Dozens of individuals all similarly dressed in black spread around the factory in a manner that surrounded us. There was only one who stood out among the rest, wielding two blades at once and bearing a single green eye.
"Primary form: Akimbo."
J…?
The implication of his presence struck me all at once.
Is this Overseer Azrael's first division—!?
From the varying positions that the members of the division stood, they all pounced directly towards Ian, recognizing him as the immediate threat. It was only J who stood back and surveyed. I watched as all of them raised their blades in synchronization, ready to slash Ian from numerous directions. To my surprise, in the instance that they all attacked him at once, Ian positioned himself in a way that avoided every single one of their slashes narrowly, by the slightest margin.
Slash—!!
With their misses, each of them retreated backwards in an instant, all grouping up behind J.
"How did you do that?!" I asked Ian, surprised by how similar his dodge was to my Flow State.
He looked at me. "Your capabilities are biological.
"What?"
Suddenly, the wall behind us imploded with a flash of green, scattering steaming debris everywhere. Floating into the factory, leveled with the air, those black robes and green aura could not be mistaken.
The Sin of Discrimination!?
"Seris." Ian pointed at the first division, all bunched together.
Under the hood that covered her face, she nodded. She raised her hand, and in the instant, a green sphere formed around the entire first division. In the clench of her palm, the sphere condensed, containing everything and everyone within. In just a matter of seconds, the whole of Overseer Azrael's first division had imploded into a splatter of blood and body matter. Among the mess, only one stood remaining, who'd surprisingly avoided the attack.
It was J.
"This is that nuisance who eliminated the majority of my proxies back at that apartment, isn't it, Klyson?" Ian asked me.
I nodded, still undergoing the shock of seeing one of A.X.A.'s most elite divisions eradicated in an instant. "His name's J."
"The letter?"
"Yeah."
"What is his Fractal?"
I pondered. I realized that he was never described to have a Fractal, but rather, extreme capabilities.
"I'm not sure."
Ian scoffed. "Find out soon. I'll leave him to you."
"What?"
When I looked back, Ian disappeared alongside Seris in a quick flash of green. In just an instant, they were gone.
Are you fucking kidding me?!
Finally, the control on my body released. All of us, including Cynthia and Soho had been released. It seems that Ian had disappeared to a place far away with Seris where we were no longer within his Fractal's range, so it no longer took effect.
"What just happened!?!" Cynthia screamed in horror, gagging at the sight of the first division's liquified remains.
Soho immediately rushed to my side. "Klyson, are you okay? I'm so sorry. I-I didn't know…"
She was talking about the revelation that I'd been an Inspired this whole time.
"Let's not talk about it." I chose to confront it alone, in my mind. "I need to pay mind to the new threat at-hand first."
Soho looked towards J's direction, who stared us down with his single green eye.
"Who is this guy? He's got one eye just like you."
"A combat elitist from A.X.A. His blade-skills are no joke."
"What can I do to help?"
I glanced back at the ground where Cynthia sat in panic, holding Garren in her arms. She rocked back and forth from what looked like an abrupt decline in sanity. The blood from Garren's wounds only continued to pour. For a moment, I hesitated. I normally would have asked Soho to stay by my side to assist me with this fight, but that mindset felt loose at the moment. To even my own surprise, I asked her for something else instead.
"Help them out."
"Them?" Soho looked at me with shock. "Cynthia and Garren?"
I nodded. "Garren's bleeding out like crazy. Please put a stop to it."
"What? How?"
"But why…?"
My mind eased its cold tension for a moment to produce this reply.
"They're my friends, Soho. They never wronged me in all my time at A.X.A. They don't deserve this."
She looked at me with an intriguing glimmer in her eyes. "You sound different now."
I sighed. "Maybe Ian's control is wearing off now that I'm self-aware. I don't know…."
She rubbed my shoulder. "Take your time to come terms with it. Just know that you aren't alone."
I watched as she rushed to Cynthia's side, making it clear that she was there to help. That reassured at least one of my worries. When I turned around to face J once more, his blades had already been drawn, and he held them aside.
He's using his Primary Form: Akimbo.
I drew my own blade aside as well, not nearly as long or as sharpened as his. The only other thing I had equipped for assistance was a single remaining flashbang.
I've got to make this count. To protect Soho, Cynthia, and Garren, I have to stand my ground here.
I was ready to face the infamous Man in Black.