'There are vast numbers whose names will never be known, whose deeds will never be recorded. This is a War of the Unknown Warriors.'

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Previously: Rhodes Island operators understood what was coming.

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"Nearl!" Dobermann barked.

Nearl planted her shield into the ground. A glowing yellow tendril emanated from it. The tendrils formed a barrier around the operators before transforming into a semi-transparent bubble that gleams under the sunlight.

A jet stream of black flame shot forward towards them. It washed over Nearl's Art. The ground and the building that was touched by the black flame melted. The building behind them collapsed.

Talulah's flame became thicker, becoming more like molten tar than a flame to the point Amiya couldn't see through it. Nearl gritted her teeth. Her breathing labored from the Art exertion. Amiya was about to cast her own Art to strengthen Nearl's barrier before the flame stopped. Nearl dispelled her Arts and tumbled onto her shield. She gasped for breath. Her face was beet red.

Talulah had one of her eyebrows raised, possibly amused at their survival.

Ace went to support Nearl with her shoulder. Nearl declined, still holding onto the shield for support before shakily straightening herself.

Amiya grimaced.

Ace walked up to the Doctor, "Say, Doctor." The Doctor looked at Ace.

"Do you see the manhole in the alley?" Ace nodded towards the alley. The Doctor glanced at the direction. Ace added. "It'll leads us to the extraction zone."

"There is no way we could reach that before Talulah finishes us off." Adan, the vanguard operator butted in.

"You can, if I buy you some time." Ace replied.

"I will not leave anyone behind. Including you, Ace." Amiya objected. Her voice absolute. She knew that facing Talulah would be a certain death.

Ace looked Amiya in the eye, "Amiya, remember our mission. We are here to get the Doctor out of here safely."

"I can still fight." Amiya retorted.

"No, you can't. Your body is reaching its limit."

Amiya bit her lips. There must be a way to circumvent this. She looked at the Doctor for guidance. The Doctor was looking up at the sky, unblinking.

"Doctor...?" Amiya asked.

Amiya's ears perked up. The sound of something mechanical whining...like an engine. The noise was coming from the sky. She craned her neck upwards.

A sleek aircraft with an alien, yet familiar design descended from the sky. The aircraft have two cube shaped propellers at the end of each side of the wings. On both left and right side of the cockpit were square boxes that Amiya presumed were rocket storage. Underneath its fuselage was a huge rotary cannon.

Was the aircraft an enemy or a friend? She prayed it was the latter.

Amiya looked at the Reunion. Their attention was also shifted to the aircraft.

Talulah pointed at the aircraft. Her mouth moved, uttering an order. Reunion soldiers lifted their weapons and aimed at the aircraft. Within seconds, the sky was bloated with crossbow bolts and Arts bursting towards the unknown aircraft, only to be missed due to its incredible speed,  Talulah frowned. She extended her arms towards the aircraft and began casting her Art.

The unknown aircraft must've understood Talulah's intention as the huge rotary cannon rotated and roared to life. Every time the cannon fired, the air itself cracked like a whip. Amiya covered her ears. The ground struck by the bullet exploded into pits that split the road between Rhodes Island and Reunion.

It was a warning.

Talulah remained unperturbed. She continued casting her Art.

The aircraft launched a missile at Talulah. The missile streaked faster than the speed of sound. Amiya only saw a blur as the missile reached its target and exploded. The large area around the impact zone seemed to ripple and fold under the force of the explosion.

Then, the shockwave came. It was like the shriek of a demon.

It launched dirt and debris into the air. Amiya brought up her jacket to shield her eyes. She felt like her eardrums would burst despite already covering her ears.

The dust cloud dissipated, and it was unspeakable; the volume of destruction unfolded. It wounded and incapacitated dozens of Reunion. The unknown numbers of Reunion soldiers caught in the blast were nowhere to be seen.

Amiya saw Talulah conjuring an Art barrier at the very last moment that the explosions seem to pierce through. Regardless, Talulah was a Draco, a race known for their superior durability and strength. It was safe to assume that she was simply incapacitated.

"What kind of Art was that?!" Adan exclaimed.

Reunion reactions were instant. They shifted their focus on taking down the aircraft. The aircraft remained unharmed as the blue shimmer protected it.

