The distant hangar in the darkness conflated until detonation, where an explosion of raw energy blasted through to create a wide opening. Ryo's transport van sped across the opening through the smoke fog, drifting through the metallic terrain at full speed. Natia, who performed the breakthrough, tossed one of Zack's melodic smoke grenades underneath Lucia's feet to shroud the surrounding area.
"What is this!?" Lucia cried in frustration as she unleashed a single swooping horizontal slash from her gunblade to clear out the melodic smoke from the vicinity. She then commanded the Melody Dragon to fire at Natia's transport van with a forceful hand gesture. "Fire!" She roared.
The Melody Dragon's tiger-shaped head protruded outwards, revealing a minigun primed and armed to fire. In a matter of milliseconds, the minigun unleashed bullets raining down on Natia's front windows, forcing her to drift towards the side to avoid contact. However, a single bullet pierced beneath her shoulder, causing her to yelp and jerk the wheel sideways uncontrollably. Ryo, Sumire, and Naoto took cover behind the transport van's armored hull and entered inside with their bodies lowered to avoid the dragon's gunfire.
"Natia, you're hurt!" Naoto cried as the reflecting sounds of bullets striking the van nearly blotted out his voice. "Let's hurry up and go! Drive!"
"What do you think I'm doing, you dumbass?!" Natia shouted back, slamming the reverse pedal on her van. Clouds of smoke from the van's exhaust pipe combined with the tires reversing created a more visual fog that masqueraded their true location from Lucia's small figure. Lucia gestured her dragon to cease its minigun barrage and swept her gunblade across the smoke to clear it once more. Natia successfully backed the transport van up, made a drifting U-turn, and sped through the blasted opening.
Lucia clenched her teeth and swung her gunblade to the side, summoning multiple large spherical flying drones from the shadows behind them. Each of them had massive laser-eyed pupils that covered their entire diameter armed with cerulean laser cannons for their weaponry. Their nimble nature proved to match the speed of Natia's transport van as soon as Lucia gestured them to pursue her enemies.
"Fly and destroy them!" She commanded before retreating into the shadows with the Melody Dragon. She carefully stroked the dragon's frontal paw, impressed with its capabilities. "You'll get your chance soon, my dear." The laser-eyed drones ignited their large exhaust pipes built behind them, dashing through the hangar to track down the transport van.
Natia sped and swerved through the opposite side of the highway for several seconds after situating herself through her bleeding shoulder wound. She dodged traffic as the laser-eyed drones arrived behind her van, firing cerulean beams towards the trunk. Naoto jerked himself back from his prone position after a beam penetrated through to nearly striking the back of his left hand. "The hell are those things?! And how do we get them off our backs?!" Naoto cried.
"Get off the main road!" Sumire ordered Natia as she held onto Ryo and the side of the van's door. Natia jerked off after evading a traffic collision and exited through a street leading into Bellastraza. The drones chased after them and continuously pierced through the van with their bombardments. Sumire, who suddenly thought of a key idea, moved closer to the driver's seat next to Natia. "How did you find us?" She asked.
"Why does it matter!?" Natia rejected after focusing on speeding through. "Your nanosuits have tracking devices on them, dumbass. Why the hell did you three shut them off when I was looking for you?"
"It wasn't us," Ryo clarified after witnessing the terror of the Melody Dragon. "It was Lucia's weapon. It absorbed our suits like it was nothing." He said, feeling guilty over losing Jinni's prized creation assembled just for his usage.
"The drones are tracking you all down!" Chiaki's voice suddenly cried through the transport van's audio system. Sumire began pulling herself back near the trunk. A tightly screwed compartment near the back of the van had a warning sign painted on top. It housed a tracking device that was used to locate signals of its own, specifically used for finding the Hullbreaker Tunnels. "You've got to remove that thing from inside to stop them!"
"Ryo, help me!" Sumire called, pointing at the compartment.
Ryo nodded and slid in between the compartment as more bullets hailed from the back of the armored van. The amount of pressure striking the van couldn't support its protective state any longer. Ryo pulled on a rusty latch as Sumire used one of her heating gadgets to incinerate the screws off. A laser bullet pierced the truck and struck Ryo on the arm, causing him to jerk back in surprise.
