(POV - 3RD)

"...Regardless of our current enmity of each other, it wouldn't be right to leave these consciousness trapped inside this place." Kiryu slowly began.

"So I propose we start the capture of the memory shells to ensure a safe return to the Forsaken which will hopefully convince them into giving us an explanation for Liv's abduction, any objections?" He then asked.

"Commandant, I'm not against the idea but what are the chances that Watanabe and the rest of the Forsaken will uphold their hypothetical end of the deal?" Lee inquired.

"You've heard Watanabe as well, he and the rest of his men left Babylonian forces on bad terms which is putting it lightly, as far as I'm aware, their hostility may easily cloud their judgement."

Lee's assumptions were not unfounded, Kiryu knew that and why. Even though they would had unconventionally helped the Forsaken by free their trapped brethren, who's to say the enmity would easily vanish? No, it obviously wouldn't which is why his idea was sceptical.

However, Watanabe's case as a "deserter" is far more complicated which is why Kiryu will give the former the benefit of the doubt until further evidence is proven against him.

"I am aware... but if Watanabe's intention in the first place was to liberate these consciousness then that may as well indicate his willingness to keep the Forsaken safe no matter what."

"Even if it meant risking war with Babylonia by abducting Liv, but I trust him to not be that stupid to cause one."

"Kiryu... why would you so blindly trust Watanabe after what he's done?" Lucia questioned, not doubtful but only wondering the former's choices.

"That's... honestly? That's something I asked myself as well, why would I trust a deserter to the place that I've lived all my life on? That I've pledged myself to fight for?" 

"Maybe I'll know after we find Watanabe and Liv, perhaps I'll be right... or I'll be wrong but for now, saving these people is the right thing to do." Kiryu stated earnestly.

"Commandant..." Kamui said before slapping a hand on said person's back.

"What warranted that..?" Kiryu asked with a slight cough at the force.

"Ya a real nice guy, ya know that?" The Strike Hawk Construct remarked with a grin.

"Thanks... still don't know why you had to slap me hard." Replied the Commandant as Lee sighed alongside Lucia at the side.

"At this point, I'll just ignore how much of an idiot you are." The gunner Construct said with a snark before turning back to Kiryu.

"Commandant, while I still have some doubts only about the Forsaken, I will not object against your orders especially with the situation on hand." 

"Kiryu, we've always came back from our missions thanks to your guidance so as always, I'll support you." Lucia said with a light smile and a hand on her chest.

"...Well, now I'm feeling awkward." Remarked the Commandant as he turned away whether out of embarrassment or not is up to others to think.

"Since everyone's in agreement... commence capture of our next target." He then ordered.

"Understood!" Intoned the three Constructs as they rushed forward towards the sites.

"Kamui, remember to avoid damaging the memory shell!" Lee shouted over the growing commotion as he gunned down a Corrupted.

"You mean as long as I avoid, it'll be fine!" The said Construct rebuked confidently, smashing his greatsword into a Hydraulic.

Said Corrupted then got torn apart like paper with its pieces flying everywhere which Kiryu quickly ducked under one that flew over his head before glancing at the perpetrator.

"Is this really alright..?" He thought to himself with a sweatdrop.

======================================

Another fight occurred for the Gray Ravens and extra Strike Hawk but it wasn't too much of an issue, there was honestly no noteworthy enemies that made the combat itself more precarious other than another corrupted Royal Guard.

Soon afterwards, they all got to work in scavenging any intact memory shells from the bodies though it wouldn't be long before they got what they needed.

"Found it, the consciousness of a Forsaken trapped not long ago." Lee called out from the wreckage of Corrupted.

"How long is not long ago?" Kiryu inquired, stepping over the mechanical bodies.

"I'd wager about ten to possibly thirty minutes ago." Was the response as the Construct then walked up to a lone projector before inserting the memory shell in.

Suddenly, the entire scenery around them warped and changed almost immediately as they soon caught a familiar figure walk into their visions though the figure themselves simply ignored them as they were nothing more than projections from the past.

"[Watanabe! We can't just leave our comrades..!]" One Forsaken soldier protested, walking into their vision as well.

