They found Akira in the engine room. Deep craters in the walls and floor marked sites of missed kicks. Large scorch marks still emanating smoke and splatters of blood littered every surface. Several of the catwalks lining the walls had collapsed and the computers were smashed into uselessness. One wall had been torn out almost entirely, the metal peeled back and the darkness beyond exposed. The core of the laboratory stood fast in the center of the room, large purple crystal humming and crackling as it hovered in the central power unit. Large cracks marred its surface, and it shuddered and crackled with every pulse of energy that ran through it. The core was barely holding on.

  "There you are," panted Akira, getting up from one knee. "You holdin' up over there, Erina?"

  "That's what I wanted to ask you," she said.

  Akira shot her a smirk, exhausted as she was. "I dunno, you tell me. Darius showed up. Stalled him. Real fuckin' piece of work, he is."

  They both looked up as a blazing light and dark shadows rushed across the surfaces in the engine room. The comet shot by once, twice, three times at impossible speed. It moved as if reflecting off thin air, bouncing and searching all over the laboratory.

  Lazarus gestured and the unit shook. The damaged library, one wall torn down and books thrown from their shelves, rose up and met with the engine room to close the gap.

  "Erina!" called Lazarus. "I need an accelerator!"

  "Understood!" Erina extended her arm and twirled her wrist, the array of spell circles forming—

  A massive collision threw Erina and Lazarus to the floor. Akira crouched low to the ground to brace herself against the impact. The air erupted into earsplitting chaos as the ceiling of the library gave way, panels and rubble spraying everywhere as the metal mesh supports in the walls ripped apart.

  A building-sized sword of pure light pierced down through the library and staked itself in the floor. It dissolved to nothing, two figures dropping down amidst the rubble where it once stood.

  "You've really given us a right bloody runaround!" Darius flicked his coat to flare out behind him as he stepped forward. "But no more of that now! We've already—"

  Lazarus crossed the distance in less than a split second, electric blue sparks at her fingertips as she rushed the gunslinger.

  A gunshot split the air. Erina only barely saw what happened. In the same span of time, Darius drew his revolver and fired a powerful round of light, stopping Lazarus cold right in front of him. He leaned back, an uncharacteristic fear in his eyes as Lazarus' crackling fingers crossed that last single arm's length of distance between them.

  Arm swinging in a wide arc, the very tips of her fingers touched his forehead. They didn't graze him. They passed right through. Wisps of an unnatural black energy lingered as they left his skin.

  Three more gunshots and Lazarus was blown back, clutching her stomach. Electric blue ether stained the floor.

  "Mom!" Erina rushed to her side.

  Darius staggered back, eyes wide. Asayuki made to move around him, but he threw out an arm to bar her path. His eyes never left Lazarus.

  "You…" he breathed.

  Four spent rounds clattered to the floor. He reloaded without sparing a single glance. The marks of black lightning on his arms flickered… and then shut down completely, restoring the cloth to pristine white.

  "What?" Erina looked around from one person to the next. "What happened?"

  "My primary Affinity…" Lazarus slowly got up, a weary grin on her face. "…is the third seat, Famine. It grants manipulation of the soul… allows me to modify and take the powers held by others… in other words, an Affinity with dominion over Affinities. I wanted both aspects he held, but the more important one is enough." A dry laugh escaped her, and she belted out, "So much for strongest in the world! Right, Darius?!"

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  Julian stood at the head of the Binding Association's mission control center. Dozens of terminals lined the room with operators at hand, comparing notes and processing data. Colossal screens provided an endless stream of information. A map of the globe with blinking lights and arrows. Readouts and status updates on their deployed field units. Lists of active missions that stretched on for lines and lines. A 3D projection of Lazarus' hideout rotated slowly on one screen, colors blinking in and out as they ascertained the details of each section.

  "How is the status of the operation against Lazarus?" he called out.

  "Restored contact with Asayuki's signal." Pink hair framing her face, Fujiwara's fingers moved across the keyboard as she pulled them up on her computer. "Total laboratory depth verified to extend over two thousand meters. We haven't found a bottom."

