God Eater: Lighting's Requiem

Chapter 3: Path to Atonement

The helicopter ride to the mission premise only took 30 minutes, upon arrival to the designated area; the man with raven hair jumped off, his God Arc in tow; not caring about the fall even while the vehicle that they’re riding was still 10 meters above the ground. The other passengers of the helicopter didn’t even do anything to stop the man when they saw him jump off, they just stood up from their seats and do the same, holding their God Arcs firmly in their hands.

The moment that the two young warriors touched down, the concrete where they landed cracked under the force of impact, but the God Eaters that landed feet first, just straighten themselves up and walked towards the front of a ruined cathedral, where the senior of the group; Lindow waited for them. Upon reaching and settling in a place the two faced the elder and lend him their ears, Lindow seeing that they are ready, started to speak.

“So as I said before our. Well rather, Mikoto’s objective is to eliminate two Orgretails and extract their Cores, after that its home we go. But if, and emphasize in the ‘if’, there are other Aragamis in this area, you Mikoto are to disengage from combat and let me and Zero to take over. Please follow this plan and don’t follow Zero’s foot steps, I don’t want any more recruits to end up in the recovery ward after his or her first official assignment.” After the field superior finished, the young white haired lad besides Mikoto whined.

“Geez, that’s like give months ago.” Came the protest of the younger man which reacted upon hearing the name Zero, it in turn earned a small smile from Lindow. “Still, I’m the one who got one of the session tickets for the royal scolding of Big Sis.” Lindow retorted. after dismissing Zero’s whines, he then proceed to continued with his mission briefing.

“As for orders, I have three.” Lindow paused and raised his hand and started counting with it.

“First; don’t die, second; if your numbers up, get out, thirdly; hide, if your lucky enough, wait for an opening and blast it-“ The man abruptly stop and looked at his fingers and saw four instead of three.

“Wait, was that four? Oh well, that is all. Now, good hunting Mikoto, we’re right behind you so lead the way. I should also say that this is an evaluation test for you, you’ll be in command in this mission so show us what you’ve learn from Big Sis’s training.” The man finished.

“You’re dead if she heard that, you know that, right?” Zero butted in with a snicker, teasing the man.

After the teasing of the white haired boy, they all moved on and started the search for the targets. They first searched the church and the area around it, after they confirmed it to be clear of presence of any Aragami, they moved on, swiping every alley and every street. After the fruitless searching as one group, Mikoto ordered for the other two the search different sectors, they did without question.

As for the sole female, she continued with her pre-destined course of the search; she continued her trek towards a warehouse near the ruined church. Her journey on the jungle of broken steel towers and broken asphalt road brought Mikoto some time for her mind to wandered in the depths of her memories, the ruined buildings reminding her of her past.

Soon, her long running strides shortened and slowed, her vision of her surroundings slightly darkened and the sensation of dread slowly crept into her whole being. The buildings then stated to look like they are emitting smoke and small patches of flames, the dusty asphalt slowly appeared to be soaked in blood and the air seems like it started to cry from the pain of unseen people that Mikoto was sure didn’t exist just a minute ago.

Then her nightmares once again came to life, nightmares she thought she had already overcome by becoming the one that hunts ‘Gods’. She stopped in her tracks and gazed down at the asphalt road. In front of her, a lying figure she know very well appeared. A figure that shares the exact same features as her, she saw her sister’s corpse, riddled with holes from the spikes and some burn marks that keeps hunter her in her dreams. Once again, a shell that prevented her in the past to save the person lying on the ground in front of her; covered her again, she wanted to scream and cry but she was froze in place, only able to shake like a leaf and let her eyes drown in tears.

Then all of the illusion of past memories that manifested, vanished; scared off by the roar of a real Aragami, two real Ogretails roared at Mikoto who was still shaking from the earlier living nightmare, she took a step back out of shock and realization. As she did, the tip of her weapon that was kissing the ground because of the angle of how she was holding it; grind at the dusty asphalt, making its presence known once again to its master.

Upon regaining the knowledge that she drilled to herself for the last 3 weeks and the memory of the vow she made to herself. Mikoto readied her body and took a stance, even with her eyes still drowning in tears, she charged towards the two Ogretails. She started by activating the motor of her blade and hacked at the closes Aragami; blood sprayed and rained, the first Ogretail decapitated in a single go, but before the tearing warrior can proceed to the next one, the remaining active Aragami launched the spikes on its large tail toward armed girl.

