CHAPTER 41: TOTAL SILENCE

Rago, Valen, and Aeri exchanged glances as their heads pounded with unbearable pain. They knew too well that being caught in one of the Fangs’ traps could spell nothing short of devastation.

The oppressive field of Rikael’s Core Release pressed mercilessly down on ZEAL’s Wardens and their men. Their bodies convulsed under the weight of it, every muscle screaming, leaving them unable to even twitch.

Rikael’s core release is one of the most terrifying, making him one of Shikkoku’s strongest assets. When he casts his barrier, all sound inside disappears while releasing a powerful shockwave that spreads outward, pinning foes to the ground with overwhelming force. People inside it would feel like they’re suffocating under crushing pressure, their bodies weighed down as if gravity has grown tenfold. To make it even more terrifying, attacks from outside can pass through the barrier freely, turning anyone trapped inside into nothing more than a helpless target.

"Are you certain they won’t be able to move?" Zarveth asked cautiously, his voice tight with unease.

In that instant, a ferocious dark blue aura burst forth from Rikael, cloaking the rooftop like a living storm as his eyes glared with murderous fury.

"Do you dare question my skill? Do you think my Core Release, Total Silence is weak? Do you want me to kill you where you stand, Zarveth?"

"N-no, of course not! Forgive me!" Zarveth replied, his heart pounding in terror.

Though he is quite confident in his own strength, he knew the truth that he wouldn’t last a moment against Rikael, or any of the Fangs for that matter. The only weapon left to him was deceit, cheap tricks that just might graze the mighty Wardens of ZEAL.

"Then stop trembling!" Rikael ordered. "Unleash destruction upon them, now!"

Well, I almost died back there, but who cares? The Fangs are on my side now. Zarveth grinned to himself. If I pull this off, I’ll wipe out three Wardens and a ton of ZEAL dogs in one go. Maybe then, I’ll finally earn a place among the Fangs.

In the blink of an eye, hordes of Ashes surged outside the barrier, their twisted forms numbering over a hundred, maybe more. Alongside them, hundreds of Shikkoku members charged in with bloodlust. But what truly shook the ZEAL squad was the sudden formation of molten fireballs from above the barrier, lightning up the battlefield from the sky.

"Core Release, Eternity’s Doom." Zarveth muttered.

"We need to do something!" Valen shouted.

Rago’s body erupted in roaring flames as he clenched his fists, forcing his legs to move. Bit by bit, he pushed forward. First a step, then a jog, until his whole frame trembled like a beast ready to leap.

Rikael’s eyes widened. In all his life, he had only seen one man resist his Core Release’s domain so freely, the leader of Shikkoku himself.

"Tch! He’s trying to break my domain by force! Zarveth, now!" Rikael yelled.

"Meteor Shower!" Zarveth yelled, letting the molten fireballs descend toward the barrier.

But as if on cue, a sweeping white figure wearing a white mask descended from the full moon. In an instant, the blazing meteors, the crackling tesla towers, and even the massive barrier imprisoning the ZEAL squad were swallowed by creeping frost, smothered as though swallowed in a blizzard.

"Frostbite." Gale whispered as she broke through the top of the barrier, swooping down like a white winter owl. The wall of energy shattered under her strike, and the blazing molten rocks turned into harmless stones falling slowly from the sky.

The moment their throbbing headaches eased, Valen’s daggers flashed, Aeri’s beams of light seared upward, and Rago’s flames leapt up to meet the frozen meteors. Together, they shattered the brittle orbs mid air, scattering them into glittering dust.

As soon as Ren felt the throbbing pain in his head gone, he moved quickly. Black lightning crackled across his body as he tore through the battlefield, weaving through the hordes of Ashes and Shikkoku soldiers like they were nothing. In a flash, he vaulted to the rooftop where Rikael and Zarveth stood.

"Ren, stop!" Valen shouted from below but Ren was already gone, his speed blinding. He wasn’t able to stop him as he was too occupied dealing with the enemies surrounding them.

