Thirty minutes after being permitted to participate in the mission, Nathan arrived at the Transport Bay. Upon arriving, he came to notice that quite a few assassins were already present.
However, he recognized a few assassins inclusive of Sindy, Andrew, Prince, Isabella, and Instructor Brady. Sindy even gave Nathan a reassuring smile as he approached them. She could easily tell that he was nervous. Just then, before Nathan could exchange greetings with her, Alondo began to speak.
"Assassins," he began. "This is an SS-Classed mission. Conscience City has been overrun by the Cliques and their supporting organizations. It has just been reported that they are launching a full-fledged attack on the city with the aid of high-leveled Demon Beasts! Based on the current circumstances, I have deduced that the Cliques are holding nothing back. This means that not only is the city being flooded with Demon Beasts but there's a high possibility that all four remaining commanders of the Cliques are present alongside the Beast King himself!
Nathan tightened his fists as he listened to Alondo. He knew he was still weak and one of the most inexperienced assassins in AA. However, this did not deter him. He wanted to find the Beast King and keep his promise to Rosie, no matter what.
Alondo then continued.
"The assassins I have chosen for this mission are as followed:
#1 SS-Class assassin- Prince
#2 SS-Class assassin- Azume#3 SS-Class assassin- Rick#4 SS-Class assassin- Isabella#5 SS-Class assassin- ShaneSA-Class assassin- BradySB-Class assassin- SophiaSC-Class assassin- DeandreAS-Class assassin- LukeAC-Class assassin- SamanthaCD-Class assassin- AndrewCD-Class assassin- SindyDD-Class assassin- Nathan"Alondo then paused for a short moment before looking at the faces of everyone present. He was sending some of his best assassins on a very dangerous mission. He didn't want to admit it but he feared losing them. If any of them were to die then it would be a major blow to AA.
"I must apologize," he continued. "...but we don't have the time to ask questions. I have already given all the details to Prince who will be the leader of this mission. If you have any questions then feel free to ask him on the journey to Conscience City. You're all dismissed. Get going now!"
A few minutes later, they were all on a massive jet heading towards Conscience City. However, not a soul dared to even utter a word. Even the usual cheery Isabella was not very talkative. It was evident that all the assassins were quite nervous.
Nonetheless, the tension present was not surprising. Given that they were all embarking on an extremely dangerous mission, it was only natural that they would be tense.
On the other hand, despite not being very talkative, Sindy and Isabella took constant glances at Nathan. It was quite clear that they both wished to speak to him but were unable to due to the current circumstances.
Andrew was however seemingly in a foul mood. This was slightly expected given how his fight against Scorpio went. In truth, Nathan hated to see Andrew in a bad mood. A smile and a jovial laugh seemed to fit him much more. But Nathan knew that there was nothing he could do. It was up to Andrew to find a way to satisfy himself.
However, the oddest of the assassins was Instructor Brady. He seemed quite unbothered by the mission. Instead of wearing a worried expression across his face like the others, he calmly eased himself back in his seat as he smoked a cigar. It almost looked as if he was preparing to go on a relaxing beach trip instead of a mission.
Just then, the #1 assassin, Prince, picked himself up with a bothered sigh. He rubbed his head of shaggy hair and blinked away the sleep from his dark blue eyes.
"We're almost at Conscience City..." He began very unenthusiastically.
"Babe, we're all about to risk our lives here. We won't feel very excited about this mission if you're going to talk like a zombie..." Expressed the #2 assassin, Azume. She had beautiful hazelnut-colored eyes and short curly black hair.
"I know, I know..." murmured Prince. "Man, what a pain... Why did Alondo have to make me team leader? I could be enjoying some needed sleep right about now... If I weren't the #1 assassin then I wouldn't be here... This is why I hate my rank..."
"Haha!" Laughed the Instructor. "Well, since I'm the eldest here, I wouldn't mind taking over for you, Prince. Just say the word and I'll lively up this place!"
"Sure, that sounds good to me."