With each shot failing to bring down the aircraft; Reunion soldiers' panic grew. The loss of Talulah and the sight of the seemingly indestructible vehicle demoralized them. Some Reunion soldiers were already running away.

"It's not targeting us." Adan remarked.

"We would already be dead if that was the case." Ace replied.

Instructor Dobermann turned towards Ace. "Ace, now would be a good time." She reminded.

"Right." Ace nodded. "Let's go."

The operators formed a single file with Nearl and Ace at the front, the Doctor and Amiya in the middle. The rest of the operators acted as Vanguards.

"Ready?" Ace asked.

"Affirmative/Yes." The operators answered in unison. Amiya legs muscles tensed. She was ready to sprint.

"Now." Ace patted Nearl on the back of her shoulder.

Nearl brought her shield up. Her steps swift in covering the distance. She bashed away every Reunion that blocked the way with her shield. The Reunion were still distracted by the aircraft to rally a significant resistance, to Amiya's relief.

Ace lifted the manhole cover to the side. Amiya's nose was assaulted with the stink of the sewage.

Ace turned on his flashlight and jumped down without pause.

"All clear!" His voice echoed down from the sewer. Amiya climbed down after the Doctor. The operators followed.

Amiya landed. The sewer was lit by the ceiling lights. She saw tunnels leading in four different directions.

"This way." Ace gestured.

"Ace, what was that?" Adan asked.

"What was what?" Ace asked.

"The aircraft." Adan clarified.

"Talks for later. Let's move."

The sound of Reunion attempting to shoot down the aircraft faded away as the distance grew between them. They didn't have much time left before Talulah rallied the soldiers and scoured the city. Or, before the Catastrophe hits them.

Their path was obstructed by a pile of corpses. Corpses of slain Ursus guards and civilians mixed, blocking the ladder. Amiya didn't dare to look at the corpses after she saw a glimpse of children amongst them.

The sight was a haunting reminder of what has become of Chernobog. Dobermann closed her eyes and muttered, "The Reunion finally revealed their fangs...Ace, if you may."

Ace walked towards the corpses and pushed them away from the ladder with his shield. The corpses left a brown-red trail of blood on the concrete of the walkway. Without a word, Ace climbed up the ladder and gave an all clear.

Amiya mustered herself to step on the blood and climbed the ladder. They emerged on another street with more burning buildings. The group continued to make their way towards the extraction point, their progress slowed by the Doctor's weakened physical state. Amiya glanced back at him from time to time, silently willing him to hold on just a little longer.

Medic froze. The group stopped in their track.

"No...The Catastrophe...!" Medic half-whispered.

Amiya cast an Art barrier.

"Amiya! Don't do it, you are reaching your limit!" Ace warned.

"Ace, I can still hold on to a bit longer," Amiya replied, her voice strained.

Nearl took the initiative to cast another layer of Art barrier on top of Amiya's own. The opaque black clouds above them continued to rumble, unleashing a barrage of meteors upon the unfortunate city of Chernobog. Lightning struck the abandoned cars, causing them to explode in a fiery blaze. Buildings crumbled down as the meteors struck but despite the chaos around them, the operators of Rhodes Island held their ground. The Art barrier held strong, deflecting the smaller Originium meteorites that peppered it. And with Amiya and Nearl's combined efforts, they managed to keep the largest chunk from hitting them. As the minutes ticked by, the tension in the air was palpable. Every passing moment felt like an eternity, but they all knew that they had to hold on, to endure.

As the initial Catastrophe subsided, a thick smog settled over the city, obscuring Amiya's vision even with the aid of the operators' flashlights and the dim streetlamps. The sun had set, casting a deep darkness over Chernobog.

"We made it through the first wave," Adan said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"We can't let our guard down," Ace added. "We have to keep moving before the next wave hits or Talulah tracks us down."

The group once again fell into formation.

"Wait..."

Amiya turned towards the voice. She saw the Doctor sitting on the ground with his back against a car with legs sprawling. "I can't...walk."

"Doctor..." Amiya muttered.

"Adan and Fox, you two carry the Doctor on the stretcher." Medic took out an emergency stretcher from her bag before unpacking it.

