Editing City Series:Volume4b Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 2===

'''7:42 PM

It was a cry of lamentation.

The Dragon Emperor released a long and loud cry from its shoulder armor as if wringing out its lungs.

It was an almost tearful and plaintive howl.

Surprise colored Taeko’s face when she heard it.

“Dragon Emperor…!?”

Before she could ask anything of it, the Dragon Emperor’s engine noise began to lower.

The pulse-like engine noise of that false arm’s Eighth Activation slowly vanished.

It grew quieter and quieter.

Taeko looked to Yuuki for a moment and then gave a panicked shout.

“D-Dragon Emperor! What’re ya doin’!? Hurry up and activate!!”

–''Taeko – Steel Tech – Take – Activate Dragon Emperor – Hit!

Her Tech succeeded, but the dragon ignored its master and cried.

The long, lonely cry reverberated through the train car.

“Dragon Emperor! She killed my brother!”

Taeko’s voice did not reach it.

It ignored her, lost all strength, and let its giant fist fall to the floor.

Taeko fell to her knees at the Dragon Emperor’s unexpected deactivation.

The dragon’s will vanished, so the Dragon’s Emperor became nothing more than a hunk of metal to reject her attempt to fight.

That meant it had not accepted her as its master.

“Dragon Emperor!”

–''Taeko – Steel Tech – Take – Reactivate Dragon Emperor – Hit!

Even though the Tech succeeded, the metal disobeyed and gave no response.

“Why…?”

“Bringing the Dragon Emperor to such a high activation was a mistake. Once the dragon’s will awoke, the prosthetic disobeyed you.”

“…But why?”

“What do you mean why?”

“Why would the dragon’s will refuse to fight ya!? The dragon’s will can see people’s wills and supply them with heaven’s will, so why won’t it attack ya!?”

Yuuki ignored Taeko’s question.

She did not respond and simply held Housei at the ready as she spoke.

“Will you surrender?”

“Why would we surrender!?”

[[Image:City_v04b_107.jpg|thumb]]

With a shout full of rejection, someone charged in from Yuuki’s right.

It was Hisahide.

In a single bound, he rose nearly to the ceiling and landed in the center of the aisle.

He stood at the midpoint between Yuuki and Taeko.

He stood tall, but he was covered in blood.

The blood was coming from his right collarbone, his right chest, and his left side.

He held his side as he spoke.

“So you get us used to attacks from straight ahead and finish it off with something from directly below? You play pretty dirty.”

Yuuki attacked without warning.

–''Yuuki – Aqua High/Sight/Shot Tech – Take – Create Water Barrier – Hit.

Her vision filled with a giant wall of water formed from the whirling wind.

The water created a high-pressure current in the wall.

It smashed the seats and pressed on the air as it raced forward like a bulldozer.

It was an instant away from a direct hit, but then the wall came to a sudden stop.

“…!?”

A few meters in front of Yuuki, Hisahide threw a kick beyond that transparent wall.

He dropped his heel down.

As usual, flames surrounded that foot.

The one difference was the amount of fire.

This was an explosion.

Unlike before, the flames reached an Octave of more than 1,000,000.

“Don’t you underestimate me!!”

The flying water wall was burned to ashes by the Flame High.

As he swung his foot down with the force of an axe, the explosive flames flew out toward Yuki.

Yuuki reacted by staring at her opponent’s fire using her natural left eye.

The power of incineration descended with a diameter of about two meters.

–Yuuki – Aqua High/Sight/Shot Tech – Take – Create Water Barrier – Hit.

The water she created was kicked into oblivion while it was still small.

As she tried to move back, her back reached the door leading to the connection between cars.

“…!?”

She had destroyed the door’s lock, so she could easily open it if she reached for it.

But she did not have time for that.

“…Kh!”

With a hint of panic, she knew the attack would reach her.

But in that instant, the door behind her burst open and someone behind her grabbed her in their arms.