“Hoo, I'm stuffed!” Stella exclaims as they leave the restaurant. Even with the three of them, Agami struggled to finish the meal.

  “Ughh!” Agami groans, “Never again.”

  “Now that you have had your fill of fun, I think it's about time we make our way back,” Gearfried says, closing the door behind him.

  “Fine~” Stella complains. Agami would also agree, but can't, afraid his lunch will come back.

  Stella walks beside him and says, “That was fun!”

  Agami preemptively places his hand in front of his mouth and replies, “I guess so. Is this what you meant by new experiences?”

  “Not even close. We are just getting started!” She smiles. She leans in and whispers in his ear, “Besides, we can't do much with Officer Buzz Kill around.”

  They both look at Gearfried walking behind them, watching to make sure they don’t run away again. Stella lets out an audible groan as they continue on their way home.

  Walking through the streets, the crowds pass around them. The sound of the crowd chattering and cars passing by feels strangely new for Agami. He passes by numerous stores, each window showing something different, he wants to look at. When he stops to stare, Gearfried gently nudges him along, reminding him that there will be time for this later. He hates this. It’s strange to think this will all be different tomorrow.

  Stella looks at him and chuckles. “What?” Agami asks.

  “You look like the whole world is new. Just wanting to touch and see everything.”

  “Well, it’s not like I’m used to this,” Agami scratches the back of his head. He turns to Gearfried, who is busy watching the crowd walk past them. He seems tense.

  He walks up to the two and commands, “Come on, let’s go. Something is off.” A gust of wind begins blowing past them, and the skies grow darker.

  Tenmei appears and says, “I can sense something ominous from that tower.” Looking at the direction the crowd is going, they are heading toward the Sand De Royale. Before Agami can continue to watch, Gearfried takes both of them by the shoulders and rushes them.

  They pass through several streets, with numerous people excitedly walking by and cars stopping in the street. Pushing past the crowd, they reach the Cloudy River Hotel and take the elevator to their room.

  Gearfried quickly unlocks the door and waits for Agami and Stella to enter before slamming it shut behind them.

  “What’s going on?” Agami asks Gearfried; Stella walks to the balcony to watch the crowds.

  Gearfried takes out his phone and dials someone. While it rings, he places it on his desk next to his laptop, typing hurriedly.

  “Tenmei?” Agami asks.

  “Baltro must be at the centre of this,” Tenmei answers worriedly.

  The phone next to Gearfried suddenly connects.

  “GET TO THE SAND DE ROYALE ASAP! SORA WAS A DUMBASS AND POKED THE BEEHIVE!” That is Imino’s voice. It is strange hearing her shout.

  “HEY! DON’T PIN THIS ALL ON ME!” Sora’s voice shouts in the background.

  “Stop behaving like children and give me the sitrep!” Gearfried shouts, impatient with their antics.

  He hears Sora laugh in the background and shout, “LOOK AT THIS LOSER STILL USING MILITARY PHRASES!”

  “Bastard! I’m goin-” Before Gearfried can finish, Imino interrupts.

  “HE IS ALREADY FIGHTING THE CROWD! GET AGAMI HERE ASAP! WE WERE SEPARATED FROM DANZO AND KEN'S GROUP! THE TWINS ARE WITH THEM! WE ARE HOLDING THEM OFF BUT AREN’T SURE HOW LONG DANZO CAN LAST ON HIS OWN! ONCE HERE, ESCORT HIS GROUP BACK TO THE HOTEL! I ALREADY CALLED IN OTHER SLAYERS FOR VIP PROTECTION! AND BRING MY SHOTS! IMINO OUT!” The call suddenly cuts.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “Get your equipment! We are leaving now!” Gearfried commands as he rushes past Agami.

  Agami runs to his room and opens his door, the Sharpshooter waiting for him in the corner. As he puts it on, Tenmei is speaking to him.

  “Agami, this is the Ascension!” As Tenmei speaks, Agami reaches the lounge and goes towards Stella, who is watching a ridiculously tall skyscraper, the clouds swirling around the tip of it. ”I need to warn you: I will not be around to help until you face him.”

  Agami opens the sliding door and steps out. The winds are stronger, and the sky is darker. He continues, “What do you mean?”

