Raliya's breath hissed between her teeth, her entire body going rigid with shock as Trixie and Dodeka materialized out of nowhere, weapons drawn.

  "Trixie?!" The name tore from Raliya’s throat like a warning shot, her Miracle Eyes flickering wildly between the new arrivals while still keeping Alphonso in peripheral vision too.

  Dodeka didn’t even blink though, just stepped forward smoothly until she was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Kirsi now, one hand already resting on the pistol at her hip casually: "...Did we miss the fun part?" Her voice was ice-cold despite that teasing tone underneath it all still.

  Alphonso let out an audible "Oh shit" behind his rifle before slowly lowering the barrel again slightly, clearly not expecting reinforcements to show up mid-standoff like this either.

  Giovanni just watched them silently for beat longer then exhaled sharply through mask before muttering under breath: "...Fuckin’ hell."

  Vexa looked positively delighted by the turn of events though, grinning wide enough show teeth now as he leaned back against the wall smugly:

  "Now things get interesting."

  Dozens of white men appeared out of thin air behind Vexa, all of whom were wearing military gear endowed with hateful insignias.

  "We will take the Fennec race under our control as it has always been long ago. Your Miracle Eyes are ours, and we all dare you to stop us.”

  Raliya's body visibly tensed up further at that, her tail lashing violently behind her while eyes flared fiercely again. She was practically radiating anger at this point, almost shaking with fury as she spat out: "You dare."

  Trixie, however, was calm and silent beside her, golden eyes narrowed dangerously while still keeping Alphonso in sight.

  Kirsi still didn't look too bothered either, her eyes still fixed on the Traveler Bros while replying with chilling coolness in her voice: "Over our dead bodies."

  Vexa sneered at Kirsi, "What's that? So you're standing with the Fennec folk now? So the Empress of Ukiuq was a self-hating white woman all along?"

  That earned snickers from the men behind him and some of them even flipping Kirsi off.

  If Kirsi was bothered by that comment though, she didn't show it, face carefully neutral again while answering with perfect coolness: "My heritage does not determine where my loyalties lie." Her voice was like ice while adding with chilling calm: "And the Republic of Alua is an ally of Ukiuq now. I stand with it, not against it."

  Raliya's breathing slowed down slightly then, her expression still hard but less like she was seconds away from attacking now at least.

  Meanwhile, Vexa scowled at Kirsi as those words registered, that smile vanishing as he snapped back sharply: "Then you're double the traitor I thought you were. The Fennecs are shooting whites like you and me left and right in this country. We are target practice for them, and here you are SIDING WITH THEM!”

  Kirsi’s eyes narrowed, her voice dropping into something dangerously quiet now: "You don't get to decide who I stand with."

  The air in the room seemed to crackle at that, tension so thick it could be cut. Vexa's face twisted further, like he couldn’t believe she was still talking back like this when all logic pointed against her.

  Then Dodeka finally spoke up from beside Kirsi, her tone lethally calm as she added: "And if you call my President's ally a traitor again? I'll personally ensure you regret it."

  Alphonso let out another nervous chuckle behind his rifle though, clearly not expecting this level of escalation happening:

  "...Y'all really gonna have a race war here?"

  Vexa scoffed. "Shut your trap about 'race wars'. This IS the race war, right here."

  Giovanni sighed heavily through his mask before muttering under his breath:

  "We're never getting paid 'nuff for this shit...dammit, Cain."

  Vexa looked ready explode, but Raliya cut him off first by stepping forward suddenly herself while snarling directly at the white men behind him now instead:

  "I dare any of you to step one foot toward us."

  Her Miracle Eyes burned the brightest they had been the whole time today…

  The men behind Vexa went silent instantly, all of them clearly wary of Raliya's gaze focused on them now.

  Even Vexa hesitated for a moment, that smugness flickering as slight uncertainty entered his eyes once more while replying: "Or what? You gonna shoot me?"

  "No. We ALL will."