She evaded by side stepping most of it, but two grazed her right shoulder. Sharp pain shot through every fiber of her body, and threaten to consume her thoughts. But Mikoto stayed strong and jumped back and changed her weapon’s mode, when she landed a few more meters away from the Aragami, she made a quick aim and fired at the Ogretail that wad preparing to pounce at her.

The Oracle bullet that was shot by her transformed weapon hit the Aragami’s left leg, making it unbalanced and also caused it completely fail its pounce. The Ogretail crashed on the ground and stayed there for a second too long. When it was ready to rise to its feet, the rolling chain of the young God Eater’s blade sink into its back, the blade then teared through the hide of the small ‘God’ until it halted its forward momentum and changed to a diagonal upward push. Once again, Red liquid rained but only for a moment.

Sure that her assailants are dead, Mikoto, stood there as the nightmarish memories of her past uselessness and mistakes came rushing in, she was once again held in place by a cold shell she doesn’t know what to call, her eyes that still hasn’t dried of tears once again drowned, her silent tears then got accompanied by sobbing as her memories finally ete her alive, proving that she still has a long way to go to be finally ‘Healed’.

Unbeknownst to her, a lone ‘God’ has heard her soft sobbing and currently hungry for flesh.

===<>===

“Emergency! A Large Aragami is currently in the mission area, Mikoto Misaka, please disengage from battle and head to the rally point. Your seniors will take over!” Hibari the operator through the communication lines of the God Eaters who are currently searching for the targeted Aragamis. Hearing the announcement made by their operator, Zero stopped in his tracks and prepared his body and mind to fight a more threatening entity than mere Ogretails, but he was not prepared to hear the second transmission.

“What are you doing! Mikoto Misaka, I repeat, please disengage from battle and head to the rally point! This is a very dangerous type of Aragami for a fresh recruit to be engaging in battle!”  Upon hearing the second message from the operator, the white haired God Eater was shocked and was only able to give a widen eyes for a reaction concerning the current events.

He has been mentoring Mikoto and he knows that she wouldn’t just disregard orders and will always follow the plan that was set. she did, in the simulation training with him, though, he still doesn’t know this girl completely but he’s sure that something went awfully wrong and the girl was forced to engage.

“Where is she?!” In his hurry to get information from the operator, Zero shouted his query which slightly startled the operator on the other side, not prepared for a angry God Eater to asked things while shouting.

“She’s inside a warehouse near the church, currently engaging a Vajra! You’re the closes to her, Zero, please hurry!” came the reply of Hibari in the com line, she then proceeded to switch to Lindow’s frequency him being the highest ranked personnel present.

He did not have to be told twice. The moment that the location of his junior was revealed, Zero dashed like a mad man and put all the strength he can muster to his legs, the concrete under his feet cracked as he approach speeds an athlete can only dream of.

The time he used to get to the warehouse was not that much, but in this line of work and living, a second too late can translate to a life being snuff. As he continue his mad dash, he made a turn in a corner where the road to the warehouse is. Upon reaching the general area of his destination, he saw the Aragami and the girl dancing a deadly dance.

He can see the numerous wounds the ‘God’ and was impressed that a fresh recruit has manage to fight a Vajra and still on their feet after five minutes of fighting. But amidst of this spectacle, he saw the burning answer to his question to which is; why the heck would a girl with good judgement, would charge and try her luck in fighting a Large Aragami all by herself?

He saw the girl’s eyes, stained by tears and also the way she swings her God Arc; haphazard and full of fury. The battle continued, but the table was turned when Mikoto made a mistake. By the time he was just a few meters away, he saw that the Aragami caught the girl in an opening, she tried to use her God Arc’s shield but her stance was not balanced due to the suddenness of the action.

The ‘God’ however, swiped at the girl with its front leg, which Mikoto was able to shield herself from, but the force of the swing combined with her unbalanced stance might as well yielded a result similar as to which she didn’t used her Shield at all.

