"Commander Akin, we just got a call from the Placeholder Space Bridge!" A police officer yelled. "Umbra just showed up there and is attacking the security!"
"At your wit's end, I see," Akin smiled. "All A.T.T.F. members get ready to be deployed!"
A sea of red uniforms began to flood the underground garage of the police station. All members of the A.T.T.F. entered the armoured vehicles present and turned the ignition. Akin could barely contain his excitement and relief. He was almost certain he was going to lose his job if it were not for Umbra's reemergence. Now all he had to do was apprehend him and possibly score another promotion.
The fleet of vehicles made their way towards the exit. As they drew closer, they noticed a group of people standing in front of the exit who seemed to be wearing vests as well. Akin squinted to get a better look at the people blocking the way, only to notice they were all wearing black hoods over their heads. The police commander's eyes widened as he realised those were not ordinary vests strapped to their chests.
Among the Ebon Shroud members present, there was only one who did not have a vest attached to his person. The hooded stranger had such an air about him that it seemed odd to find someone like him present here alongside these mundane terrorists. Yet here he was leading the charge. Zaru raised a hand and pointed at the approaching vehicles.
"For Pedtro,"
"You've got to be shitting me," Akin cursed.
The Ebon Shroud screamed as they charged the police. The A.T.T.F. tried to reverse their vehicles but it was too late. The terrorists latched onto a side of the closest vehicle they could get to and detonated the bombs on their chests. A series of explosions ripped through the garage, reducing pillars to rumble and the vehicles to shrapnel. Many of the police officers were turned into a red mist while others were grievously injured. The explosion rose into the main building, blowing a hole into the police station.
Akin's body flared with pain as his vision blurred. He felt the weight of someone else on his body, making it hard to breathe. It was the large man from before. He had gotten on top of him to protect his Commander, at the cost of his own life. However, Akin was not without injury. Blood poured out of the stub that was once his leg. His other foot was badly mutilated, alongside his arms and face. As he screamed in pain, the hooded stranger made his way through the debris while he admired the destruction.
"The stage is set," Zaru said, his finger pointed to the hole in the ceiling. "The rest is up to you Umbra,"
The remaining Ebon Shroud members ran past Zaru and into the station, marching on into their impending doom.
Meanwhile, halfway across Shandel, Umbra was caught up in a deadlock with the security of the space bridge. More than half of the guards were lying motionless on the ground, with another joining the pile every so often. This did not discourage the remaining guards. The last four guards kept the heat on Umbra by firing lead bullets at him.
Rather than cutting these bullets in half, Umbra opted to avoid them instead. His Sabre energy blade worked well when defending against energy and Revel-based projectiles. When came to things like metallic bullets, those melted when coming in contact with his blade and ended up pouring onto him. He could only assume they knew about this weakness due to the fair popularity of the Art and had been instructed by the police to prepare for it. However, there were situations they could not fully prepare for. Umbra struggled to avoid fire, only managing to evade the majority of shots. There were still a lucky few that managed to graze or pierce him, with one going through his thigh. He winced in pain but managed to keep going, channelling his Revel through his injuries to ease the pain and slow the bleeding.
Suddenly, one of the guard's guns jammed. He tried to fire it again but to no avail. He was ammo. Before he could get the opportunity to reload, Umbra was upon him. The hooded man punched the man in the gut and landed a strike on his temple with the end of his hilt, knocking him out. As he was about to drop to the floor, Umbra grabbed him by the collar and used him to intercept the incoming shots. Fortunately for the guard, his bulletproof vest withstood the damage.
Unfortunately for the other three, Umbra now had cover. He charged the nearest guard who emptied his whole magazine into his comrade's back in a panic. Once he was close enough, Umbra used the unconscious human shield and used him to slam the guard into the ground. The guard tried to get away but he was stopped by the head of the other guard crashing into his face.
Now there were only two left. They both looked each other in the eye before turning back to face Umbra. In that brief exchange, the hooded man closed the distance between him and the guard on his right. As he drew closer he threw his sword at the other guard, impaling his shoulder. Umbra struck the bottom of the man in front of him's jaw and lifted him into the air. He quickly grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him head-first into the ground.
The last security guard was shaken to his boots. Despite their overwhelming numbers, they were barely able to do anything to this beast of a man. He tried to walk away but the pain of the burning blade in his shoulder was. Umbra dashed towards the guard, causing the man to shriek in fear. He was unable to do anything Umbra ripped the sword out of him and punched him across the jaw, knocking him out.
Umbra stood for a while as he tried to regain his breath. He pulled the hood off his mouth and nose so he could breathe better. This fight took way longer than it should have. Had he not restrained himself from killing the guards, he would have cut them all down in a near instant. It was not something he regretted but it did not mean he should not have done it. The hooded man pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He did not have time to contemplate why or why not. He had somewhere to be.
A sharp ding rang through the room as it indicated the arrival of the space bridge. As the doors opened, there stood a man wearing the same uniform as the rest of the security guards while sporting a cap that hid his face from view. The hooded man knew immediately this man did not work there. Unlike the other guards, his posture was too relaxed and free for someone working in security. Umbra stepped into the large elevator and stared intensely at the hidden figure. The 'security guard' took off his cap, revealing the smiling face of Folorunsho.
"Glad you could make it Toby,"