The King of the Damned had given Zebra Effect a very important mission. To destroy Jason’s labs in Tyr and rescue the civilians living down there.

  There were multiple entrances to Tyr, known mostly by monsters as the Confederation attempted to stifle all knowledge and entrances to this place.

  There was a large latch like door on the ground that lead to Tyr, being disguised as warehouses still in use. Being created of heavy material and having a complicated lock, it took Tristan’s’ expertise to open the lock.

  Logan being stubborn and prideful declared he could lift the latch by himself and after a great effort, he popped the door open.

  “Yeah!” Logan bellowed a loud war-cry and high-fived both Eden and Bryant. Proud of his accomplishment.

  “What the hell are you feeding that kid?” Luluwa voiced out. It was her first mission out with them, she was incredibly nervous. Yet, she couldn’t help joke around. Acting dramatic, “Wait, are you guys even feeding him?”

  “Those kids feed themselves,” Heart rolled her eyes. They talked very familiar with Luluwa but, the entire group didn’t trust her yet. They knew her parentage.

  “I bet I could beat him in an arm-wrestling match,” Luluwa came to Logan and teased him. She wasn’t much taller than him.

  “I don’t recommend it, that dumbass over there almost got his arm torn off,” Emilia rolled her eyes, pointing to Bryant and got ready for action. She knew she couldn’t take this mission lightly. It is possibly their most vital one of all.

  “It was worth it, I am no coward,” Bryant responded in a bored tone. As if he would do it again.

  “What is this place anyways, isn’t Tyr the name of a Norse God?” Evelyn asked, floating around. She came to the entrance and peeked into it.

  “It doesn’t have any connections. It’s just named Tyr for name’s sake,” Emilia answered her question. She found it odd; she only knew of Norse mythology due to her adoptive family. How did Evelyn know, “How the hell you knew that?”

  “I am proud of my anime and game knowledge,” Evelyn haughtily said with a smug smile. Once again reminding them that she was one of the spoilt princesses of the Red Panda Mercenaries. They wondered what excuse she used to go out with them this time.

  “Minohwa is an artificial landscape. What Minohwa is built over is a large freshwater body, whose name is long forgotten,” As per usual, Tristan devoid of emotion came with his explanations. “It became impure due to dumping and now it produces monsters easily. Yet a few natives stay near the body of water hoping it retained its healing effects.”

  “Tyr is the true face of Minohwa,” Tristan finished.

  “I am so glad that asshole Osbert isn’t ruling it anymore, shame that he had to die,” Emilia scoffed. “I miss that skank Tera though.”

  “Osbert was just a man of fine tastes, don’t hate on his daily orgies and feasts,” Able joked with them, joining the conversation after speaking with Peaches.

  “Fine tastes, huh?” Heart glared at Able.

  “It was just a joke-!” Able knew he was in for an earful and more later.

  “Orgies?” Bryant’s interest piqued after hearing a specific word.

  “Of course you’d hear that,” Luluwa rolled her eyes at his obscure ‘innocence’.

  “How do you suppose we are doing this?” Logan jumped onto the edge of the latch and bravely stared down the abyss. The entrance was lined with metal walls and lights until it reached the expanding darkness.

  “I say we jump right in,” Bryant responded to the young boy.’

  “That’s not safe…” Lauri muttered. She had been quiet and allowing the conversation to flow, being nervous of the scenario. “I can’t even fly.”

  “Heh, skill issue,” Evelyn chuckled, mocking her little sister. Lauri swatted at her and then quickly hid behind someone she was comfortable with, being Emilia. Much to Emilia’s confusion, since they were rivals.

  “Don’t act like you can defend yourself down there,” Peaches stretched up and pulled her towards him.

  Evelyn laid a kiss on his cheek, “That’s why I have you.”

  “And don’t worry, I will be powerful soon. Like it’s a seinen manga!” She then swatted at him for downplaying her importance.

  “I can’t fly either, by the way,” Luluwa raised her hand and inputted.

  “Me either,” Logan added.

  “I can do other things,” Heart didn’t like saying she ‘can’t’ do something.

  Peaches was dead silent and looked away. The way Able was staring at him with a trembling smile made the group know they were missing something.

  “What? Can’t the o’ so powerful king fly?” Able teased him.

  “A king is carried by a noble beast,” Peaches tried to defend himself. He was too proud to have a flaw. Of course, he didn’t have a noble beast. At least not yet.

  “We can’t simply swim either, the monsters in the waters are annoying,” Tristan reminded them.

  “I can help,” Eden said softly. Using his [stimulus], he manifested a large, leather book with knot designs. He scribbled in it, “Genesis.”