  Dozens of Fennec soldiers belonging to the TIFA squad, led by Adara, marched from behind Raliya and Dodeka. All of them were armed to the teeth and held vitriol in their gazes as their eyes landed on Vexa and his men.

  Vexa stiffened visibly for a moment as they appeared behind the others, not liking this new turn of events at all. The rest of his crew behind him tensed too, clearly not liking this new development now…

  The tension in the room jumped to a whole new level when the white men and TIFA stood before each other. Raliya stepped back so the others blocked her and Kirsi now, still keeping that furious look on her face while adding in cold, chilling voice:

  "This is your last warning, Vexa. Leave. Now. And you,"she turned to Alphonso and Giovanni, “Give back those Miracle Eyes this instant.”

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  "Damn, Gio," Alphonso groaned, already prepared for battle, "We really are in the middle of a damn race war, ain't we?”

  Giovanni ignored his brother, his focus entirely on Raliya now. He studied the situation coolly, taking a moment before replying just as coolly:

  "No. We won't give it up. You have something that our employer wants. And we're taking it. Whether you give it up peacefully or not? That's your call now."

  Raliya's grip on her weapon tightened again, that fury flaring in her eyes again while saying through gritted teeth:

  "That is never going to happen."

  Giovanni just shrugged, looking more like someone talking about the weather than anything else: "Then I guess we're gonna have to take it the hard way then."

  He took a slow, deep breath before adding coldly: "No mercy. No survivors."

  Raliya bristled, tail lashing violently now as she retorted:

  "I'm gonna take more than your knees from you, you bastard."

  She fired a shot at Giovanni.

  All hell broke loose at that.

  The army of white men raised their weapons and started firing at the TIFA soldiers, but they were quickly countered by the Fennecs who fired back without hesitation, dominating them with their superior agility.

  The battlefield erupted into chaos, bullets flying, bodies dropping, and the air thick with gunpowder and screams.

  Raliya moved like a storm herself, her rifle barking in controlled bursts as she took down enemy after enemy with terrifying precision. Her Miracle Eyes flared brighter than ever now, swirling violently as they scanned for threats through the smoke and haze of the battlefield.

  As much as she hates violent confrontations, let alone being in the middle of one, Kirsi fought beside her too, golden eyes locked onto targets before putting precise shots between their eyes one by one without missing a single time.

  Dodeka? She was cutting through the men left and right center like some kind of wrathful angel wielding twin blades while the TIFA squad flanked them both from the sides, covering angles others couldn't reach themselves…

  Alphonso let out another loud curse behind his sniper rifle: "Goddammit! I hate this job sometimes!"

  Giovanni just watched it all unfold silently for a beat longer before:

  "...We're gonna need backup."

  The white men weren't holding back either. They moved with ruthless efficiency, firing with such precision it seemed like a well-coordinated squad. But the Fennecs were no strangers to battles, they matched them step by step while dodging bullets left and right themselves without fear or hesitation.

  "This is getting us NOWHERE!" Vexa yelled above the noise, his face red with anger now. "We need to end this, NOW!”

  Giovanni grunted in response, still focusing on the battlefield for a moment before replying coolly: "That's easy for you to say…you're not the one getting shot at by two factions like me and my bro over here."

  Vexa scowled, but before he could retort, Giovanni added: "And I thought you were supposed to be the brilliant tactician here."

  Trixie, meanwhile, observed Vexa's men, and got a flashback of the Gaia Disciples:

  ☆

  "We believe it's our duty to reset the balance, to cure the Earth of this disease called humanity."

  Then the memory of when the Gaia Disciple pulled out that tiny box from his suit and giving it to Trixie:

  "Inside of this box is a button. Whenever you observe or personally experience any form of prejudice and injustice, wherever you may be, then press this button. The nearest members of the Gaia Disciples will arrive at your location in the dozens, any time, anywhere."

  ☆

  "Of COURSE," Trixie gasped, pulling the box out of her uniform's pocket and staring at it, then at the white men trying their damnedest to take down the Fennecs…

  Raliya’s head snapped toward Trixie at that, her Miracle Eyes flaring violently as she took in the sight of that box. "Trixie, what the hell is—?!"