Adan nodded towards Fox. The two walked towards the Doctor before lifting the Doctor by the shoulder and placed him on the stretcher. "Lie down and rest, Doctor. We'll get you out of here in a flash." Adan remarked.

"Your grips are a-okay?" Ace asked the Vanguard operators.

"Yes." Adan and Fox answered.

"Instructor Dobermann, we are ready to move" Ace nodded.

The operators continued their journey. Amiya walked close beside the Doctor alongside Medic to watch any changes in his condition.

Flashing lights originating from one of the office buildings illuminated the group. Ace quickly retrieved his flashlight and responded with three flashes in return, a pre-arranged signal. The figures approaching turned out to be Reserve Team A1, and they were relieved to see each other.

Fang noticed the Doctor being carried on a stretcher. "What happened to the Doctor?" she asked Adan as she navigated through the obstacles.

"The Doctor just woke up from Sarcophagus." Adan replied.

Dobermann scanned the area before asking, "Fang, where is Reserve Team Op A4?"

"We split up." Fang informed.

"Your teams are supposed to stick together." Dobermann scolded.

"We were attacked by a group of Sarkaz mercenaries. We had to split up to lose her. We lost contact with them when Catastrophe hits," Fang clarified.

"Try reaching out again." Ace interjected.

Beagle reached for the radio, "This is Fang from Reserve Team Op A1 to Scout, do you copy. Over."

The sound of radio static greeted their ears.

Ace crossed his arms. "Again."

"This is Fang from Reserve Team Op A1 to Scout, do you copy? Over."

Still no response.

"Let me try." Ace took the radio from Beagle.

"This is Ace to Scout, do you copy?"

There was no response.

The sound of boots crushing the pebbles beneath was heard.

"Rhodes Island!" The voice boomed. It was Mephisto, and it drew closer by the second.

"How did they find us so fast?!" Adan exclaimed in frustration.

Ace handed the radio back to Beagle, "Scout will have to catch the next ride. Let's go!"

The team sprinted away, careful not to jostle the Doctor's stretcher too much as they ran. Reunion fired randomly at the sound of their footsteps. Arcs of lights from Reunion Arts temporarily illuminated the area.

Thankfully, due to limited visibility, none of the Rhodes Island operators were hit as they reached a four-way junction. "This is Fang, Reserve Team A4. Start the engine! The Reunion is hot on our tail!" Fang barked into her radio.

The group raced across the street and into another alleyway, eventually emerging into the parking lot of an abandoned supermarket. There, a large plane with its engines already running and blades spinning awaited them. Ace and Adan rushed in to strap the Doctor's stretcher onto the floor before the rest of the operators piled in.

Dobermann's voice bellowed over the sound of the engines. "Go! Take off now!"

The plane lifted from the ground and gravity pulled Amiya towards the floor. She could hear sizzles and 'tangs' as the plane was struck by Arts and Crossbow bolts.

It was only when she saw the endless desert that they were far away from dangers.

No one spoke up. They were still processing the event and the realization that they had escaped with only inches to spare.

Then, Dobermann broke the silence, "Amiya, can you report the situation to Doctor Kal'tsit?"

Amiya nodded, taking out the tablet from her backpack and proceeded to make a call to Rhodes Island.

"Amiya, how's the Doctor?" Came the familiar voice of Doctor Kal'tsit.

Amiya stole a glance at the Doctor. The Doctor's face was scrunched up in pain. "The Doctor is..." Her voice quivered, and she pursed her lips, unable to finish her sentence.

"Amiya, is everything fine?" Kal'tsit asked, sensing the hesitation in her voice.

"Yes. I am just a little tired, Doctor Kal'tsit," Amiya replied. In truth, her thoughts were still rattled by the latest battle.

What if they hadn't made it out alive? What if the Doctor's condition worsened during the escape?

Amiya's thoughts were interrupted by a soft hand on her shoulder. It was Dobermann, who gave her a reassuring smile, "Let me take over from here,"

Amiya handed Dobermann the communicator. The cabin lights went off, leaving the cabin in complete darkness.

Amiya mostly ignored Instructor Dobermann's conversation with Doctor Kal'tsit as her mind replayed the events over and over, wondering if there was something else, she could have done to change the outcome until the embrace of sleep overtook her.