"We’re pulling out." Rikael said calmly as Lyra stepped out from the shadows behind him.

"What? Why? We had them on the ropes!" Zarveth snapped, his frustration boiling over his rationality.

"I’m not foolish enough to fight three Wardens at once." Rikael replied as his gaze flicked toward Gale. "And that girl, she’s the white owl. She’s a Warden herself in terms of strength." With that, he stepped through the portal Lyra had opened.

Lyra glanced at Zarveth with a teasing smile. "So? Want me to open one for you too?"

But before Zarveth could answer, a surge of black lightning cut through the air. Ren burst from behind and his katana aimed straight for Zarveth’s neck.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished only to reappear right in front of Zarveth.

"Thunderclap." Ren whispered.

Zarveth froze, too slow to react as the blade was about to reach his wide open neck.

But before it could, a sharp kick slammed down from above. Lyra’s heel struck the katana, knocking it off course and pinning the blade to the ground with crushing force.

"I don’t think you can kill this guy yet, he’s still one of our assets." Lyra said with a smile, her heel pressing against the tip of Ren’s pinned katana.

With a sharp pull, Ren pulled his blade free, the force sending Lyra flipping effortlessly through the air as she landed right in front of Zarveth, who had instinctively backed off several meters from Ren.

"I’ll remember that face!" Zarveth replied, clearly angered by the fact that Ren almost killed him in an instant. "Next time we meet, you’re dead!"

Unbothered, Lyra smirked and swept a hand across the air as a yellow portal bloomed open behind her. Without hesitation, she stepped inside with Zarveth trailing behind.

But before the portal could seal shut, a sharp flash split the air, Ren blurred forward in a streak of lightning, dashing into the portal after them.

—---------------

Back on the battlefield, chaos erupted as the Ashes and Shikkoku soldiers pressed from all directions. The snipers slowed them down, taking out a few with precise shots, but the sheer weight of their numbers quickly closed in, surrounding the squad.

Gale froze half the horde in a single breath, their bodies crystallizing into ice before shattering under Rago’s and Aeri’s relentless assault. On the opposite side, Shin’s gravity dragged enemies to their knees while Valen sliced through them in a blur, leaving trails of blood and ashes into his path.

Yet no matter how many fell, more kept pouring in, hordes breaking through the frontline like an unstoppable tide. The battlefield became a storm of steel, fire, and screams as ZEAL’s fighters held their ground.

Sora struggled to keep up, weaving through the swarms as she searched desperately for the Ashes’ cores. Her breathing was growing more heavier and intense, but Kaela’s petals shielded her from sudden strikes, while Minato’s branches cleared her path.

"Don’t worry about the rest, just aim for the decisive blow. We’ll cover you." Minato said firmly as Kaela reinforced another shimmering barrier of petals.

Minato however, found himself running out of gas and strength. His energy burned away with every moment. After all, he was doing everything he could, supporting the team by binding enemies, and still pressing the attack himself. His focus slipped for only an instant, and that was enough.

From behind, a Shikkoku soldier closed in with a drive infused knife shining amidst the chaos. Minato never saw it.

But Isamu did.

He threw himself between them, but too late to raise a proper guard as the blade sank deep into his left side.

"Isamu!" Minato’s eyes widened, rage surging as he lashed out, thorned branches exploded from the ground, skewering the soldier clean through his chest.

"Breathe! Don’t you dare stop breathing!" Minato shouted, voice cracking with desperation.

Botan reacted instantly. Two walls of water surged forward, carving open a path to them. "Isamu! Hold on!"

"Cover him! Cover yourself! Keep the barrier steady until this fight’s done!" Minato yelled. Without another word, he turned back into chaos, fury guiding his every step.

He was merciless now. Thorny branches lashed, tore, and impaled, ripping through both the Ashes and Shikkoku soldiers. The ground itself became his weapon, his grief fueled wrath unstoppable.

