Chapter 26 - 2

=== RHODES ISLAND ===

0545 Hours, Chernobog.

...

Behind Chernobog, a speck in the sky closed in. Between the darkness of the sky and the general chaos happening in the city, none had noticed the incoming vehicle.

The VTOL aircraft approached from the rear of the city. The billowing smoke increased their cover as the dawn crawled through the sky. So far, a cursory scan of the city's condition told them many things.

Everything was not as it seemed.

Rhodes Island had expected their presence to be noticed a little bit before they would reach the city, but it seems as if no one had even bothered to shoot them out of the sky.

"Why are there fires...?" Amiya wondered while eyeing the skyline.

"Whatever it is, the Reunion is distracted." Kal'tsit theorized. They weren't attacked yet and Rin had assured them she was adding another layer of defense to the aircraft. She had informed the pilot to fly around the edges of the city until someone attacked them to see Rin's work.

Sure enough, a few minutes of going around the city edges attracted the first attempt at shooting them down, some debris launched from a makeshift launcher. The pilot made sure to angle the aircraft just enough for the operators to have a shot at the incoming projectile just in case it got too close.

"Nobody shoot it!" Rin shouted as they readied their weapons to shoot.

One dark-haired cat looked just about ready to jump out the aircraft to meet the debris.

A visible purple barrier appeared briefly once the debris was within several meters range, the projectile shattering into pieces as it slammed into Rin's work.

"How strong is it?" Kal'tsit looked at the Fuyuki doctor.

Rin checked the defensive shield she set up around the aircraft. "It can tank up to a hundred times that impact. There is enough energy for it to last half a week."

"And if under constant barrage?" The green-haired scientist continued.

"The entire day- provided the Reunion is hitting us once every minute."

That was some pretty good defense then. Amiya blinked.

"Alright, I'll tell the pilot to bring us to the city center." Rin headed off.

"Wow, Miss Rin. That's impressive." Amiya clapped her hands together happily. The powerful barrier around the VTOL ship would keep everyone safe unless something catastrophically failed.

"It wouldn't be enough to stop Sakura if she decides to shoot us out of the sky."

Amiya's mind grinded to a halt.

"What...?"

"That's why we'll ask you to drop us off half a kilometer away once we're close to where Sakura is." Rin's eyes slowly scanned the city skyline to a particular building in the distance. It was too far away to see properly, but the mystic code on Sakura helped keep track of her location. Sakura hadn't bothered to remove it as the mystic code wouldn't hinder her goal, but it would let Shirou and Rin know where she was.

"Do you know where she is?" Kal'tsit checked her projected map of Chernobog. Much of the city was damaged, but it would still be useful.

"The tallest building. What's it called?" Rin leaned over to see Kal'tsit's map.

"That's the command tower of Chernobog." Kal'tsit frowned. "How'd your sister get here so fast?"

"She can travel underground quickly." Only during her corrupted phase, but Rin wasn't going to share that information yet. "She's in a critical state, so I urge all of you to stay far away."

"But we are also heading for the control tower." Kal'tsit's frown deepened. "There is no other way to stop the city."

Rin was already walking on eggshells. Dark Sakura was unrestrained when it came to her actions. Yes, it was simple to determine that Shirou was her main objective, but All The World's Evil would attempt everything within its power to do...anything. The possibilities are endless and Rin can only plan for what she could think up- even then there would be too much for her to do.

The best method was to stop Rhodes Island from getting close in the first place.

"It's complicated...but avoid her. The further the better."

"I need to know what we're dealing with." Kal'tsit looked at Rin critically. "We already have operators to help you."

Rin sighed. "Sakura...she could kill everyone in Chernobog."

Kal'tsit paused. "Kill everyone? How?"

"She carries a curse that can access an innate characteristic that all humans have." Rin couldn't put it any other way. "It can corrupt everyone into becoming her...puppets. There is no way to reverse the curse."

"Can it be countered?"

"Under extremely special circumstances, yes. None of which can be used for our case." Rin rubbed her head. She could feel a small migraine growing the more she thought about the situation. "Our best move is to de-escalate and allow me and Shirou to seal it away."

Shirou and Rin simply didn't have anything on the level of All The World's Evil . They could sidestep the problem by pulling Sakura into Shirou's Unlimited Blade Works, but that was only a temporary measure at best. Not to mention the continuous damage Sakura would be inflicting on Shirou as she continued to corrupt his soul with the curse.

Kal'tsit had her hands tied down. She was risking the lives of Skadi and Specter, two of Rhodes Island's strongest operators, against a threat that she had no data on. She rummaged her memories for anything on Terra that could come close, but none were concrete until she laid her eyes on it.

That's because All The World's Evil was something she had never seen before.

"What will Skadi and Specter be doing then?" Kal'tsit tried to gauge Rin's plan by inquiring about a portion of it.

"Interceptors. They'll be there to deal with the summon we were supposed to bring...before Sakura stole her away."

Something as powerful as the Abyssal Hunters?

The Abyssal Hunters were some of the strongest, if not the physically strongest operators on Rhodes Island. Right now, there was only one person in Chernobog who Kal'tsit could see matching the two Abyssal Hunters- the famed Patriot. Even in his weakened state, it wasn't sure if Skadi and Specter had the advantage over the ancient general in a fight. He was simply that insane when considering combat capability.

"How do you plan to counter this summon of yours then? You have yet to see Skadi and Specter's ability." Kal'tsit still wasn't sure how strong this supposed summon was. The way Rin and Sakura talked about it, it was a trump card that could turn a battlefield- something similar to Patriot's level if she was to believe it.

"Shirou is the closest solution we have for both Sakura and the summon. Once we regroup with him, we'll have a better chance dealing with the issue." Rin had a few ideas, but most of them required their personal magecraft. She was not very familiar with Terra's arts yet. Maybe in the future perhaps? There was a chance Rhodes Island could help.

Little did Rin know she was sitting oblivious atop what was probably something similar to her world's Clocktower. The amount of resources and connections Rhodes Island had was astounding and Rin would eat her words later.

Their conversation was interrupted when the world erupted white- followed by whiplash as all members on board were tossed when the VTOL aircraft lurched sideways. Rin scrambled to her knees with wide eyes as she caught up with the situation.

"What happened?!" Kal'tsit demanded while securing herself on the tilted floor of the vehicle. "Your shield was supposed to work!"

"It did! Something just overloaded it in one blast!" Rin scanned over the destroyed bounded field protecting the aircraft. "Land now! We can't stay up in the air with something that strong shooting us down!"

Whatever destroyed her barrier- its attack was practically near the power of a servant.

Fortunately for them, the pilots had recovered in time to maneuver the critically damaged VTOL down.

===

Author's Note

...

Ah..this one's very late. I was trying to release 3 chapters in January. I just got to 2 instead...

This chapter (and next couple) has been brought to you by Unoriginal Name and Dovar. Very very special thanks to all of you because it really helped me a lot.

Special thanks to beta readers Old Man of The Mountain and Astobi (Theresa's Ex)!

Each little donation helps me out and motivates me to finish chapters earlier, so it would mean a lot to me to have your support!

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