  The monster he drew came to life. Being a large bird capable of carrying all of them, having a long neck and an underbelly guarded by rigged scales.

  “Well, aren’t you convenient,” Luluwa came to the boy and ruffled his hair.

  Eden blushed and stuffed his face into the book, “Thank you.”

  “Alright kids, let’s start!” Able jumped onto the bird as he preferred not to fly. They all decided to stand on the bird for the initial entrance. As it spread its magnificent wings by Eden’s control, winds blasting off. Falling into the entrance, the latch door somehow closed automatically. “Start!”

  The plummeted into the darkness and upon safe entrance, the large bird spread its wings and began gliding on a strange wind.

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  The whole area would be covered in pitch darkness if it weren’t for the floating city of rafts in the center. Being known as Tyr, it was run down and made of dead wood at the sorts. Meant to house at the cheapest qualities. They were using strange organisms to power lights and a few machinery around the raft city.

  And at the center of Tyr was a large, metal ship. Immediately they identified it as Jason’s base of experiments.

  The locals around Tyr were either diseased or young, eventually to become diseased. Having limbs amputated to continue living, living in bandages and the sorts. It was desperate people who clung to the once sacred waters.

  “Eden! Fly lower or you’ll wake those things up!” Able commanded Eden, looking to the roof of the underground area and seeing strange, bat-like creatures torpedoing towards them.

  “Shit! What are those things?” Luluwa shouted out, it was the first she was seeing them.

  “Cave bombs.” Emilia said, the name being enough explanation.

  “I can’t control this creature and fight at the same time… It’s too big…” Eden muttered, trying his best to make the creature fly faster and reach the raft city in time.

  “I got this!” Emilia produced a strange whip form her body. The handle being shaped like a spine and increasingly became more metallic and blacker as it went to the tip. Protruding her black, feathered wings from her waist and soaring off, she destroyed all of the Cave bombs from a distance with her whip.

  “Uhm, not to alarm but,” Evelyn’s eyes widened as she pointed forward. There was a massive being in front of them. “I think we got a bigger problem.”

  A massive being having six wings and radiated an incredible power was in front of them. His body was emitting such a blinding radiance and his wings were disproportionately long.

  “No…” Luluwa muttered in disbelief and a waking misery. They wanted to question her but, the situation was too vital. And she wouldn’t explain why.

  “This bastard never gives up…” Able groaned, he had fought this boy many times since Jason’s return. And he kept coming back stronger. Amalgamations of dead flesh and fingernails erupted from his, falling to the waters and piling it up. Forming a massive giant with an axe for a hand, striking down at the radiant boy, “Draugr!”

  Luluwa had to look away for it, such a giant would definitely leave a large wound. The radiant boy emitted such a strong energy that he tanked the attack and destroyed the giant afterwards.

  “What?” Able was sure that attack as powerful, how did the boy shrug it off so easily.

  Peaches quickly followed up with another attack, striking him with a blast of ice quickly. Which knocked the boy again before he got rid of the ice. Peaches was slightly enraged, “How!?”

  “Able, look carefully,” Tristan directed their leader’s attention to a strange hourglass in the radiant boy’s chest.

  The radiant boy centered his wings’ tips before him and started condensing massive amounts of power.

  “Guys, if he hits us with that I won’t be able to maintain the bird,” Eden voiced out.

  Able’s eyes followed to what Tristan was saying and he couldn’t believe it, “He’s empowering himself with the Potentia Historie!”

  The radiant boy released the blast of energy. It was a singular pulse since he couldn’t risk continuously releasing energy.

  Just in time, Bryant flew off from the bird and shielded himself with his wings. Blocking the powerful attack from hitting them. Bryant had the best overall defenses of the ground; he was the best man for defending an attack like that.

  “Go get him!” Able made sure to keep his teammates on their feet.

  “Torii!” Evelyn opened a portal and caught Bryant before he plummeted into the waters. His skin and arms were seared badly.

  “That boy follows a Holy [Genius], a demon’s natural enemy,” Peaches said, explaining why the damage on Bryant was so much despite his defenses.

  “We’ve been hit, I can maintain the bird for a bit longer,” Eden stated, showing the damage done to his summons’s wing.

  “Try to keep it up until we reach Tyr,” Able stated, fighting the boy using the Potentia Historie’s power would be a problem. Even if it’s a fragment. “Lauri, quickly heal Bryant.”

  “Once we land, we have to run.”

  “Rest of you, keep dishing out attacks and keep him distracted!” Able continued to give orders and they followed it, “We cannot risk being hit by another one of those attacks, there are too many demons on our team! Hold out until we land!”

