Editing City Series:Volume3b Chapter 8 (section)

===Part 3===

The Yard unit led by the General was caught in such a hard fight that they could not even approach Hong Kong Cave.

They were in Central’s wharf area on the northern end of Hong Kong Island.

Their opponents were the resurrected J-Gun Maldrick and the light-controlling Genius Elias.

The battle against them had split into two poles.

As soon as they had landed, Rin had spotted Fei and parted ways with them. The four tanks of the Tank Force had faced J-Gun while the remaining twenty people from the Customs, Ninja, and Hounds had faced Genius.

The enemy’s movements were accurate.

J-Gun’s role was to keep the Tank Force from focusing on Genius.

He would release his Live toward the Tank Force so they had to destroy it with their shells. If he saw an opening in their timing and destructive power, he intended to destroy the tanks.

And since she did not have to fear those powerful weapons, Genius worked to incapacitate all the others. The bullets of light launched from her sword could not be seen, much less dodged.

Ten minutes after the battle began, the treads to the General’s Grant had been damaged to the point that it could only move awkwardly in a circle.

The General opened the canopy of the unmoving Grant and poked his upper body out.

He grabbed the machinegun on top of the turret.

“This is insane… It’d be sad to call it what I expected, but it’d be more accurate to say it’s what I planned for.”

He looked around and found the entire wharf had become a battlefield.

And the winner had more or less already been decided.

In front of him, his two opponents stood in his way.

On his right, two light Scorpion tanks had been knocked on their sides and the injured were hiding behind them.

On his left, another Grant was stopped with the front of the tank torn open.

Behind him, the Yard members who could still fight waited to continue the battle.

They were all facing forward.

Drawn by their gazes, the General also faced forward.

About five meters ahead was the large central road surrounded by giant wharf warehouses.

J-Gun and Genius stood there.

One was the man known as Hong Kong’s greatest Buster and the other was a four-winged Nein Engel who could control light.

If not for the battle, the pairing would not have been all that strange.

The General gave a self-deprecating comment as he looked to them.

“So is it just hopeless for an old man to hope to beat you youngsters?”

His question crossed the five meter gap and Genius answered.

[[Image:City_v03b_281.jpg|thumb]]

“It is currently 11:47. If you are admitting your defeat, then leave. You might just be able to survive.”

The General smiled bitterly.

“Don’t be stupid. If I ran on home without doing everythin’ I could, my wife’d laugh at me.”

“I take it your wife scares you.”

“No, not really. Do you not know who I am?”

“…Eh?”

“I’m…the General.”

Genius closed her eyes and smiled a little at that.

It could have been taken as a smile of bitterness, of self-deprecation, or of amusement.

“You’re a kind person. Are you telling me to accept the side of myself that hesitated to kill you?”

“Hah, you sure are self-centered. I have no intention of dyin’ just yet.”

“What are you talking about? Look, it’s already twelve till. We’ll be activating the dragon to devour the crust, so the complete destruction of the city will begin in less than five minutes.”

“I see. Then can I ask you one thing?”

“What?”

“If you do activate the dragon, will it stay here on earth or will it ascend to heaven? Which would be the right answer?”

“…”

Genius did not answer his question, but she did reply to him.

“That question is meaningless. We will stop anyone who tries to get in our way like you are now.”

“I see, I see. …Sounds like this night’s gonna be bad for my health.”

“You sound confident. What are you plotting?”

“I’m not plottin’ anythin’. I’m just…how should I put it?”

“?”

“Puttin’ up a hopeless fight to buy some time.”

Genius frowned at that and J-Gun’s shoulders trembled a little.

“…J-Gun?”

Genius’s question did not reach J-Gun.

The man looked back over his shoulder.

There was nothing there, but he continued staring in that direction.

Genius turned back toward the General.

“…Is there something there!?”

“Yup.” The General smiled and nodded. “Our goal was only to land here.”

“!?”

“It’s probably about time. None of the tanks are fully destroyed, no one’s died, and there’s not much fire for how many shells we were throwin’ around. …I guess you could say everythin’s ready now. Right!?”

His last question was directed at his comrades.

And at the same time, he laughed loudly.

Those in the other Grant and behind the toppled Scorpions laughed too.

Twenty-one voices laughed together.

They formed a chorus of laughter.

Genius could not hide her confusion.

“You mean…you didn’t come here to fight!?”

“There’s more than one way to fight. Havin’ a strategy’s what matters most.”

“…”

“Your boss is all alone right now, ain’t he? Since you were dealin’ with us here.”

“…You don’t mean!?”

“That ain’t all. We’ll show you some more tricks later. Like how to simultaneously activate the dragons of the four elements in this incomplete city!”

After the General’s shout, Genius grabbed J-Gun’s arm.

“J-Gun! We need to get back!”

He did not respond to her.

He simply stared behind them and his arm moved a little.

It was the right arm that held his Device.

He raised that sword Device high.

At that moment, the sound of steel rang out.

It came from the ground.

“Eh?”

A change occurred before she could ask what was happening.

As J-Gun and Genius looked behind them, a twenty square meter area of the wharf’s concrete ground rose up.

“!”

With a great roar much like more and more ice breaking, the gray concrete ground stood up and started to fall over like the page of book turning.

“Kyaaah!”

After Genius’s scream, J-Gun launched his Live.

The scarlet Live contained a hostile Tempo.

It was a Live of destruction and it quickly tore through the risen concrete wall.

Another great roar rang out.

The large wall of concrete became a band of thousands of black and red Lives as it scattered.

Their view opened up and J-Gun and Genius saw a giant hole.

The hole was too deep to see the bottom and it was pitch black inside.

A man stood on the opposite end of that black hole.

It was Gunmal.

A large Device rested on his shoulder and he looked to J-Gun and Genius with a cigarette in his mouth.

“Oh, did I interrupt your date?”

“No, you idiot.”

Gunmal tilted his head at the shocked complaint and looked away from his brother and that brother’s lover.

His eyes found the General instead.

“You’re late, youngster.”

“If you’re doing well enough to complain, there’s nothing to worry about. I forced my way through from the catacombs in Kowloon, so I’m pretty exhausted.”

“I’ll buy you a sports drink later on, so take this seriously.”

“Take what seriously?”

“The fight between you and those two there.”

“Eh? What about you?”

Gunmal gave an exaggerated tilt of the head and the General frowned.

“Y’know…”

“Oh, what’s this? Are you losing, old man?”

“Do I need to run over there and show you what it means to lose?”

“I’m just kidding.”

Gunmal smiled bitterly and looked away.

He stared at Genius and J-Gun instead.

“Sorry. Akira’s gone to see her brother, so I’ll take you on instead.”

“Akira… You mean Double Lee’s sister?”

“Yeah.”

Gunmal nodded and Genius sighed.

“You really are stupid. Both you and that old man called…the General was it?”

“?”

“Double Lee’s sister will be killed.”

“What?”

A faint harsh tone entered Gunmal’s voice and Genius shook her head.

“This is probably all going according to the future Double Lee chose. …You hadn’t noticed? The Tune Emblems used to complete our ceremonies have to be drawn with the blood of a high-level Nein Engel.”

She looked to the General.

“I will answer your previous question now.”

“…”

“I don’t know what would be ‘right’, but the Earth Serpent that ascends to heaven is what binds Hong Kong to heaven!”

Gunmal began to move when he heard that.

He raised his Device, Wild König, in his left hand.

“Nonsense!”

With that shout, he launched his attack.

It had the Word Color of steel and was filled with his powerful Live.