At the front of the severely damaged four-story building that was named High Estate by the Miseri Do Mar's government, a group of prisoners made out of those government officials that were not being marked as the targets for purge was being led out to the parking lot in the front of the building as well as the bodies and what was left of the purge targets under the watchful eyes of numerous Geborgs that occupied the area.
The prisoners were led past the parking lot to the group of God-Takers that were parked near the broken front gate of the High Estate as the prisoners were ordered to go inside the armored vehicles by the Geborgs, and then they will transport the prisoners to the recently demolished naval base of the island as Zeno decided to use that place for a temporary detention camp for the prisoners.
For the corpses of the marked ones, the Geborgs would just pile it up at a random place, and the corpses will then be recycled by the Godblood cube into a raw material for other things, such as Geborg and equipment.
"Master, the objective here is completed. We have secured all of the non-mark officials and eliminated all of the marked ones."
Yae, who was walking out of the building, reported her mission progress through the comlink as she was flanked by two Geborgs while the other Geborgs were either watch over the prisoners or busy securing the perimeter around the building to ensure that no one can come in and out without consequence.
( AN: Yae is the clone of Tsubasa. )
"Good work, Yae, and do make sure to escort the prisoners to the detention camp!"
Zeno's enthusiastic response came almost immediately in her helmet. Now that the invasion is almost finished, the pleased Zeno was eager to declare his conquest to the world, but before that, he has to deal with the supernatural side on the island first.
"Yes, Master!"
Yea acknowledged her order, and then she headed towards the line of the anxious surviving officials as they were herded into the God-Takers, not knowing what fate awaited them. She briefly glanced at the prisoners as she walked past them before hoping on her God-Raider and starting the engine and waiting for all of the prisoners to broaden the vehicles.
Five minutes later, all of the prisoners had broadened the GTs, and the vehicles' doors slammed shut by the Geborgs. The GTs then began to move as they lined up with the GRs escorted them, forming a convoy that headed towards the demolished naval base.
Yae watched the surroundings with some vigilance while driving on her GR along side the convoy. The streets of the capital were now eerily quiet without any sign of people. The occasional patrols of GRs and God-Prayers up the sky ensure that no one will be able to cause trouble, as only the lethal force of a Lasgun shot will be delivered to the one who tried in a heartbeat.
The convoy passed by the smoldering wreckage of military vehicles and piles of dead soldier and gangster bodies on the streets, the grim reminder of the swift and decisive power of Liberty's force. The soldiers and gang members who had not yet been captured or killed had either gone into hiding or attempted to flee the city with no success.
The occasional burst of distant gunfire and the faint screams of anguish that fellows shortly after, could still be heard from time to time throughout the city as the Geborgs hunted down the survivors without mercy.
÷×÷×÷
Inside the small church at the outskirts of the capital city, a priest kneeled before the altar, his hands clutched tightly in prayer. The sounds of chaos had reached him, but he tried to remain steadfast to be a beacon of hope for the few terrified citizens who had sought refuge within the sacred walls.
The priest, Father Marquez, had been something of a moral compass on this island for decades, a man of peace who had never truly seen war or bloodshed. His trembling voice echoed through the empty chamber like a hymn as he begged for divine intervention or guidance since he couldn't really do anything else.
He had heard what the commotion was about, and he was understandably scared. At first he tried to contact the Vatican to alert them of what was happening, but his attempts were useless as something was interfering with both mundane and supernatural means of communication on the island. This fact alone told him that the invading force is not just a mundane armed force that can be reasoned with like a common human organization.
Why, in God's name, does any supernatural force even want to take this island is beyond him.
As Father Marquez prayed for deliverance, a young boy who was one of the refugees in the church was peering through a window. His eyes suddenly widened in surprise at the sight of the six approaching GRs.
"F-father! They're here!"
He stuttered in alarm, his voice quivering with fear, making the others startled by what he said. The priest's heart sank as he also heard the boy before he slowly got up, his knees cracking with age. The priest then moved quickly towards the window and saw the unmistakable soldiers in white armor riding on the warbikes as they headed straight towards the church.
"E-Everyone, stay calm!"
Father Marquez said with a shaky voice as he tried to calm the panicking refugees, his own fear barely concealed, which did not help in calming down anyone even a little bit.
"We... we are in the house of God. Perhaps they will spare us..."