  "Topological scan?"

  "Complete. Coordinates already sent."

  Julian touched the panel before him and spoke into the mic. "Asayuki, come in. Have you reached the objective?"

  "Already compromised," she responded over the connection. "Proceeding to the next phase when possible, but Darius is disabled. Emisane and Lazarus' work."

  "His Affinity?" That was an issue. "Reclaim it as soon as possible."

  "Roger. Out."

  "Sir." The operator at his other side pushed her chair back slightly.

  "What is it, Tanamura-san?" said Julian. He didn't take his eyes off the screens.

  "I've received another message from internal review. It's about the stabilizer project. They've decided on a timeline for audit."

  "When will it begin?"

  "This evening, sir."

  "All as planned," he muttered. Aloud, "That's fine. Thank you."

  Listening in on them, Fujiwara suddenly made a double take. She squinted at her screen and muttered, "That can't be right."

  "What is it, Fujiwara?"

  She turned to him. "Sir, it seems… Lady Aileen is at the front door."

  He came over. Sure enough, there she was on the surveillance feed, waving at the camera.

  "What's she doing here?" asked Fujiwara.

  "Go meet her," said Julian. "See her off. This is a crucial moment."

  "Should I fetch you coffee while I'm out…? Yes, sir." Fujiwara stepped out of the control center and took the elevator. She met Aileen on the first floor, glass doors sliding aside.

  "Oh, hello!" Aileen greeted her with a warm smile. "I was starting to wonder if HQ was closed. Odd to see reception isn't in today!"

  "It's an honor." Fujiwara made a polite bow. "I am Fujiwara Haruka. We didn't expect to see you today. What brings you here?"

  "I was just having a chat with my son over the phone the other day, and I suddenly felt like coming to pay him a visit in person! Where is he? Is he in the office today?"

  "I'm afraid not. He's out on business."

  "Ehh? No way! And after I flew all the way here to see him… maybe he didn't see my text again."

  "I apologize, but if you want to see him, you'll have to come back another time. I'll let you know when he—"

  A loud blaring noise made them both turn. The alarms switched on in the foyer, bathing it in a harsh red glow.

  Haruka turned away, hand to her earpiece. "Come in. What's happening?"

  "Structural barrier damage detected," said the operator across the line. "Reports of a Surface-side earthquake just came in. Magnitude 6. Class 2 incident confirmed ongoing."

  "Fukushima?" That was where they had deployed the Equalizers. Haruka straightened up. "Lady Aileen, I apologize, but today isn't a good day. I'll have to ask you to…"

  She turned back, but Aileen was nowhere to be seen.

  "Lady Aileen?"

  A cold wind blew across the street. Haruka shivered and looked up. Somehow, the shimmering sky looked different. She didn't remember the forecast being so windy, yet the clouds were moving so quickly…

  The laboratory rocked under their feet and Lazarus stopped smiling.

  "Bit late for that," said Darius resentfully. "Find the engine room and destroy the core, he said. Then cut connection to any emergency power and the outage will free it. That was the original plan… but Julian's analysis finished first. We didn't need to go through all of that if we already found it on the way here."

  A primal fear stirred in Erina's heart. A vibration reverberated through them, so deep that it propagated better through solids than it did air. It was the roar of a creature so colossal that its bellow was felt more than heard.

  Lazarus turned, holographic screens popping into being around her as she moved her arm. One screen after another turned from blue to red, and they all vanished as she rounded on the two Equalizers again. "What have you done?!"

  "What we need to," said Asayuki.

  "You pieces of shit," muttered Akira. But before she could throw the first kick of the next fight, the metal heaved up between them with a loud clang as something massive struck it from below.

  It ruptured on the next impact. A massive, sinewy wall of black scales flexed as it rose between the two parties, metal groaning as it bent before its immense weight. Equally huge whip-like tails rose after it as the units shifted apart, lashing blindly at the air and striking fresh craters into the metal.

  The dragon of myth was in the present once more.