Bent Fate (An Arknights Fanfiction)

Chapter 74

Faust approaches a member of the phantom crossbowmen at the top of an two-laned overpass, joining him as he watches over the suburbs beneath them with a pair of binoculars.

"How is it...?" he asks with a cold voice.

The man lowers his hands as he looked at the younger sniper. "We couldn't find them."

"What?" Faust questioned. "I thought you saw them?"

"We did, it's really them, right? The sarkaz that set himself ablaze before they annihilated W's mercenaries. This is the first time I saw someone with their whole body on fire like that, and yet still acting normal."

"That's not a problem here."

The masked soldier in brown poncho lowers his head. "I know... I'll keep looking, everyone's in position, anyway. We've scattered all along the overpass. We can rain down on them the first second they appear again."

"Words won't satisfy our needs."

Pursing his lips, the man goes back on watching below.

"Let's not only scan one side of the overpass!" Faust commanded his men, who one by one appeared behind the concrete parapets.

"Roger!"

The young pythia kneels down and starts tweaking his crossbow.

"Faust." the same soldier from earlier calls. "We can just let them pass, you know? Mephisto and his... well, at least we can maximize our usage of those manipulated corpses."

"Let them focus on that group. I am familiar with some of the people that ex cop brought along. All efforts should be put on them and them alone."

"Aren't you wary of them all of a sudden...?" the man asks with a tone of amusement. "Weren't you mocking one of the snipers in that squad once back in Lungmen?"

"Frostnova never returned from fighting them." Faust spoke as soon as the man's mouth shut. "I saw her moving into the area while we were retreating."

The soldier kept silent afterwards, until one of their squadmates calls from several dozen meters along the overpass.

"Faust!, we spotted someone!"

"Armed?"

"Well uhh... yeah? They have someone wearing a red hood, right?"

Faust frowns. "I don't remember anyone of them with that."

"Huh, whatever, then, they're making their way to Mephisto's location."

"How many?"

"Just one."

Faust pondered for a moment. "Must be a diversion."—

—"HEY!!" a crossbowman yelled as a redhead vouivre woman jumps into the overpass from below the parapet. Faust and his men reflexively aimed their weapons.

A feline comes next, up the structure from the same location. Unlike the vouivre though, she leapt and landed right behind the vouivre, two swords drawn out.

"All together. Fire." Faust spoke softly, but all his men heard it.

The crossbowmen barrages the two with bolts.

On her side, the vouivre effortlessly blocked their projectiles with her teardrop shield.

Faust's eyes widened as he began to recognize the vouivre, completely ignoring the fact that the feline at the back deflected all the bolts on her side.

"Cease fire!" he yells before disappearing as he stepped back.

His men followed, all fading out of sight.