While the priest tries to convince himself rather than the refugees in the church, the quiet humming of the GRs' engines grew closer. The refugees looked at each other, their eyes filled with dread and uncertainty. The church that they thought was a sanctuary for them, a place they should be safe from the madness outside since the influence of the church is quite great, does not seem to be so reliable to them anymore.
And evidently that is not the case just like they thought; as the GRs come to stop right outside the small church, the reality of the situation immediately washes over them like a warm, stinky sewage.
"Let's see..."
Zestia in the armor muttered to herself as she dismounted the GR and stepped out of the group with two other Geborgs in tow. She scanned the building with her menacing red glowing visor that sent shivers down the spines of those inside the church. Her eyes behind the visor eventually fell on the priest by the window, and she hummed as she found her target.
( AN: Zestia is the clone of Xenovia. )
"There you are... Father Marquez, I presume?"
Zestia's voice was cool and calming as she addressed Father Marquez, who was standing behind the window inside the church, trying to stand straight with his frail frame. The priest looked at her with a mix of surprise and apprehension. He then opened the window and tried to reason with her.
"I-I am indeed Father Marquez. This is the house of God, a place of peace and refuge. I implore you to spare us from the violence."
Father Marquez's voice was firm, but with a hint of desperation, his hand gripped tightly on his cross, hoping his words might hold some sway over Liberty's soldiers outside. The other refugees huddled behind the priest, their eyes filled with hope and fear.
"You don't have to worry; we are only here to 'invite' the representatives of all the factions on the island to inform them of the new rules they have to follow if they want to still be staying here."
Zestia informed them calmly; the red glow of her visor shines ominously under her hood. She, Ezrah, and Noa had a list of people from all the factions to bring before Zeno, and the priest was one of them. The order was clear: to bring them before her master no matter what, and she was allowed to use lethal force if necessary.
( AN: Ezrah is the clone of Irina and Noa is the clone of Raynare. )
"Very well..."
Father Marquez took a deep breath and stepped back from the window, his mind racing. He knew that he couldn't fight these beings; he was a man of peace and faith, not a warrior. But he also knew that he had a duty to protect his flock. He turned to the anxious faces of the refugees.
"Remain calm and trust in God's will; you all will be safe here."
He whispered to them, trying to infuse some courage into his own shaking voice. He then approached the church's entrance, the heavy wooden doors feeling like a flimsy barrier against the invaders outside.
Zestia waited patiently, her left hand holding on to her hip. The priest's resolve was admirable; it was quite curious to her why he was here at this island. As Father Marquez opened the doors, the Geborgs shifted their bodies slightly to prepare for a possible surprise attack while their hands rested on the handles of the Laspistols, ready for any sign of suspicious movement.
"I will come with you; please leave the people inside in peace."
The priest announced, stepping out of the building, his face etched with an odd mix of nervousness and determination. The people inside the small church watched in silence, their hearts heavy with worry and trepidation for him.
"Of course, follow me."
Zestia said with a nod before gesturing for the priest to follow her as the priest gulped his saliva and followed the female soldier in front of him to the group of Geborgs on the warbikes.
"This is Zestia; I successfully secured the church representative, and I am currently on route to the next faction..."
Zestia spoke into her comlink, updating Zeno on the latest acquisition while the priest was pushed into the seat of the GR, where he sat behind the Geborg awkwardly. He can only hope that his obedient surrender will bring some mercy from the new 'landlord'.
÷×÷×÷
Meanwhile, in the red light district of the city at the casino with a big sign "Falling Star" at the entrance.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here~"
Noa said with a pleasant surprise in her tone as she walked up to the angry fallen angel with long blue hair and yellow eyes in a maroon dress under the firm hold of two Geborgs at the lobby.
"Release me! How dare you lowly creatures-!"
She was raging and struggling uselessly under the hold of the two Geborgs.
"Hehehe~ Master will definitely be surprised by what we caught."
Noa giggled impishly as she watched the struggling fallen angel, Kalawarna, the origin template of Leila, raging like a rabid animal with amusement. She finds the woman with the same face as her haughty and sneaky sister acting like this, quite frankly, hilarious.
"Well, first of all!"
"Ugh-?!"
With a malicious grin under her helmet, Noa suddenly punched Kalawarna in the nose just because she could, and looking at the stunted expression of Kalawarna with a nosebleed gushing out of her broken nose was very satisfying to Noa.