"Babe!" Shouted Azume in disapproval.
"Damn it, fine! I'll do it..."
Prince then took a deep breath before his face fixed into a serious expression.
"Alright, listen up," he began in a slightly more enthusiastic voice. "We are now flying over Conscience City. Our mission is to defeat the Demon Beasts wreaking havoc on the city and drive out the Cliques and their supporting organizations. However, the most important point of this mission is to protect the citizens. Are we clear?"
Everyone then nodded in approval.
"Good. For this mission, we will split into three teams. These teams are as followed:
Team 1: Myself, Azume, Sophia, and Luke.Team 2: Isabella, Shane, Samantha, and Deandre.Team 3: Rick, Nathan, Andrew, Sindy, and Brady.The team leaders are me, Isabella, and Rick. With that, you are free to eject!"Following this, the teams quickly paired up and got ready to move. Teams 1 and 2 quickly got themselves together before jumping from the jet. However, Rick and Instructor Brady stopped to observe their team before they left.
Rick looked around 18 and had scarlet-red eyes like that of his sister, Isabella. His hair was golden blonde shaved in a taper fade mohawk and he had small golden ball earrings in each ear. He and Isabella didn't look much alike apart from the color of their eyes. In a sense, he looked much more like a bad boy who was used to getting all the ladies.
"We stick together from the moment we jump," he began in a calm voice. "No one should stray from the team or make major decisions without permission. If we're to be successful then we have to work together and follow orders. Got that?"
The assassins then nodded in acceptance. They knew that things were about to get very rough. A second later, they all ejected from the jet with Instructor Brady in the lead. However, despite how determined they all were to complete the mission, one of them was about to die.
Shortly after jumping from the jet, the assassins came to notice how badly damaged the city was. It almost looked like an entirely different city. Fire and smoke danced into the air and some of the tallest buildings were now piles of rubble on the ground. Innocent people were even running and screaming for their lives as Demon Beasts chased after them.The dark clouds hovering above only made the chaos below look even more desperate. It all looked like a scene from an apocalyptic movie.While they descended, Nathan looked over at both his friends before giving them a reassuring nod. Sindy and Andrew did the same as they drew their weapons ready for battle.A second later, explosions rocketed through the area as the assassins made contact with their enemies. Rick was the first to attack, taking aim at a humanoid level 10 Demon Beast that was the size of a ten-story building."Chaos Art: Chaos Rain!"Rick quickly activated a powerful Art Style that s
The air was blanketed by black smoke. The dark clouds grumbled from above and the sound of different explosions rocketed throughout the city. In some areas, metal clashed against metal creating a sound similar to sharp fingernails scratching against a chalkboard. It was a scene that the three friends had only seen in movies. They watched the Beast King intently as the wind blew against his tattered garment. His devious smirk wrenched their hearts like a torture tool. This man had brought so much pain to many innocent people. He needed to be stopped at all costs. "Sindy, you take my left and Andrew, you take my right," ordered Nathan. Andrew and Sindy then quickly got into position with their weapons in hand. "Well, this is quite a surprise..." Began the Beast King callously. "I expected you all to be groveling in your failures but instead you're back on the battlefield. I must admit that I'm quite impressed." "We decided that we wouldn't
Sindy and Andrew dashed towards the Beast King. They couldn't allow him to kill Nathan."We're best friends!" Shouted Andrew."We won't let you kill, Nathan!" Supported Sindy.Forced to defend himself from their attacks, the Beast King swung his scythe towards them. However, they feigned to block his attack by sacrificing one of their weapons each. Due to this, they were both able to bypass the Beast King's defense.Desperately, they then went in for one final attack. They simultaneously lodged their weapons into the Beast King's shoulder just barely missing his neck. Finally, they then twirled themselves skillfully before delivering one final kick to his chest. The Beast King was sent flying backward as he bounced across the asphalt like a basketball.A second later, he began screaming in agony due to his injuries. He bled heavily from both shoulders and his eyes were filled with malice and pain."Aagh..!" He screamed. "Damn you insects!! I
