Chereads / Harem Hero / Chapter 22 - The Quick and the Cloned - Part 10

Chapter 22 - The Quick and the Cloned - Part 10

Venelana was actually a joy to speak with, even when she was drilling you for every little nitty-gritty detail on what you've been doing with her daughter for the past few months. You managed to navigate your way out of the jam without airing any of your bedroom escapades with her, though you can only assume that she knows that Rias has done something with you. After all, she did claim that Rias is much like her when she was younger.

That statement comes with an implicit meaning that Venelana is not going to jump right into sleeping with you or declaring you her new husband. She needs time to get a feel for things; she's been a widow for a good few years now and her self-worth has been lowered by the way that devil society works. As you think about it more with both women away, you find yourself coming around to the idea. You just need to get over it and show her a good time. If Rias doesn't have a problem with it, and she considers it normal, then there's nothing you can say that'll convince her otherwise.

With the first of what you fear will be many daughter-parent meetings over, you refocus on refining your skills with the Sledgehammer. You need to be faster, more accurate, and less reliant on the targeting system that Mitsuru built into the suit. Motoko also stressed the importance of decision making. There was nothing worse than firing and hitting a civilian because you didn't consider your angle carefully – everything she taught you was in service of avoiding that outcome from the start.

You'd come to the garage in the morning, run dozens of drills in the kill house until you were happy with your time, and then head into the gym to continue following Chun-Li's training regimen. Every day you went back to your apartment with no energy left – the only thing you could do was flop down onto your bed and pass out.

Faster, stronger, longer.

You repeated those three words in your head again and again. They were what drove you for the four days after you met Venelana. Things were taking so long that you hoped Sundar had thought better of messing with you, that turned out to be untrue. Mitsuru burst into the gym while you worked one of the bags.

"We've got an attack report."

"Seriously? Where?"

"The local stadium. They've attacked one of the games and taken hostages again."

You pull out your phone and check everyone's status. You've got a flush of all four original occult research club members and the Major on hand. Looks like you have everyone you need to catch Sundar out this time. Heading back into the garage, the TV shows a helicopter circling the baseball stadium where the trouble is happening. Sundar is waving to the camera from the middle of the grounds. A row of drones point their weapons at a petrified audience.

Not this again!

You load the gun with the cards of Rias, Akeno, Koneko and Motoko. The three devils will provide you with good fighting power and more crucially, magical defence ability. Motoko is going to need to be here for this urban environment and to direct things using her leadership skills. You send her a quick message so she can get ready.

"AKENO HIMEJIMA! SHATTERING!"

"RIAS GREMORY! SHATTERING!"

"KONEKO TOUJOU! SHATTERING!"

"MOTOKO KUSANAGI! SHATTERING!"

It's a very noisy and visually messy summoning. The three devils (this time wearing casual summer outfits) and the Major (who by contrast is already wearing her body armour and toting a rifle) stand before you in a line. Koneko would be confused about her new environment if she didn't have the personality of a stone-cold killer – this must be a version of her that hasn't opened up to other people just yet. If Issei from their universe isn't their primary love interest, that task might fall onto your shoulders someday.

"Sorry for the trouble – but it looks like Sundar finally decided to make his move."

"It's fine," Motoko nods, "This time I managed to switch into my operational body before you summoned me."

"You were using a civilian spec body last time?" Mitsuru queries. You shudder to think how much of a nightmare she is for the enemy when she has the full plethora of weapons and abilities.

Motoko cracks a rare joke, "If you were hoping to have some fun with me, I'm afraid that this one doesn't come with functioning genitalia."

"Trust me, that's the last thing I'm worried about right now." You point her to the TV – where the news helicopter continues to circle the stadium. Motoko's face hardens as she takes the situation in. Rias and Akeno are also taking things seriously, but the missing link is Koneko, who has now been summoned for the very first time. If she has any objections to it, she doesn't air them. She remains silent.

Rias puts her hand on your shoulder, "Don't worry hubby, we already told Koneko about you and what you do here. She's willing to help."

"That's great. We need her defensive powers to stop people from getting hurt."

She finally speaks, "If that is what the president desires."

"Before we go, we need a plan," Motoko says.

Mitsuru seems to have anticipated this – she reaches over and retrieves a tablet from the table. She unlocks the screen and reveals a full floor-plan of the stadium, which she must have stolen from somewhere. "I can't mark the location of the enemy forces without more data, but I can estimate what angles they're holding."

Several red cones appear, displaying the range of vision and fire for the drones she's seen on the TV. The threat of them opening fire on a crowd of innocent people feels real. They could cause a hell of a lot of damage if they wanted to.

"Rias, Koneko and Akeno can stop the gunfire by using their magic. Or Akeno can use her lightning to strike them from afar."

"Fufu, a nice idea," Akeno smiles.

Motoko agrees, "We need to strike a balance between attack and defence. Reducing enemy numbers will make things more manageable. I believe that we can quickly eliminate the enemy targets in front of the stands, but we don't know what else is waiting for us in there."

You continue her train of thought, "And as powerful as the Occult Research Club is – none of them have had the same close combat training that I have."

"They should focus on clearing the field then," Motoko concludes, "You and I can enter from the front entrance and eliminate any surprises he's keeping inside."

"Remember that we can fly," Rias says, flaring out her devil wings to belay the point, "We could enter through the open roof of the stadium and have the first attack."

Motoko ascents to the idea, "That's a good plan. If we clear the guns pointing at the stands – then we have much more room to manoeuvre. Okay. Let's get to it."

"Oh, I'll re-summon you when we're outside the arena. Make sure you're ready to fight."

"Okay."

You unload the gun and send the four women back to their respective universes for the time being. You use Lala's bracelet and summon your armour, running over to the dirt bike that Mitsuru tuned up for you. This can't be too hard to use, right? You mount it and feel the engine rumble to life as it recognizes the signal being emitted by the suit.

"Let's go!"

You punch the throttle and shoot out of the open garage door. You wind through the narrow roadways of the industrial area and out onto the main avenue through the city. Weaving between cars and running red lights runs a large risk, but you can't afford to waste any time and let Sundar hurt those people. A mark on your licence is preferable to being arrested for illegally owning a firearm anyway.

After a few brushes with death, you finally arrive in the utterly gigantic parking lot outside the arena. A police line is already being formed, much to your chagrin. You dismount out of sight and summon the four warriors back to this world. That's going to be a problem. You need a way to get through the line.

"We can fly over them," Rias smirks, "Maybe we could carry you?"

Motoko shakes her head, "This body is too heavy. And we need to clear the main interior of the building, it'd be easier for us to run through."

But Rias is a devil, she must have some kind of superhuman strength. You know that Koneko does. Still, your job is to clear the entry to the arena, the other three girls can worry about rescuing the crowd without you.

You clap your hands together, "Alright, let's stop talking and do it. Good luck to you three."

"Don't worry, I won't lose in front of my future husband," Rias boasts.

"Fufu, see you later darling!"

The three devils sprout wings and fly off into the sky. Meanwhile, you and Motoko dash to a gap in the police line and leap over the parked car. It happens so quickly that the armed officers don't even have time to react before you're breaking through the glass door and spilling out into the ticketing area. Two drones turn on you, but are put down by a pair of synchronised gunshots from you and the Major.

"Get me a bead on those robots," Motoko asks.

"Looks like they didn't learn anything from last time," Mitsuru chuckles, "I'm marking them now."

Thirty red silhouettes appear through the walls of the main building. Sundar really pumped up the numbers after his last defeat. Motoko smirks and releases the safety on her rifle, "Alright. Show me what you've learned."

Challenge accepted.