BOOOOOOOM

  The entire building shook. The ceiling trembled and the lights flickered as Sonya caught herself on the railing. Shuta grabbed his mother while Marta pnted her feet and rode it out, a stern look on her face. Sirens bred. Sonya pushed herself up and whirled. A warning symbol appeared in her HUD, a from the local Carter Radar. Mana surge. Dungeon Break!

  She poio Shuta, “Get your people upstairs down here, now!” she shouted.

  He looked at his mother who gave him an admonishing look a her go, hurrying out of the room. Sonya turo Marta, her heart pounding. She started to march towards the exit when her friend put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. She rounded on Marta, “What are you doing?” she demanded, “I o be out there!”

  “You o stay right here,” Marta said patiently.

  Sonya’s brows furrowed as a spike of anger rose in her chest, “I am Ishtar! If anyone -”

  “Sonya,” Marta soothed, “How’s it going to look if I show up around the same time Ishtar does? Ishtar’s not a hero either,” she shook her head, “You’re strong, I know. But right now we need you leading from the back. Let the heroes do their job. That’s why you helped create them, remember? For this kind of situation. It’s what they’ve trained for.”

  Sonya’s lips trembled and she reached up to grab her friend’s wrist. She squeezed it as she hung her head, a lump ihroat. “Go, before I ge my mind.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Marta said and hurried out the door.

  An aftershock hit, the waves of mana still spreading across the city. She started to approach Setsuna as a call came through in her head. She g the name and answered without hesitation.

  <”Sonya!”> Amos’ voice came through, <”You alright?”>

  <”I’m fine, I’m at the Children of Dawn headquarters,”> she said, <”Marta is moving to support Crusader’s team. Give me a report on what’s being done.”>

  <”It’s worse than you think, the timing on this was too perfect. It’s got the stink of artificial. A hiddeh dungeon my ass. My readings say it robably unon,”> Amos said quickly, <”All six dungeons managed by the Tokyo Guilds were on recharge with two ing up for culling. The guilds are scrambling all their people to tinuously clear the dungeons to keep them from going up as well.>

  Sonya nearly tripped, her legs faltering with the news. She was aware that the other dungeoed but hadn’t realized just how close they were to a possible burst. Without the Japanese guilds, would Crusader’s team, Marta and Sapporo be enough? Unon. Then the monsters are all rare-tier. I o let Marta know. <”Has anyone cimed responsibility? What about the Iional Team?”>

  <”Just what you think, they ’t send too many or it’ll just cause more harm than good. Too many mythi the ground will make things harder for the guilds. Sapporo is a huge mana producer too. They’re arranging teams of epid heroics but that’s taking lohan just sending the main team,”> Amos expined.

  She closed her eyes a out a sigh through her nostrils. This stinks of Otis’ tactics from the past timeline. But I know he hasn’t made anything close to a move like this. Where’s the agenda? The angle? Who profits? Liberty is an easy person to bme because of our flict but there’s no reason for it. She would have immediately take, made some sort of showboating annou. She exhaled as her mind sped up for the first time in a long time. The thoughts ing faster and faster.

  TICK… TICK… TICK TICK TICK

  Is there a strategy? An angle? Amos is never wrong about this sort of thing. This must have been manufactured somehow. She thought.

  You’re looking at it from the perspective of a warrior and a hero. An iigator. Ishtar corrected.

  TICK TICKTICKTICK TICK TICK

  Then what? Why would a vilin do it? Just because? Nonsehere’s a reason. Multiple reasons. Sonya grit her teeth and trated as her mind worked harder. Her fists ched in the neuron fshes between thoughts. No credit has been cimed after such a dramatit? The minutes after are the best time. Someoting this much effort into an act would take credit. Which means… they aren’t done.

  This was a demonstration ahead of a greater move, Ishtar agreed. They are making a point and perhaps using it for other means that we do not have enough information tnize.

  Sonya clicked her tongue as her mind wound back down.

  TICK TICK …TICK TI-

  <”ASTA’s response?”> she demanded as she took Setsuna’s arm and began esc her back to her room. She didn’t know how close the break was and with rare-tier monsters running around she didn’t want to take any ces.

  <”Dungeon Break tingency three, for major cities, as pnned. Munitions, gear, everything we . tacts with medical panies are being pulled and I’ve gotten in touch with Euclidia to get it over there as fast as possible.”> Amos said, <”We’ve already started pag things on our end.”>

  She asuna made it to the small stairwell leading down to her level in the subterranean base, <”Thank you, Amos. Keep an eye on the radar and the media. Let me know if anything else es up. Someone is responsible for this and they are going to make another move. I want to know before it happens.”>

  <”Yes ma’am, good lu your end,”> Amos said and ehe call.