"Ryo!" Sumire cried, worried for her brother.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Ryo ensured, returning to the rusty latch. "Keep going!"
A red signaled four-way intersection blocked the path to Natia's escape route. She rotated the wheel until her van collided with a glass window entering a shopping mall filled with aquatic festivities, such as balloons, floaties, and fish-themed merchandise. Bellastraza civilians jerked themselves backward as Natia sped through the mall's decorated and festive halls. Natia collided with multiple glass sculptures and space-themed furniture paving the way for the citizens. Lucia's drones entered as well, continuing to fire bullets into the van with a risk of striking the bystanders.
"Drive out! Drive out!" Naoto called.
"Shut up!" Natia shouted as she drifted to the right through another glass window. She exited through the mall and found herself cleared from traffic temporarily.
"Pull, Ryo! Pull!" Sumire cried as she finished melting the screws.
With one thrusting movement filled with panic and strength, Ryo pried the opening compartment off and tossed it aside. He plunged his fist into the compartment to destroy the spherical tracker's frail wires connected to it. He snatched the sphere and held it up with a risky plan to escape Lucia's drones.
"We have to lure the drones to the truck," Ryo said, holding the sphere close. "Natia, you have to slow down. We have to jump from the truck to keep the drones off."
"You crazy fuck, we're not doing that!" Natia retorted.
Ryo dashed towards Natia and warmly held her shoulder to bring her confidence to her hidden fear. He knew deep down that Natia was afraid of doing stunt-like actions without the use of a nanosuit. "We have to do it, or we'll die!" He stated.
Natia closed her eyes to concentrate on removing her fears. Her cheeks blossomed up after Ryo touched her shoulder without her permission, but knew that time was draining at light speeds. "Okay, okay, okay!" She cried, placing the truck into autopilot with the push of a single button. The truck continued driving near a bridge leading to the Virgo District above a large body of water. Natia gathered next to Ryo, Sumire, and Naoto holding in her breath in preparation.
"I'll throw the tracker out the window and we use the doors to break our fall," Ryo said, looking at his sister. "Sumire, can you use that device to weaken those two doors?"
"I can try." Sumire immediately rushed towards the side door and began scorching its foundation.
"Holy shit, we're gonna do this? We're gonna do this?" Naoto pressed his temples together in extreme nervousness. "Oh god, oh god…"
"Naoto, you'll exit with Sumire. I'll exit with Natia on the opposite side," Ryo said. "Once we break out, I'll toss the tracker away to distract the drones. Then we'll hide."
"Wait, wait, wait," Natia panicked after yelling at Ryo. "Why do I have to be with you?! Why can't I-"
"Is that important?!" Naoto interrupted.
"Guys, I'm almost done!" Sumire switched into melting the second door's foundation. "Hurry up and decide! We don't have much time left!"
Ryo grabbed Natia's hand and dragged her into the weakened door that Sumire nearly melted down. Naoto remained by Sumire's side as the drones began destroying the entire van's trunk foundation. Blasting winds created by the van's devastatingly high speeds stormed the back of the van as the laser-eyed drones prepared to launch its final assault. Natia blushed as she closed her eyes as Ryo wrapped his left arm around her waist.
"Done!" Sumire cried.
"Now!" Ryo ordered.
As the remaining laser bullets struck the insides of the van, the beams collided with the driver's seat and pierced through the engine. Ryo held onto Natia and jerked his back against the battered door, landing his back against it as it collided with the highway at top speed. Sumire and Naoto held each other and leaped from the opposite side. The transport van's engine detonated and plunged through the infernal sea as it scorched its atmospheric surroundings. Smoke and flames burst and lathered the highway in hazardous pyro waste. Ryo tossed the van's track into the ocean to distract the drones, leading them away from their position. As the drones chased after the incorrect target, the doors began to slow Ryo and the others down.
Ryo released Natia from his grasp and sprinted towards the opposite side of the bridge. The four of them were forced to plunge deep into the ocean to remain out of sight. Water began entering Ryo's ears as he was unprepared for such an aquatic occasion. He heard his allies plunging with him and began swimming speedily towards the nearest dock several meters away.