  They sent projectile after projectile at the radiant boy to keep him off. The boy had to maneuver around some and the rest he burnt off using his radiance. His wings were too large to not hit, so he had to concentrate some of his energy around it too. Eden couldn’t contribute to the onslaught of projectiles since if he didn’t control his creations, they wouldn’t move.

  The projectiles were getting stronger and the radiant boy couldn’t risk enduring them anymore. Bringing his energy to the max, he blinded the area around him with [holy stimulus]. Projectiles weren’t hitting easily and he got the chance to charge another attack.

  They were moments away from Tyr.

  “Now!” Able shouted. Those who could fly grabbed who couldn’t and jumped off! Landing in Tyr, the bird that Eden created took the blast from the radiant boy’s attack.

  “Keep moving!” Able commanded them, deciding to move low through the covers of the raft city. Rushing past the ill locals as the radiant boy kept chasing them. Lauri had to keep healing Bryant, who now had enough strength to move on his own.

  The radiant boy sent smaller projectiles of his energy at them, capable of maneuvering through the tight city. Able and Peaches kept intercepting these attacks.

  Being chased throughout the city, they had no clue where to go.

  “Follow us!” Two individuals in front of them called out.

  “Are we following them?” Tristan asked Able, as the situation grew more intense.

  “Tsk! We don’t have a choice!” Able said. The followed the two individuals through shortcuts in the city, ultimately losing the radiant boy by slipping into a small area and into a place somehow below water surface yet no water was escaping in. Due to special membrane around them.

  “Control your pressures, we can’t let him find us,” Able continued to lead them.

  Most of them learn to control their pressures, or better say [pheromones], by slowing their breathing. All except for Peaches, Able and Tristan, who could do so by just thinking it. They had a deeper understanding of [stimulus] and [pheromones].

  “Who are you?” Able asked the two individuals.

  They seemed to be twins. They were two tall women, having long, curly black hair and brown skin. One had on a head band with two feathers peeking out while the other wore dream catcher earrings. The woman wearing the headband had bandages all over her arms. The woman wearing the dream-catcher earrings had a bandage around her eye and her right foot.

  “Don’t worry! We’re on your side!” Despite their appearance, the twin sisters were cheerful.

  “I am Kaleac,” The tall woman wearing the head band spoke.

  “I am Opi,” The tall woman wearing the earrings introduced herself.

  “The King of the Damned told us to help you when you arrive!” They took out their badge, showing that they were a part of the Roundtable. A black seal with a red eye.

  It was the first they were meeting other members of the Roundtable for some of them, they had to take in their features.

  “I will be helping those who will be destroying Jason’s labs,” Kaleac told them, looking at them with fierce motivation.

  “I will be helping those evacuating the natives,” Opi told them, looking at them with gentle hope.

  “Meaning that you guys have to split into two groups,” They looked amongst themselves. Wondering if their leader would do it or if they should decide on their own.

  “My power doesn’t work well with groups,” Heart was the first to move, going to Kaleac’s side. She didn’t want to harm the natives because of her ridiculous abilities.

  “Bummer I can’t defend myself, wait till I get my power-up!” Evelyn might have great pride but, she knew her reality. She went to Opi’s side to help evacuate the natives. With an insecurity in her heart.

  “I’d like to personally destroy something that bastard loves,” Luluwa sneered, going to Kaleac’s side.

  “I am going where princess goes,” Peaches went to Opi’s side, going to smoother Evelyn with love much to her protests.

  “I don’t feel comfortable with fighting right now…” Lauri also went to Opi’s side.

  “Coward,” Emlia went to Kaleac’s side, feeling like she one-upped Lauri. Lauri sighed.

  “I am too strong to not destroy things!” Logan proudly declared, “Eden, let’s go!”

  “But…” Eden wanted to go help save the natives since he wanted to avoid fighting. But, he also didn’t want to go anywhere without Logan.

  “Come on!” Logan called for him again. Logan and Eden, reluctantly, joined Kaleac’s side.

  “Peer pressure is real,” Bryant went to Kaleac’s side. He found her gorgeous and wanted to make moves on her, a simple sin of lust he is. And of course, to protect Xitalli’s daughter.

  “As much as I’d like to see Jason’s labs, I think it’s best for you to go,” Tristan said to Able since they were the last to choose. “I have a feeling that boy will come back and I am a demon, I won’t be at an advantage.”

  “Alright, I’ll just give the kid another whooping,” Able sneered.

  “Alright! Since it’s decided, let’s go!” Kaleac pointed up. A strong radiance managed to escape into the submerged area.

  Opi smiled, “I have a feeling this will be an excitement Tyr hasn’t seen in a long time.”