"[What other choice do we have? We have limited resources and we're only able to reach this place because of them, we can't let their sacrifices be in vain.]" Replied Watanabe, tone firm and steady as he continued walking foward.

"[Damn it... I know..! Onwards! We must reach the central consciousness container in time!]" The soldier said with reluctance as they moved on.

"[...It's all or nothing now... we're counting on you, Liv.]" The Forsaken leader then said with another familiar Construct walking into frame.

"Liv..." Lucia worriedly muttered as Kiryu looked at the said Construct.

"She's unharmed and untouched... that's good to see, but now we know where to go-" Kiryu spoke out before something cut him off.

Before they all knew it, the surrounding area suddenly shimmered like a mirage unveiling itself as everything was changing in front of their eyes and it wasn't long until a loud explosion caught their attention as they turned to see a gaping hole in the wall.

"Did something just break the wall..?" Lucia said unsurely, unable to see the perpetrator so she alongside everyone else brandished their weapons in preparation.

"Damn, sun's bright as heck!" Kamui remarked, shielding his eyes from the glare.

"Is it possible that support came?" Lee questioned but only for his words to be deafened by a loud greeting from yet another familiar voice.

"AHOY THERE!" Nanami called out to them as they blinked in surprise at the Construct's sudden reappearance after the sorties with the Nozzle-type.

"...It's not support... it's you..." Lee grumbled to himself.

"Who is she again???" Kamui asked quietly, whispering at Kiryu who replied back.

"A Construct we met in one mission, I'm surprised to see her here though..."

"I'm not a 'you', I am Na~na~mi~!" The Construct introduced herself rather hyperactively as Lucia stepped forward with a question to ask.

"Nanami... why are you here? No, how did you get here?" 

"Hm~ Hmm~ Hmmm~ Nanami's been walking inside all day long so I'm out here for a nice breath of fresh air~!" Was the given answer.

"Should Nanami not be here..?" Was the question returned to them.

"N-no, I didn't mean it like that..." Lucia awkwardly said, clearing any misunderstandings.

"Then Nanami wants to see more M.I.N.Ds too! Not just these ones but everyone's!" 

"Heh, if that's the case then you just need to stick your consciousness inside these devices, easy peasy!" Kamui spoke up with a chuckle.

"Don't encourage her..." Lee groaned out.

"Too late..." Kiryu said.

"Ah-ha! Then let's stick this right in, homie!" Nanami declared, running up to the device much to Kamui's bewilderment as he stepped in front of her.

"W-wait, wait, wait! What are you trying to do?!"

"LET! ME!! SEE!!!" Nanami shouted, revving up her chainsaw much to their shock.

"This has gotten out of control far too much..!" Kiryu exclaimed, summoning the Tiga Suit as light manifested around him.

"Woah... shiny! What is that!?" Nanami remarked in awe and wonder though her chainsaw still remained roaring dangerously.

"Calm down first and then I will-" Kiryu began but Nanami interrupted him as she burst forward with surprising speed, raising her weapon, prompting the former to raise his own.

"BORING~!" Nanami shouted as she pushed against Kiryu.

Their weapons soon clashed against each other in a shower of sparks which only grew ever stronger as Nanami's speed caught the Commandant off-guard, very badly so as the duo sailed through the air due to the former's sheer force behind her lunge.

"COMMANDANT / KIRYU!!" His Constructs shouted out as they flew further away until both of them smashed through another wall which soon closed up from the debris.

Thankfully, the Tiga Suit easily protected him from the impact as he groggily stood up before taking a defensive stance against the Construct in front of him that looked unscratched.

Unfortunately, that means he's stuck in the place with a hyperactive rampaging Construct that is Nanami who is also swinging around a chainsaw like a simple toy.

"Stronger than she appears..." Was all Kiryu had to think as he readied himself.

"Show Nanami more or you'll regret it~!" She said in an almost singsong tone before rushing forward at him once more.

"Well, I do want to see how well I can fare against a Construct..." Kiryu silently said before charging right back at the Construct with his Sparklence Blade poised.

Their weapons met with a clash of spark as both human and Construct began pushing against each other though the latter seems to be taking the lead at the moment whereas Kiryu found himself getting pushed back ever so slightly as he made sure to avoid the chainsaw itself.