Ryo was the first to reach the docking station, dragging his soggy leather clothes from the ocean bothered by the water weight pulling him down. He supported Sumire, Naoto, and Natia by pulling them out of the sea with his strength. The three leaped into the same area and panic coughed for air after being submerged in the water for a lengthy amount of time. They landed on the wooden slit flooring as several witnesses sped out of there after yearning to purchase expensive yachts and boats with their wealth.
A lone seagull began flapping its wings and cawing at the sight of Naoto's head riddled with miniature fishes and plants. "Oh god, get it off! There's seaweed on my head, seaweed on my head!" Naoto's skin shuddered at the sight of the slimy plant dangling across his forehead. He grabbed Natia's arm in fear as he struggled to remove it himself as the seagull snatched its meal for the night and flew away.
Natia jerked her arm back in disgust, nearly retching at the sight of breathing in unsanitary water. "Ugh, let go of me, you freak," She insulted as she rested her wet back against the wooden flooring. "This is so fucking disgusting, damn it. I should have just let you all die."
"We lived, that's all that matters," Sumire said after squeezing her clothing to release the water-soaked inside. She stood up and brushed aside the situation as if it was nothing. "We have to get back to headquarters and prepare for another assault. We can't let Lucia get away with this."
"Uh, earth to Sumire?" Natia rudely called. "You told me that her weapon absorbed the power of our nanosuits. If you think that it'll be easy enough to fight that thing head-on, then be my fucking guest. I'll attend your funeral at a later date, and don't say I didn't warn your ass."
"What?" Sumire confusingly asked as her eyebrows drooped down. "What are you talking about?"
"Sumire, I'm not one to agree with Natia…" Naoto began as he stood up in regret from talking back to his crush. "But I think she's right. You saw that thing and what it did to us. We don't stand a chance against it right now. We have to think of another way. We should confer with other allies about a plan, not go in without playing any cards right-"
"Fine, then I'll go myself," Sumire brushed aside and began power walking through the docks. Ryo seized her arm and stared into her struggling eyes with a stern and serious expression as the others watched. "Let go of me, Ryo! I have to do this!"
"Now's not the time," Ryo said. "We can't fight them now. They're right."
Sumire scoffed in disgust, letting her mentality for freeing Lucia from her past engulf her with pure impulsivity. Her emotions stirred from within with the lingering descent into madness from her murderous act. She wanted to act quickly to stop the pain from subsiding. "You too, Ryo? Why are you against me? I'm your sister!" She made the excuse of their brotherly and sisterly bond to stop her brother from prohibiting her actions. "You're my brother! You're supposed to support me!"
"This has nothing to do with me being your brother," Ryo denied her excuse, holding her shoulders tightly while gazing into her eyes to ram the message. "Why are you being so impulsive? You saw what it did, Sumire. It took our powers away. We're defenseless against it. We can't fight it head-on right now. Be realistic about it."
"I am being realistic," Sumire brushed his arms aside while clenching her teeth. She couldn't stand the idea of Lucia losing herself. "Fine. If you want to just pretend she isn't a human being anymore, then so be it. I'm going to save her myself."
"Oh, now I get it," Natia sarcastically interrupted while rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "So you're siding with the enemy who's trying to destroy the damn land we're standing on. Seriously, even your brother's smarter than you now. Do you think she's willing to listen to you? Are you oblivious to everything?"
"You don't understand, Natia!" Sumire frustratingly yelled as she stepped aside.
"Yeah, you're right, I don't!" Natia shouted back. Ryo and Naoto stood by the sidelines hoping to not intervene in their argument. "Can't you see that she's too far gone? We've gone through hell and back fighting the wrong enemy nonstop, and nothing has changed! We're better off getting rid of them as soon as we can! Unless your brainless head wants to disagree, you're on your own."
"Sumire," Naoto began. "I want you to be safe. It's better if we stay with the people that already treasure us instead of taking risks. That includes me, Jinni, Ryo, Claude, and the others. There's no need to take risks against someone who has a godly weapon like that!"
"Sumire…" Ryo whispered after seeing Sumire's pupils shrinking with madness, grasping her heart tightly. "If you want to try and talk her way out of this, then we at least need a backup plan. None of us want you to get hurt-"
"Ash!" Sumire suddenly shouted, catching Ryo off guard after he heard her childhood traumatic name. "What do you think, Ryo? If Ash was lost and she was on the wrong side of the law, wouldn't you use your power to stop her? Or would you just run away like the coward you are?!"