  “I will need to prepare and gather enough Soul Power to face him. I have been preparing for the past couple of days and would have had enough by tomorrow. But now, I will need to rush it. Until then, be careful.” Tenmei goes silent.

  As he walks toward the railing, he feels his chest tighten, and the world feels as if it slows around him. A large pressure suddenly weighs on him.

  Agami joins Stella as she watches. “This is awesome!” She excitedly shouts. “Isn’t this exciting, Agami?!”

  Agami answers, “It’s– it’s terrifying.”

  She looks at him with a confused look, ”Terrifying?”

  “I am the one who needs to stop it. If I fail, everyone…”

  Before he can finish, she goes up to his ear and whispers, “You’re wasting your time being afraid. Worrying over everything isn’t going to fix it.” She steps back and smiles. Her arms on his shoulders, “Go there, do your best, and have fun! That’s what I’ll be doing.”

  “Having fun?”

  “Yep. I can’t wai-” Before she can finish, Gearfried hurriedly opens the sliding door, soldiers in black uniforms with white stripes behind him.

  “Agami, come on! We need to go now," he shouts.

  “Alright, time for some fun,” Stella says excitedly.

  “You are staying here! Only Agami is coming!”

  “What?! That’s totally–” Before Stella can finish, a loud shockwave blows past them– The building shakes, and windows rattle. Blocking his eyes from the gale, Agami sees the tip of the tower lighting up and the clouds moving away from the tip. He can hear…something singing. An orchestra.

  Gearfried grabs Agami’s arm and says, “No time to waste! Hold on tight!” He carries Agami on his back.

  “Wait, what are you-” before he can finish, Gearfried sprints and jumps off the roof.

  Agami screams as they fall. Suddenly, Gearfried shoots a metallic tether with a hook out of his right hand at a nearby building to their left. A loud snap sounds as the hook latches onto the wall, and the tether whirs as it pulls them toward it. Maintaining momentum, the tether reels before he lands on the wall. He sticks his left hand out toward the wall, and a small saw blade sticks out of it. The saw connects with the wall, pulling him quickly across the building as small pieces of concrete fly out from the streak it leaves behind.

  At the end of the wall, he pivots to the corner behind it and releases a powerful jet from his legs– breaking the glass and shooting them over the streets. It feels like Agami's arms are going to fall off.

  As they fly over the street, Agami looks down. The cars clog the streets. People are frantically running away from the skyscraper, afraid of the light emanating from it. Some people are running toward it, especially as they get closer.

  The closer they get to the skyscraper, the stronger its pull feels. His armament is glowing, the same as the other day. He looks at the skyscraper again; the singing is getting louder. He can hear a…choir?

  Gearfried continues racing toward the Sand De Royale. He slides as he lands on the roof of a building, keeping pace. People holding torches and weapons cover the roofs. He suddenly jumps to the right and onto the street, swearing under his breath. A moment later, multiple metal slashes are heard, and the buildings to their right collapse. Gearfried holds a bag out, and it disappears in the blink of an eye.

  “What is happening?!” Agami shouts.

  Gearfried doesn't answer and continues running forward, with a large crowd of people in his path. From their faces and chants, they're Ascenders. Before Agami could shout, the crowd exploded in a bloody fashion, the blood flying to the left.

  “Imino is doing crowd control!” Gearfried shouts. “She's making sure we have a clear line to The Pen!”

  “The Pen?” Agami asks. Gearfried looks at the tip of the building. “Ohhhh, The Pen,” Agami responds in realisation.

  Gearfried stops in front of the entrance to the building. He taps Agami's arms, signalling him to let go. Agami falls to the ground; all of the excitement earlier distracted him from his legs falling asleep.

  “Pins and needles, pins and needles,” he complains as his legs wake up.

  “Aktur,” Gearfried says scornfully.

  Agami looks at the entrance and finds a man in a black coat with white stripes. He has a black beard, and his long, neatly kept hair extends past his shoulders. A large scar stretched across his lightly tanned face.

  “Long time, Gearfried,” Aktur responds.

  “I don't have time for this right now. Come on, Agami,” Gearfried says, trying to walk past him. In an instant, Gearfried is sent flying through buildings.