However, he soon broke the stalemate by quickly shifting his feet and angling his blade downwards and away from him, causing Nanami's chainsaw to scrape down his sword and into the ground which he took the chance to land a kick on the latter's ribcage.

Whatever Constructs have to substitute for ribcages but while his first blow on Nanami looked rather painful, the said girl appeared to be completely unaffected as she grinned before spinning back with her chainsaw like nothing.

The first swing came for his neck, he blocked that. The second swing was aimed at his legs, he parried before quickly gaining distance though Nanami was relentless. The third swing shot straight for his chest where the core was on his suit, he immediately slashed it away.

Kiryu wasn't merely focusing on the fight itself, he took notes of every trajectories, attacks and speed that was shown to him and he inwardly knew the Construct was somehow gaining speed with each singular swings, becoming harder for him to properly parry and counter.

So instead of deflecting the attacks, he could only respond back with greater force while blocking in hopes of catching the Construct off-guard and fortunately, Kiryu was grateful that his unnatural / natural body has the strength to do so.

*CLANG* 

This time, Nanami found herself pleasantly surprised as she felt herself flying back a few feet in the air before she landed back on the ground, exaggeratedly balancing herself up and then spinning back to look at Kiryu with a grin.

"Nanami, stand down, NOW." Kiryu ordered firmly though.

"Why?? Nanami finally found a strong human to play with!" Said Construct replied with a tilt of her head as if answering the biggest question given.

"We're on a mission right now and you are not really helping us in any way, we are also pressed for time." 

"Boo! Missions and teams are boring! There's nothing interesting about them and most of all, none of them I've seen are CUTE!!!" Nanami protested childishly.

"Cute..? That's what you're interested in??" Kiryu questioned incredulously, lowering his sword, the entire fight having devolved into a verbal argument for now.

"Hm~ Hmm~ Ah! Your colour's not cute! But they're cool! And you're strong! Nanami will allow you to be friends with Nanami!" The Construct eagerly stated, bouncing forward with a smile.

"When... did I ask though..???" Kiryu said, growing confused by the eccentric Construct by the minute as all traces of hostility were gone.

"Nanami always wanted some cute and cool friends! You are cool! But not cute like that one I saw last time, she was cuter than you!" 

"Is... is this an insult or compliment- wait, cute one from last time? Is she possibly talking about..!" The Commandant thought with growing anticipation.

"Nanami, did you see a cute Construct?" Kiryu carefully asked, transforming back out from the Tiga Suit as he walked up to the girl.

"Yep! Nanami saw one, she was white and pink and cuter than black and red!!"

"That's Liv... then she must have recently passed by or at least saw them from a distance..." He thought quickly before asking.

"Nanami, where did you see the cute pink Construct?" 

"Hmmmm. Be friends with Nanami and I'll tell you! Nanami still doesn't know your name!"

"Weird way to make friends but I'm Kiryu, Commandant of the Gray Raven, the black and red one you said earlier is Lucia, the blue one is Lee and the green one is Kamui." 

"I have no problems making friends with other people, human or Construct but can we please not fight next time?" He requested, holding out a hand.

"Sure! Sure!! Now let Nanami remember! Hmm..." The Construct responded, shaking Kiryu's hand rapidly while adopting a thoughtful expression.

"My wrist feels numb..." Kiryu thought silently, enduring the discomfort before a loud crash interrupted him from his thoughts as he turned to see the wall broken open again.

"COMMANDANT! ARE YOU HERE!?!" Kamui shouted from the debris with dust and dirt covering his body- did he just slam himself into the wall???

"Kiryu! Are you hurt anywhere?!" Lucia called out to him, climbing through the hole and accidentally over Kamui though he was more concerned about Lee raising his firearms.

"Lee, ceasefire! It's fine!" Kiryu shouted as said Construct to look befuddled before putting away his handguns as he followed the other two.

"What happened when we were stuck outside?" He inquired, warily glancing at Nanami.

"We only fought for a few minutes maximum but it was worth the trouble, we may have a clue to Liv's location right now." Responded the Commandant.