She flew to the wall not far from the area where she was fighting the Vajra, but the force of her impact on the wall; even with her increased durability as a God Eater, did not help. She still lost all of the much needed oxygen in her lungs as they were push out of her, and she also hit her head hard enough that she was knocked unconscious almost instantly.

The Aragami decided that an electrically fried God Eater is what it would like to have for dinner, it then charged up lighting in its cape like organ and prepared to blast the unconscious girl, but before it can, a heavy serrated blade struck its head with such forced that the ‘God’s’ head was practically buried in the concrete after the attack that came from its right side, to which, a boy with white hair is standing; panting from exhaustion. All of his breath gone from all that running and with that attack.

Zero then tried to muster all that is left of his strength to try and walk towards the girl on the ground and check on her. He was able to do so, but his body felt so heavy. Upon reaching Mikoto, he quickly checked if she’s still breathing, to his relief she still is.

Glad that he can still bring his junior home, he decided to finish the Vajra once and for all. He turned his head to where he left the Aragami, to his luck it still hasn’t recovered and was still in a rather comical position that would have been appreciated if not for the fact that this creature is still not dead.

Then the ‘God’ didn’t disappoint, it begun to shift in its position before it slowly raised its head, seeing that he has enough time to complete a whole full charged of a single Charge Crush, Zero started to do so, it only took seconds for his God Arc’s blade to be covered by a violet aura that is surging like a violent stream of a river.

Sensing that the building power has reached it limits, Zero once again focused every bit of his strength to his arms and legs, he then tried to remember all the things he needed to take account in performing this particular action. The white haired male shifted his legs and also leaded his body forward just like how he remembered it, finally he kicked the ground with a powerful force that he shot towards the recovering ‘God’, behind him from he launched himself, broken concrete floor can be seen.

When he reached the Vajra, he slammed his God Arc, again to its head, this time, empowered by the raging torrent of violent energy. The crown like structure on the Vajra’s head was blown to pieces like ceramic and the actual head, spit in two but was left connected at the body, blood splattered on the floor.

Making sure that the Monster wouldn’t rise again, Zero summoned his God Arc’s Predator; this changed the form of his armament. The Blade retracted while the Shield parts angled themselves, then a monstrous being came to life, its jaws open; ready to devour. the white haired God Eater then made it maul the dead ‘God’, it took several seconds for the monster mounted at the weapon to finish its meal, after it did, the weapon returned to its former form.

The Core of the God Arc near the handle glowed for a bit, but the wielder did not bother to look, he just let his body lose its balance and finally fall back first. He was not unconscious though and felt the pain of the fall, he was just too exhausted to do anything else. Remembering that he has to report his status he moved his left arm to his left ear and press the button for the earpiece to be engage.

“Aragami neutralized, need a medic and engineer here. We have an unconscious God Eater.” Finishing his transmission, he let go of the button and stretched his arm across the dusty floor of the worn out warehouse Taking a deep breath to ease his tensing muscles.

Then, he heard a snarl, a snarl he know so very well. He turned his head towards the entrance of the warehouse and saw an Ogretail ready to pounce at him, that’s when he realized that he might have neglected to check some things and because of his situation at the moment, might just be his end. Mikoto might not have extracted the Cores of the Ogretails outside the warehouse, looking back, he noticed the dead Orgretails outside, he just didn’t check if they’re actually dead ‘dead’.

Then as if a miracle happened, the small Aragami roar in pain and fell to the ground, a Predator of a God Arc munching on the Monster’s back, removing the Core of the said Aragaimi. Now that the threat was eliminated, Zero gazed at his savoir and saw his mentor, Lindow Amamiya.

“Man, you’re nothing but trouble…” The man grumbled. Zero did not respond to his mentor, only gave the man a grin that says ‘thanks’. Receiving no verbal reply, the raven hair superior started to search his numerous pockets for a cigarette pack and matches inside his jacket, after finding the pack, he grabbed a stick and lit a match and then the cigarette that he took from the pack. After that, he walked inside and sat on the floor and leaned on the wall of the near the entrance. He then spoke again addressing the young white haired male that is sprawled on the ground.

“Good job though, you have become a very dependable ally today.”

“Thanks.” Came the simple answer of the exhausted God Eater. Silence once again took reign as the afternoon soon became night and the sound of helicopter blades stirring the air.