  She met the oracles eyes and squeezed her arm before calling Marta.

  <”Marta, I have intel.”>

  –

  Lillian came to with her body thrown over Snow’s. Sirens wailing in the distance. She wasn’t sure how long she was unscious but everything hurt. Her skin itched and burned as she tried to move her arms. She pushed up and pulled away. Snow looked up at her with worry and tears in her eyes. She smiled, “I’m fine, see?” she said and showed her burned arm. She trated and gold fmes washed over her skin, soothing her aches and slowly healing the burns. She forced herself up to her feet and shook off the woozihat came with it before turning to che Cass and Alex. Alex was kneeling with his arms up, his scales shining. Steam rose off of them. Behind him, Cass was sitting with a look of sho her face.

  Alive, good.

  The buildings around them were rgely untouched though the trees were scorched and leafless. She swallowed hard as she turowards a group of shapes ying on the ground not far from them. Bodies y on the ground, burned. How did we- she turo Sapporo and her heart leaped into her throat. The big man was on one knee. His arms crossed in front of his chest. His head held high. Signs of the bst scorg the ground around him were pin. He covered us. She hurried to his side and gasped when she saw his face. Part of it was burned off, revealing bone and tissue, lipless, his teeth exposed to the air. One dark eye flicked towards her in a way that made her stomach .

  “-ine,” he grunted, “-m, -ine,” he repeated and owards the epiter, “Go,” he anded and got slowly to his feet, his body starting to glow with a golden light.

  Lillian turo the others, “Heroes! On your feet! We’ve got work to do!”

  Cass was o get up, looking around in horror, “Is this a dungeon break?” she asked.

  “Probably,” Alex grunted, pushing himself up as portions of his skin began tee. He hissed at the pain before stumbling a little. Cass caught him aeadied himself. Snow just sat there, stunned as she looked at the corpses littering the street leading up to the museum.

  Lillia dowo her and pulled her to her feet. “Snow, focus,” Snow turned slowly and looked at her with tear filled eyes. Lillian nodded, “I know, we ’t do anything for them. There might be survivors though. you move?”

  Snow hen looked up abruptly as the sound of something moving fast came shrieking towards them. Lillian turned with her and looked up to see a line of white light streaking across the sky and bending in their dire. Lillian braced herself before rexing when she sensed what, or rather, who it was.

  With a noisy crash and the shattering of crete beh her, Handmaiden nded amongst their group. She stood tall and panned her gaze over the grim surroundings, a glint nition in her eyes. Her expression turned hard. She had a suitcase in one hand and Levi, Sonya’s familiar under her other arm. She dropped Levi to the ground and the dog let out an angry bark. A moment ter a hawk’s cry filled the air and Alphonse nded on Lillian’s shoulder. He pressed up against her. Lillia out a sigh of relief, “Good to see you too buddy,” she said and turo Marta, “Do you have ear?”

  Handmaiden nodded ahe suitcase down with a grim face, flig the locks open and pg her palm on one side. “Dungeon reward from Sonya’s collector friend,” Handmaiden expined quickly. She ope and reached inside before impossibly pulling Lillian’s broadsword out. She tossed it to Lillian who caught it followed by a duffle bag with her armor in it. came a duffle with Snow’s gear and drones. A third duffle had Alex’s gear. A fourth was thrown to Cass before Marta reached o time inside and pulled out her own gear, equipping her gaus and breastpte.

  Handmaiden stood and turned her eyes on Sapporo, “Sapporo, how long until you’ve recovered?”

  He turned his battered face towards her, his lips having grown back, “Ten minutes,” he grumbled as his ability began to work on his arms, flesh growing back over exposed bone.

  “I will take charge until then,” Handmaiden said ftly. He nodded. She turo Lillian and the others, “Crusader, Snow, BLF, Harbinger, you are on duty. A quick briefing. This is a dungeon break situation. We are uo find very many alive in the epiter,” she said, “Save who you but focus on the monsters. You may recall from your studies that a dungeon break releases the monsters within the dungeon into the surrounding area after the bst at a tier higher than the inal dungeon.”

  The four young heroes nodded as they equipped themselves.

  “The other heroes of Tokyo will be arriving soon. We only have so long before the numbers of monsters bee untenable. We o pierto the ter of the bst zone and deal with the anohe boss,” she said quickly, “O is destroyed the broken portal will break down and no more dungeon monsters will spawn, the remaining monsters will be hounds and lurkers. Dangerous, but signifitly less difficult to deal with.”

  Crusader stood up straight, slipping her sword onto its spot on her back. “Uood.”