The tide shifted. Numbers thinned with each passing second. And then like a final signal, all three Wardens, alongside Gale and Shin burst through one last spurt.

The battlefield was drowned in overwhelming power. Rago’s flames devour the enemies. Gale’s frost spread. Valen’s blades severed heads clean. And Shin’s crushing pressure slammed foes to the dirt.

The Shikkoku line shattered. One by one, they fell, burned, frozen, broken, erased.

Victory, at last, began to take shape through blood and fire.

The battlefield was silent at last.The final enemy fell, but there was no relief nor celebration painted in their faces. Only the weight of loss pressed on their chests. Too many comrades faltered, too many wounded. And worst of all, Zarveth escaped to live.

"Ren!" Valen’s voice cracked as he ran toward Aeri and Rago. "He went to the rooftop where Rikael and Zarveth were! He hasn’t come back!"

At once, Aeri and Gale shot toward the ruins above. Their hearts pounded as they tore through the wreckage, hoping, praying that he would still be there.

But the rooftop was empty.

Aeri’s voice wavered as she reported back. "He’s not here."

Panic spread through the Wardens like wildfire. Valen staggered, his composure breaking.

"What do we do now? What if they captured him? What if they brought him to his brother? Are they going to kill him? Or use him? What’s going to happen to Ren!?"

"Valen, breathe." Rago’s voice was low and steady, but his eyes carried the same fear. "We can’t lose ourselves here. All we can do is stay sharp, follow his tracks, and keep moving forward."

Aeri responded, forcing command back into her voice. "Rago, take the group back to Ward 11. Too many are injured. And...." she hesitated, the weight of it crushing her. "Be the one to tell the families of the ones we lost today."

Rago bowed his head and nodded.

"Gale, Valen, you’re with me. We’ll search for any leads. If there’s a trail, we’ll find it."

Gale’s eyes suddenly widened as a chilling thought struck her. "No, if Lyra was here, then they didn’t run. They escaped through a portal. And if they captured Ren, there are only two places they’d dare take him back to. The Thirteenth Ward or the Abandoned Zone."

As Rago led everyone back to Ward 11, the atmosphere was heavy with silence. No one spoke as they carried the lifeless bodies of their fallen comrades. After all, nearly a quarter of their group was gone and the survivors were battered, some barely able to walk.

Squad 4 moved together with Botan and Minato, their spirits crushed. The thought of Ren missing and Isamu clinging to life weighed on them like chains.

"Are we really just going to do nothing!?" Seth suddenly snapped, his voice breaking the silence.

"We can’t." Miko replied firmly. "The order was to retreat."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Seth argued, his voice filled with frustration. "We just got Ren back. We finally felt like a squad again, and now he’s gone, taken by the enemy. How can we just sit here!?"

"Stop it, Seth!" Sora shouted through her tears. "Do you think I’m not hurting? Do you think any of us aren’t? But what can we do right now? We don’t even have a single lead! If we rush in blindly, we’ll just throw our lives away. The only thing we can do is get these wounded back home safely and trust that the Wardens and Gale will bring Ren back!"

Her words cut through the air. Seth froze, his anger faltering. He stared at Sora, shocked, he had never seen her cry before. For the first time, he realized just how much Ren’s disappearance hurt her, maybe even more than the rest of them.

—-------------

After stepping through the portal, Ren landed in the heart of a desolated junkyard with piles of twisted metal and shattered remnants towering around him like graves of a forgotten era.

Waiting in front of him stood Zarveth, his hood still intact as thick smoke emitted from his massive shoulders with every breath.

"I won’t be caught off guard again." Zarveth muttered as his lips curled into a sinister smile. "This time, I’ll finish you and bury your corpse in these Wastelands."

Ren said nothing, his eyes steady as his hand slid calmly to the hilt of his sheathed katana as the silence before the storm pressed down on the ruined field.