Nathan didn't know what he was supposed to do. He needed to save all the hostages. One moment of distraction had led to this painful predicament. For once, Nathan wanted to be successful in saving someone's life. He needed to defeat the Beast King and keep his promise to Rosie. "King, what do you want us to do? I know we embarrassed you pretty badly out there but you're only making it worse by hiding behind a bunch of hostages," taunted Andrew. The Beast King frowned, "You're just asking me to kill the hostages, aren't you?" "No, we want to make a deal with you!" Interjected Nathan. "In exchange for letting these people go, you can do whatever you want with me. I'll throw down my life in exchange for theirs!" Andrew couldn't believe what he had just heard. There was no way that he would allow Nathan to sacrifice himself. However, on the other hand, the Beast King was quite pleased to hear this. It was the perfect opportunity to make Nathan suf
Nathan clenched his fist in rage. His back was against the wall and the lives of many people were at stake. He hated to admit it but he only had one option if he wished to save not only the civilians but Andrew as well. If nothing was done then they would all be crushed by the crumbling building. He then took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he made a painful decision."Death, lend me your power!" Shouted Nathan. "I'll accept another letter! Just lend me at least 5%!"Death was very pleased to hear this. Nathan could sense the sinister smile he made from within his graveyard."Very well!" Answered Death from within his mind.Just then, a vast amount of Death Energy engulfed Nathan's body. Black lightning sparked and thunder boomed. The air around him became filled with the presence of death. Soon after, his right eye burnt with cold black flames and a darkened wing emerged from his back. His transformation was complete.Following this, a
The heinous images of the destruction of Conscience City crashed into Sindy's mind. A beautiful city where she had once wished to spend a romantic date with Nathan was now nothing more than his grave. The pain rattled her like an aftershock. If given the choice, she would have surely chosen any other form of physical pain over the emotional trauma that now haunted herSindy laid in her bed covered with red blankets, Nathan's favorite color. Her eyes were painted pink from the excessive crying that they had been through over the past two days. She had cried so much that she was surprised her eyes weren't bleeding. They stung as if acid had fallen into them."You never keep your promises..." She muttered softly to herself.Suddenly, a knock came echoing through her room door. Naturally, due to how she was feeling, she did not answer."Sindy, it's Andrew... Let me in..."The silence continued. Sindy still refused to respond. In a sense, she reminded A
Arc 2: RevivalNathan found himself watching his life like a movie. His memories played one by one like an old cassette to its player. From the time he was a baby being held in his mother's gentle arms, to the times when he met Sindy and Andrew. The happiest moments of his life played out peacefully, filling him with a strong sense of nostalgia. Nathan wished for the feeling to last forever. He wanted the sweet moments of bliss to stick to him like glue. Sadly, that all changed as soon as the memories of his father, James Styles, entered his conscience.He was the man who had abused his family for countless years. This was the hidden part of Nathan's past that he had never shared with anyone apart from Sindy. The belt, the whips, the stones, the hammers, and the knife threats all poured into his mind. They corrupted his peaceful memories like a deadly poison and like a flood, they drowned his thoughts;"Nathan, you should know better than to disobey your father," said James in a calm
Nathan's memories continued to pour into his mind like rain. He was happily reliving the memories of his past without his evil father coming across his conscience. This was when he stumbled upon his memories of the Mind World.However, something was strange. His memories were beginning to fade as if they had never happened in the first place. For some reason, he was losing his memories. His memories of Sindy and Andrew were the first to go followed by some of the experiences he had gained at AA.Loneliness soon began to cripple Nathan's soul. He could feel his existence quickly fading. A teardrop then fell from his eye and hit the dark floor beneath him that somehow changed into a dark lake upon impact.Nathan then fell into the lake beneath him with a splash before he began to sink. He flailed his arms and feet wildly as he tried to escape but it was to no avail. However, just before he could drown, his eyes were flung open to see a beautiful white light hovering above the lake.Desp