ever consider that."
Kyouka was the first to speak up.
"I second that."
Mira backed her up.
Riu contemplated the suggestion and began giving it so serious thought.
"We already have a policy of only allowing soldiers who have consud a Peach as the minimum qualification, which obviously ans that only won are allowed, since we are the only ones capable of receiving abilities from it."
There was nothing but truth in her words.
"However—"
She raised a finger, addressing and acknowledging the anomaly that was the Kan Rider.
Snapping her fingers, Fubuki was the one who finished her thought.
"He is a powerful asset. For the first ti since the existence of Mato, we have never seen a man defeat a Shuuki with his own hands."
Riu nodded in agreent. Picking up where Fubuki left off, she added,
"Yeah, and the Pri Minister already knows he exists, even dating back to his battle in Yamanashi Prefecture. Technically, we can't ignore the possibility that she might make an exception for him and him alone—unless another one of those Kan Riders suddenly shows up like he did."
Tenka interjected with a smile.
"If the possibility of him joining us ever happens, I, for one, would welco him with open arms~"
She chuckled elegantly.
Yakumo imdiately agreed and nodded.
"Ten-san gets it! For , other than him being strong, I'm actually more curious about how it would feel if he and I suck each other's Pus██ ███ and Dic██, ████ ███ ███ ███ ███████ ██████ ██ █████ █████ ██ █████ ██."
Kyouka, Varvara, and Mira could only rub their ears as Yakumo's perverted thoughts began rapid-firing without their consent.
*******
Despite the atmosphere in the room becoming noticeably more positive compared to the bleak mood from earlier, their worry remained at an all-ti high as they anxiously awaited any updates from Ren herself
Standing at the front of them was Ginna, who had been staring at the table for the past minute. Her dejected expression imdiately ca to life when she saw an incoming call from the Supre Commander all the way from Arica.
The footage transitioned away, and Ren's face filled the screen before them.
Every Chief in the Conference Room then turned their attention toward her.
[Sorry for remaining silent despite the ongoing crisis...]
Her voice was neutral.
The sound of aircraft engines could be heard in the background, though it was not loud enough to be distracting.
Clearly serious about the situation, she did not waste any ti and imdiately got to the main point of the call that everyone inside the Conference Room had been waiting for.
[I'll skip all the unnecessary details and get straight to the point. Given the Thunder Gods' involvent in this attack and our previous encounter with one of them, along with the threat posed by the so-called Devotees of the Divine—a cult-like group serving these Gods and the Shuukis, both of which are still active within the city at this ti—the Minister of Defense and the Pri Minister herself have granted authorization for Mobilization and Special Operations Directive, officially allowing the Mato Defense Force to join the battle in defense of Tokyo.]
Calming them down before continuing the briefing, Ren began disseminating tasks and assigning who would be deployed, focusing on the locations of interest where the current threat—naly the stronger Devotees—were wreaking havoc, so they could be engaged in combat.
Fortunately, four had already been identified by na.
A hologram of them was projected in the center of the table.
Seeing it up close, Fubuki was certain now—she had not been imagining it.
"Still looking dumb as ever."
She snorted, identifying the only maskless Devotee among the four shown: the grinning blonde woman wielding a claymore.
Raising four fingers, the Supre Commander maintained an authoritative tone.
[I know everyone wants to help, but we cannot afford to leave Mato defenseless as well. I will only be sending four Chief and their team to Tokyo, and the rest will remain here.]
She closed her eyes for a mont before looking to her left.
[First, the Devotee known as Juggernaut.]
[Mira, I would like you to intercept that raging maniac and put an end to her rampage.]
"No need to ask ."
Mira snickered and cracked her knuckles.
[Next is Fubuki. I would like you to fight this woman, Viper—]
"Consider it done."
Fubuki did not even let her finish and was already raring to go.
Her eyes practically scread bloodlust as she stared at the blonde woman.
Ignoring that entirely for now, as ti was running out, it continued for a little while until it was finished. After Fubuki and Mira, the remaining two who would be joining were Yakumo and Tenka.
[Sorry, Kyouka, but I'll leave things there in your hands for the ti being.]
Disappointed that she would not be joining the fight, Kyouka still nodded firmly at Ren.
"Leave it to ."
She answered without hesitation.
Ren smiled and nodded back in return, silently thanking her.
With Tenka and Ren absent for the duration of the attack on Tokyo, Kyouka would be stepping up and had been assigned the heaviest responsibility: watching over Mato and leading the other Units under Riu, Varvara, and Bell. With the existence of the Half-Shuukis, they could not afford to relax while they were in their most vulnerable state ever, with half of the Chiefs out of commission.
[I am currently on my way back alongside the Pri Minister and will probably fly on my own after covering a considerable distance to Japan.]
[I will stay in contact. So, if a major threat appears, I can just snipe it no matter how far away I still am.]
She snickered, but before ending the call, she looked at the backs of the slowly rising Chiefs one last ti and gave them a final word.
[Stay sharp and return in one piece.]
She smiled confidently and shouted,
[Everyone, Lightspeed!!]
Without looking back at her, all of the Chiefs stared ahead. Their reactions varied, but one word united them.
Answering back, they said in unison,
"Lightspeed!"
********
Author's Note:
What the fuck was that Finals Ga 4?!!!!!! SPURS FUCKING CHOKED!!!!!!
Okay, I give up. I've already lost faith that the Spurs will win. Unless they imitate the holy miracle run of the Cavaliers in 2016, let's just say goodbye to New York after the Knicks win this NBA season.
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