  “Initial readings from Doctor Carter estimate that it was inally an unon-tier dungeon. Enemies will likely be Rare-tier,” Handmaiden added brusquely, marg past them in the dire of where the bst had been, “All of them,” she said gravely and looked back at them, “Do not hold bader any circumstances. You will die.”

  “What about the iional team?” Harbinger asked as they hurried forward. She jured up her hammer and slung it over her shoulder, horns beginning to grow from her temples.

  “I’m sure the Pandora ittee knows about the situation, I don’t know how long it will take for a response force to be anized a here. Also, with as much mana in the air as there is and the number of managed dungeons iy, they o be careful,” Handmaiden said, “Let's do what we .”

  “Right!” The four of them aowledged and hurried after her. Crusader gnced back at Sapporo who k on the ground in their wake. His glowing body slowly healing from his wounds. She felt an uneasiness in her chest that she quashed whe his gaze. He her and offered a small smile. She o him and drew her sword.

  Handmaide a breakneck pad Snow was forced to ride in Crusader’s arms as they traveled. Every city block further towards the bst zone was another horror to take in. More bodies, vehicles crashed, fires starting, half-burned civilians crawling out of hiding spots. Ultimately, it was decided that Handmaiden would go on ahead while Crusader and the others helped save who they could along their path. Alphonse flew overhead, darti and right in search of survivathering them up along with some scattered police they picked up along the way.

  Two survivors soon became a dozen, but evehe number of bodies pared to those who were still breathing was so painfully small. They stopped outside another building where it looked like survivors were hiding out. BLF made his way inside while Crusader took a moment to breathe, stepping towards an alley she’d spotted a few moments before along the wide main thhfare. That was when the sound of quiet sobs pricked her ears.

  She turned, her lips thinning into a line. “Got another one,” she said, her shoulders starting to sag. It sounded like another kid. A big hand nded on her shoulder and she looked up inter’s blue eyes. The giant hero frow her and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. Crusader sighed and nodded, patting her hand in gratitude as Alphonse nded on her shoulder.

  She wasn’t sure she could have hahis on her own.

  Crusader dipped into the alley, the sickly st of burned flesh reag her nostrils. She set her shoulders and marched on, Snow ing up behind her, ready to assist if necessary. She spotted two figures curled up against a wall, one small and trembling, the other just a bit rger and barely moving. She froze, her eyes going wide and she darted forward, startling Snow as she slid to a stop in front of the pair. She dropped to a knee as the smaller figure let out a startled squeak.

  “Arata!” she gasped, reag out to look at the little boy who stared at her with wide, terror filled eyes. They flicked between her fad the hawk on her shoulder, reition slowly dawning through the mind numbing horror. She examined his face for a moment, several angry purplish welts marked the skin on his fad neck from exposure to the intense mana wave. Gold fmes danced from her fiips without fanfare, leaping to the wounds. From an outside point of view it looked like the fmes were ing the injuries, leaving healed skin in their wake. The little boy let out an anguished sob and looked down at the figure ying on the ground at his feet.

  His sister, Crusader realized, horrified. Her wounds are bad, her entire back is burned. She shielded him with her body. God damn it, she cursed, closing her eyes and drawing on as much power as she could muster in that moment.

  “Please,” he said weakly.

  “Al, stick with him, please,” she said quickly. The hawk made a small sound of aowledgement and fluttered over to sit on the boy’s shoulder, pressing up close.

  Snow hurried up behind her as Crusader’s hands hovered over the girl. She heard Snow let out a gasp. Crusader grit her teeth, gold fire erupting from her palms in a cascade that doused the young woman. She could only imagine how traumatizing it would be for a burn victim to be healed by fire, but she didn’t have a lot of options. She ched her jaw, e on. She urged herself before shooting a g the boy. She met his terrified gaze and wondered what kind of face she was making. She looked up at the hat on his head, singed, but her ill visible on the side.

  She let out a shaky breath and shoved her own feelings aside, letting her power do the work. It took several minutes of tration before the girl started to move again, small groans of pain the sign that she was alive and on the mend. Crusader wao sag with relief, her chest heavy. Arata’s sister shifted and looked up, her eyes going wide whe Crusader’s gaze.

  “Yoing to be alright,” Crusader said, keeping the tiredness off her face, f her best Sonya grin, “Your brother is fioo.”

  “Lil,” Snow’s voice popped into her ear, her tone grave. Crusader didn’t react, keeping up appearances. “Two bodies, te away. I think…”

  Crusader’s jaw nearly cracked behind her carefully structed smile, “Arata, you help your sister get to the end of this alley? We met some nice poli on the way. They help,” she said before nodding to Alphonse who darted back up into the sky.