Ryo froze after hearing his sister's hurtful comments, utilizing his troubled past to convey her message. Both Naoto and Natia were speechless when it came to their sibling confrontation.
"Why would you say her name?" Ryo's feeble voice asked. "Why are you acting like this?"
"Because even though I'm your sister, I'm not like you at all! We're not even blood-related, so no wonder!" Sumire yelled, flaring her arms back. "I'm not spending my entire life trying to fix and perfect myself like you are! I'm living in the present trying to stop the problem before they start! Ash isn't just the exception, right? There's someone else, isn't there!?"
"Sumire, wait…" Naoto attempted to intervene in their argument after realizing the breaking point of what was about to pass.
"Sophie Hiragi!" Sumire bellowed, stopping Ryo in his tracks and leaving him speechless. Sumire pointed at Naoto. "That's right, Ryo! You'd do anything to change Sophie, isn't that right? After what you did to her? Naoto told me all about her and what happened after. But you won't go after her because you're too scared! See? I'm not like you. I'm not scared of Lucia!"
"Sophie has nothing to do with this…" Ryo's voice trailed off.
Sumire advanced towards Ryo with her voice raised to the maximum, pointing at Ryo's face. "Yes, she does! Because you're the one that needs to change, not me! Stop trying to act like I'm the one that's lost when you're exactly in my situation! The only difference between us is that I'm trying to do something about it! So don't stop me!" Water droplets spread across Sumire's shoes as her clothes dripped with each heavy movement of her body. She crossed her arms and looked away in shame before walking out of the docking station. "No brother of mine would ever do such a thing. Especially someone who I've taken care of for nine years."
"Sumire, wait!" Naoto cried before chasing after Sumire, realizing that she took her insults too far by involving Ryo's past. He looked back at Ryo and attempted to say something to comfort him, but he chose to chase after Sumire instead. Sumire's bitter words peeled apart Ryo's pulsating heart, losing himself once more. Only this time, Natia was by his side. She slowly skidded her feet closer to Ryo with an empathetic mindset after recognizing his faults and errors.
"Hey," Natia's dull voice sharply tingled Ryo's head. He was still ensnared behind Sumire's words by contemplating if she was telling the truth or the lie about himself. "You good?"
"Thank you," Ryo muttered before turning his back against her and walking away. He changed the subject with his lifeless voice and pessimistic attitude taking over his mindset. "For saving us."
"Wait," Natia called, raising her arm towards him. "I want to know something. Was everything that Sumire said truly about you? Did you… did you fuck up Naoto's sister?"
"What if I told you I did?" Ryo asked, turning around with his troubled personality taking over his previously profound attitude with his newly acquired friends. Now that Sumire had purposely made herself distant unconventionally, Ryo seemingly lost a large sense of hope that was dear to him. "What if I told you that I ruined her life?"
Natia approached him and placed her palm on his shoulder. She stopped in her tracks and gazed down at Ryo's feet. "Then you already know what I'll say," She said. "You told me that you'd do anything to protect your sister. Isn't that what you said? Don't pussy out and make it happen."
"What?" Ryo was bewildered by her random encouragement for him to reconcile with Sumire, knowing that she detested both of them beyond his beliefs. "Why are you telling me this? I thought you hated her."
"I may hate her…" Natia said, walking away to follow Naoto and Sumire back to headquarters. She turned her head back at Ryo with a slight frown. "But I never said I hated you. Now hurry up and make up with her." She said before walking away.
His apologetic mindset began to slowly seep into his burdened shoulders and heart. Even though Sumire went too far by causing traumatic memories to flare up unconventionally, Ryo realized he was being struck in the face with reality. How could he stop Lucia and her organization from destroying Aries if he couldn't stop his inner demons from taking over his consciousness? Ryo pressed his hand against his chest, envisioning the risky sacrifices in the future. Reality consumed his mind the more he visualized the possibility of the ones he hurt forgiving him.
As he stepped in the direction of where his allies tread, Ryo believed Sophie was the first step in the right direction...