The junction chamber was a cauldron of chaos. Sakura was a blur of motion, her plasma pistol bucking in her hand as she dropped guards with methodical precision. Behind her, Himari held her ground, her hand pressed against the stone floor, causing tremors and jagged spikes of rock to erupt, hampering the enemy's advance. But they were hopelessly outnumbered. The first Shadow Weaver, a gaunt figure in black robes, cackled as he launched a bolt of crackling, violet energy. It slammed into Sakura's side, and she cried out as the personal shield integrated into her cloak flared violently, absorbing most of the impact but throwing her to the ground.
It was into this desperate scene that Haruto's team erupted.
"Fire Team Bravo, engage hostiles on the right flank!" Haruto commanded, his voice cutting through the din. "Suppress and contain!"
Kaito and Riku, without hesitation, opened fire on the guards surrounding Himari. Their disciplined plasma bursts tore through the Black Guard's ranks, their superior firepower overwhelming the enemy's plate armor and shields. The guards, caught completely by surprise by the attack from their rear, faltered, their assault turning into a panicked defense.
Haruto ignored them. His sole focus was the second Shadow Weaver, who was just entering the chamber with the reinforcements. The Weaver saw the new arrivals and, without missing a beat, redirected his attack. He thrust his hands forward, and a wave of pure psychic force, a visible distortion in the air, surged towards Haruto.
Haruto stood his ground. His combat armor's integrated energy shield flared to life, a faint, hexagonal pattern shimmering into existence just in front of him. The psychic wave hit the shield and dissipated with a sound like shattering glass. The Weaver stared, his unseen face a mask of shock. His most powerful attack had been brushed aside like a gentle breeze.
"Akane, now!" Haruto transmitted.
From the Ghost hovering silently above the street, Akane's finger rested on the trigger of the main plasma cannon. Her screen showed a detailed schematic of the cisterns, with Haruto's team marked in blue and the large reinforcement group marked in red. The target was the ceiling of the tunnel they were emerging from.
"Firing solution acquired," she murmured. "Sending ordnance."
A lance of pure, white-hot energy, dialed down to a fraction of its full power, shot down from the sky. It struck the cobblestone street above the tunnel, vaporizing the rock and pavement. The effect below was instantaneous. The ceiling of the side tunnel exploded downwards. A torrent of earth, stone, and shattered sewer pipe crashed down, burying half of the reinforcing soldiers and completely sealing the passage. The second Weaver barely managed to leap clear, thrown into the main chamber by the shockwave.
The battlefield had been violently, decisively reshaped.
In the ensuing chaos, Haruto charged. He activated the micro-thrusters in his boots, covering the distance between him and the first Weaver in a single, gravity-defying bound. He didn't fire his weapon. He slammed into the Weaver with the force of a freight train, his armored fist connecting with the man's jaw. The sound of snapping bone was sickeningly loud. The Weaver crumpled, his magic dissipating into nothing.
Kaito, Riku, and a recovered Sakura had used the diversion to finish off the remaining guards. In less than thirty seconds, the fight was over. The chamber was silent, save for the drip of water and the groan of stressed rock from the collapsed tunnel.
"Structural integrity is failing," Haruto stated, his voice calm despite the adrenaline. He turned to Himari, who was staring at him, at his impossible armor, with wide, disbelieving eyes. "Princess, it's time to go."