Ralphie hurriedly joined Codey as he approached Karisa and Ayuka.
"Did you do it? Did you treat Kou's wound like you promised to do?"
Ayuka turned to face him and Codey, who were both pacing back and forth while contemplating their options and feeling anxious. Ayuka gave them a relieved response and verified their concerns regarding Kou's chances of surviving.
"Concerning Kou's health, you don't need to worry too much. He'll succeed. The worst portion of the wound was successfully treated. Fortunately, only the arm needed to be mended; nonetheless, I won't be able to heal the limb's bones. We'll need to find someone who can either instantly respond to his wounds or wait for them to heal naturally."
Kou was closely monitored by Codey and Ralphie, who relaxed their breathing. They noted that his skin wasn't as horrifying as it had been previously and that his wound had only partially healed.
"I see, well, I guess we shouldn't be around here. If we don't go to a safe distance from where Tim and Ralphie are sparring, one of us risk being struck by their powerful blows." Ralphie offered an explanation before shocking Karisa and Natan, who eventually succeeded in bringing Elliott back to everyone.
"Say what? Tim is the female that has been battling that insane scientist. But how exactly does that make sense?" Karisa pondered while simultaneously shocking Natan. It was almost a hassle for them to figure out Tem's genuine identity until Ayuka sighed.
"Later, I'll go through everything. To ensure that we can always help Tem in case of emergency, we must find a good place to hide from the onslaught without taking the chance of traveling too far. The only issue is that I'm not aware of a good location, the ship is too far away, and the majority of the houses are already in a hazardous area."
They struggled to find a suitable location when they heard Bow's voice speaking from behind them. They made a coordinated rotation and prepared to engage in combat if necessary.
When they turned around, however, they discovered that Bow had secured his weapon to the back while he dragged Kizu and Trap's bodies to safety.
"The "Sun Soldiers" dorm is accessible to us. It's far enough away from the battle to be safe yet still close enough to support your pal."
Ralphie and Codey moved in front of the others to protect them from Bow if he tried to do anything aggressive. Their somber faces were riveted on Bow, and they were ready to fight.
"Who do you think you are? You tried to kill us first, and now you talk to us like we're best buds? Don't try to convince us to buy into your scheme; we won't be duped." Codey told.
"You have no reason to believe me, and you don't need to. However, if we remain in this place, unless we find a secure location, we will all be crushed by the shockwaves. I swear I won't assault anyone, and I wouldn't even dare to attack you all at once. I only want to assist my comrades and get them to safety.
"Once we arrive, we can wait for your friend to complete the battle, but I can also promise that I won't be taking orders from Muro any more. I can assure you that our work here is finished, despite the fact that we were all duped into thinking we were doing good."
It was difficult to believe him, but Ayuka stopped them from engaging in any further combat before things got out of hand.
"Let him come with us. I think we can all agree that these folks were only under his control accidentally and ended up working for him without realizing what was going on.
"He allowed me to leave the castle to free Kou; if he hadn't, the shockwave would have killed him at that distance without a doubt. He is to thank for the fact that we were able to escape the explosion before it obliterated us all."
Even though his body was numb, Elliott's eyes were bursting with hearts as he listened to Ayuka's voice. "Listen to the beautiful goddess who is speaking now, everyone! When she's serious, she's so seductive." Karisa's foot slammed into his face, nearly crushing his teeth, and before he could finish, he was quiet and had a bump on his cheek.
"Fine... You are welcome to travel with us, but don't plan anything behind our backs. Be our guest if Ayuka says you're welcome to join us. But have in mind that even if you commit a single error, I won't think twice before acting."
Bow relaxedly closed his eyes while nodding. "Of course, I would be more than glad if you took action and attacked as a result of my mistake. We appreciate you allowing us to accompany you."
"Okay, let's stop wasting time now. Let's move quickly to the "Sun Soldiers" dormitory." Everyone nodded in agreement and went to the dorm as Ayuka asserted.
Garuda paused behind Yumiko in the distance, his large boots pounding the ground gently. "Take a look at that. The explosion was actually survived by my useless daughter! Oh, how I cherished the devastation! I've finally located you, and now it's time for you to make up for what you did to me."
Yumiko continued to grip the ground firmly as her eyes briefly began to shake.
"The only thing that made you slightly unique was your tattoo, which you even destroyed. As a result, you are now nothing more than a homeless pile of trash without a castle to call home."
Garuda laughed loudly behind her, cracking his neck and knuckles. Yumiko cautiously got to her feet after discovering one of her blades laying beneath the ruins.
"Not your daughter am I? I won't be dealing with you for much longer. You've destroyed my life, the lives of Phillip and my mother, and now you're calling me a daughter? You don't understand how to deal with your children, especially now that you've been working under Muro's orders,
"I wish you had reconsidered when you had the chance, but you obviously craved power and ingested that life-destroying potion instead. I don't need to think of you as a significant person in my life any longer."
Slowly rising, she turned her back on Garuda and extended her arm, taking the blade in her hand. He responded in an unsettling way with a chuckle and crossed his arms in front of his chest even after learning about his own daughter's choice.
"To be completely honest, I never loved you. All of the things I said to you were merely meant to reassure you and help you feel valuable in life. But in the end, you really did mess everything up, even after you joined the army.
"I wanted my daughter to be strong—strong enough to feel some worth in the world while also being able to stand up for herself. But in the end, you proved to be another one of those hypocrites who sought to destroy the "Sun Soldiers." I believe the moment has come for me to make amends and render my former daughter useless.
"You know, just to keep it real."
Her father's comments still made her feel uncomfortable around him, but she tried to keep her tears from falling by glancing constantly away from him.
When she finally turned around and shouted to him, wiping away her tears, her arms were shaking.
She yelled sarcastically, "You certainly know how to make other people happy, don't you?!" and thrust the sword tip forward. "So be it if that's how you feel about me. I've had enough of running away like a little girl, and now I'll show you that I'm no coward!"
Garuda raised his chin and continued to laugh for a short while. "That's much better, now! I'll make sure to rip you apart now that I won't have to be kind with you, Yumiko!"
The cutlass' razor blade flashed in the dusk light as he reached for his back and pulled it out.
"Fight me, and die for me!"
To be continued...