  The boy, shellshocked, could only nod as he helped his weakened sister to her feet. The two of them ambling towards the light. The girl gnced back over her shoulder but only found Crusader standing in the way with a smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes. She jerked her towards the little boy helping the girl walk. The girls eyes filled with tears but she nodded, keeping her cool as they made their way out.

  Crusader sagged when they got out of eyeshot, “Damn it,” she croaked.

  “I’ll make sure the cops know,” Snow said shakily, walking over to touch Crusader’s arm.

  Crusader looked back at the bodies that were likely Arata’s parents. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to calm herself, her heart crag a little more. She Snow and walked out of the alley, rallying herself as much as she could. She stopped just outside the alley, watg Arata and his sister meet with the cops they’d picked up along the way. She barely noticed Harbinger's approach.

  “We ’t take them much closer,” Harbinger said, walking up o her.

  Crusader frowned and closed her eyes, “I know,” she sighed before turning towards her. “What if we find more kids, though? Who are they going to go back with?”

  “We’ll figure somethin’ out,” BLF said grimly, gng towards a shadowy er just past where they’d found the kid, he shook his head, “Damn. Are those his parents?”

  Crusader didn’t look back, “Probably,” she said. So much death. How could this have happened? What about the Carter Radar? Shouldn’t it have seen this ing? She ched her fists and hung her head, emotion burbling up in her chest like a torrent. A small hand ed around hers and she turned, breathless, to see Snow looking into her eyes.

  “Stay strong,” Snow said through a haze of statid gripped her hand tighter.

  Crusader reached out and put a hand on her head, stroking her hair as she looked towards the survivors. There were over two dozen of them now, all looking to her with haunted eyes that gleamed faintly with infant hope. So easily crushed. She nodded and gave Snow’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “We’re going to save as many people as we ,” she decred, “That’s why we’re here.”

  She turned back to the wide street aeam joined her. The damage stretched on and on towards the distant point where the street ended and the Kato ward began. “It’s horrible,” Harbinger said.

  “Do you think this was iional?” BLF asked.

  Snow frowned, “Maybe,” she tapped her impnt, “I pick up on Carter Radar alerts and I didn’t get anything.”

  BLF scowled, “If someone caused this, I’ll-”

  “Ohing at a time,” Crusader growled and forced herself forwards, “But yeah, we’ll get to that for sure.”

  Crusader aeam moved on. Grim faced, eaew horror fronted with as much strength as they could mahey didn’t have time to weep, to mourn, to crader the emotional strain. They had a job to do. A job they kept doing as they made their way down the wide street. Further and further until they arrived at the edge of the bst, her spirit already heavy before they’d even arrived.

  Tall buildings were tilted bad away, the ground was cracked beh their feet. Instead of sirens and screams there was nothing but an eerie silehey stopped at a decorative archway that led into what had been a multi-story outdoor shoppier. Not out of hesitation, but because there was someone barring their path.

  The man that stood there was tall, with long hair that hung down to his shoulders. His body was slim and lithe, nky. He stood with his shoulders slumped and his hands down at his sides. His fingers were long and spindly, gleaming like steel. His lips were spread into a bloodthirsty smile of razor sharp metallic teeth as he cast his gaze over the four of them.

  Crusader fixed him with a stare, “Are you a local hero? Why are you just standing there?” she asked, holding her arm out for Alphoo nd. The hawk tilted its head to eye the stranger with caution.

  He poi himself, blinking at her, before bursting into ughter, “Ishtar said you heroes weren’t all that bright, but man! What does it look like?” he ughed and shook his head. “I’m Rivet, and I’m here to keep you guys away from the boss.”

  o her, Harbinger snarled and raised her hammer, “Liar,” she spat, “Your name is Sir way.”

  Crusader whipped her head towards Harbinger. Right. She’s Liberty’s sister. She’s met Liberty’s Round Table. She knows what they look like. But… why is he g to work for Ishtar? She turowards the vilin, Rivet, who was looking at Harbinger a bit perplexed. He squinted and leaned forward, holding his hand over his eyes to get a better look without the sunlight interfering.

  His eyes widened, “Oh I almost didn’t reize you, young miss! Well now,” he sighed, “This is a problem,” he frowned and tilted his head left and right, “I was only supposed to slow you down until the situation became too much to recover from, but now?” He shrugged, “I guess I gotta kill you,” he said lightly before vanishing.

  The hing Crusader knew she was looking into a pair of glowing white eyes with gray sclera.

  Fast!

  “Shoulda kept your mouths shut, Heroes!”.