  But it was too late.

  The second Trixie pressed that button? Reality itself seemed to rip open as dozens of Gaia Disciples materialized around them in an instant, their black and white uniforms stark against a battlefield already drenched red…and every single one with weapons drawn.

  Vexa let out a shocked curse behind cover while his own men faltered mid-fire seeing this new threat appear seemingly from thin air like some kind nightmare unfolding right front eyes instead:

  "What fresh fucking hell is this?! Who called for backup?!"

  Giovanni exhaled sharply through his mask again though like he had been expecting something like this all along:

  "...Called it."

  Meanwhile Kirsi and Dodeka shared a brief glance.”This changes everything,” Kirsi said.

  The Gaia Disciples moved like a synchronized tide, black and white uniforms stark against the blood-soaked battlefield as they systematically dismantled every white soldier in their path.

  Raliya’s breath hitched for a split second, her Miracle Eyes flickering wildly between Trixie, the Disciples, and Vexa’s men now scrambling to regroup. "Trixie...what did you just do?!" Her voice was sharp with disbelief, her rifle still trained on the nearest enemy but now her mind racing trying to process this sudden turn of events.

  But Trixie didn’t answer right away though, just staring blankly at that box in hand while whispering under breath instead: "...I had no choice."

  Kirsi looked ready to strangle someone herself, her eyes burning bright with fury aimed directly toward Vexa and the Traveler Bros alike before snarling:

  "This is YOUR fault."

  Vexa meanwhile was already backing away slowly behind his own soldiers, face pale beneath his anger as the realization fully sunk in:

  "They summoned an army of lunatics here over some stolen organs?! What kind of insane shit have I gotten myself into?"

  But he quickly recovered though, scowling at Kirsi now while replying just as coldly:

  "I didn't cause this clusterfuck. The fucking Fennecs did."

  Kirsi’s jaw tightened at that, eyes narrowing dangerously as she retorted icily: "We wouldn't be here in the first place if you didn't treat the Fennec people like cattle."

  "Oh please," Vexa scoffed back, "You're white too. They want you just as dead as they want us. You're not special to them, you're a tool.”

  Kirsi bristled at that, eyes flashing dangerously as she snapped back: "You're a coward, Vexa. You're no better than the people we're fighting here and you know that. This is bigger than your petty grudge so either put your personal grievances aside or get out of this. This is about preserving lives, not being a selfish bastard."

  Vexa's face twisted at that, his anger flaring again as he replied sharply: "And you're a sellout. You turned your back on your own kind for some savages, and you're telling ME about preserving lives?”

  Kirsi’s expression went cold at that, all traces of emotion vanishing from her face as she replied with cool venom: "They are not savages. They are people trying to survive in a world that's stacked against them every step the way."

  Vexa crossed his arms, spitting on the ground with disgust while saying: "Your heart bleeds a little too loud, Kirsi. The world doesn't operate on emotions. It operates on logic and the survival of the fittest.”

  Kirsi let out a slow, controlled exhale, her voice dropping into something lethally quiet now:

  "And if logic was all that mattered? Then you wouldn't have lost to them in the first place."

  The air around her crackled with tension at those words, even Raliya stiffened slightly beside her at the sheer audacity of it.

  Vexa's face turned an ugly shade of red, his entire body tensing like he'd been slapped mid-sentence before snarling back: "I didn't lose anything! I walked away from a battle that wasn't worth my time!"

  Giovanni finally stepped forward then too , his tone dry as dust while muttering under breath again:

  "...Sure ya did, buddy."

  Alphonso snorted loudly behind his rifle, which only made Vexa even more pissed off.

  Meanwhile, Trixie just stood frozen near the center of the battlefield, still staring down at the box…until Dodeka suddenly grabbed her arm sharply without warning and pulled her toward the nearest cover:

  "Move. Let the Disciples do their job."