"Really!? Wait! Does that mean I wouldn't have had to break down the wall?? Man, I'm all dust and dirty now~!" Kamui whined before turning to Lee with outstretched arms.

"Lee, my dude, pass me your jacket."

"I will shoot you for real if you touch me." The Construct threatened, raising his guns while Lucia ignored them, looking at Kiryu and Nanami.

"Any answers yet?" She asked, earning a nod from Kiryu as he gestured to Nanami who was still thinking before she snapped her fingers.

"Ah-ha! I remember now! Just then, they went in that direction!" She stated, pointing in a certain direction much to their relief.

"You're the best, Nanami." Kiryu genuinely said, smiling lightly under his helmet though no one could actually see it.

"Of course Nanami is the best! She's the king of the world! So I'll be mad if you don't show me your M.I.N.D next time!" 

"We'll make sure to do so, thank you again." Lucia said, grateful although her demeanour didn't show it much.

"Nanami has to go now, be sure to tell me if you found more friends to make!!" The Construct said, waving her arm as she wandered off.

"That was... confusing." Lee admitted, after seeing Nanami disappear through the hole in the wall though he quickly recovered from said confusion.

"However, with the routes she provided for us, we should be able to make a rough guess as to where we need to go, let's continue."

"Let's run for it, c'mon!" Kamui declared, sprinting off in the given direction.

"Wait, don't aimlessly charge into enemy territory!" Lee shouted as the group followed shortly.

Thankfully, their small trek across the building was completely devoid of Corrupted or any other obstructions save for the projections that would soon activate by themselves, evidently when the Gray Ravens and lone Strike Hawk ran into another structure with the air shimmering.

"The scenery's changing again..." Lucia remarked, pausing her steps as they watched.

Once again, they saw the area around them shift from a broken down building interior to a small dimly lit forest with a set of torii gates going uphill into the fog and broken twisted trees with only a few lanterns ignited to light up through the haze.

"This place looks far different than what we've seen earlier..." She commented.

"From how detailed this virtual M.I.N.D looks as compared to others... could it belong to someone deeply trusted by Watanabe?" Lee mused.

"There's some oriental stuff as well, not what I'd expected though it does take me back to some missions I had..." Kamui said, glancing around.

"Everyone, brace for combat." Kiryu suddenly ordered, pulling down the helmet visor over his face as he took out his firearm and blade.

Lucia and Kamui charged forward at the enemies as Liv and Lee positioned themselves a few steps in front of Kiryu, providing support through their endless hailstorm of projectiles that easily tore into any unattended Corrupted.

As noted before, because Kiryu had all members of the Gray Raven squad upgraded to their maximum potential of their current frames, their strength easily whittled down the number of the enemies on the field so the leeway from the former's lack of action allowed him to safely scout out the projected area for its source.

Holding the graviton detector that Lee had passed over to him, the Commandant passed by the outskirts of the M.I.N.D field though there was nothing that disrupted the device in his palm.

"Possibly in the battlefield right now?" Kiryu muttered, simultaneously ducking under a piece of Corrupted that flew over to him.

"Sorry, Commandant!" Kamui called out from the cacophony of metal clashing on metal to which he responded with a simple "ok" gesture.

So far, no reaction on the outlining edge of the entire M.I.N.D projection but he still hasn't checked the set of torii gates, assuming he can walk up to it which is what Kiryu did in the next minute, stepping underneath the structure just as the battle ended.

"Found anything, Commandant?" Lucia asked, joining him under the gates.

"Not really which is why I'll have to ask any of you on whether if you think this place is suspicious enough."

"Hm... Commandant, Lucia, back away for a moment." Lee requested before aiming his gun near the top of a torii gate and then taking his shot.

Just as Kiryu and Lucia stepped back to the group, the bullet shoots through the rows of gates before landing on something hidden within, which they all heard a crackle of electricity as their surroundings simultaneously darkened.

Until everything lit up again and the squad found themselves standing in the middle of another room, devoid of anything except for the various set of equipment attached to several terminals all the while another group stood near it with an especially familiar figure overlooking them.

"Gray Raven..?" Watanabe exclaimed in surprise at their sudden presences.

"Watanabe!" Lucia shouted, her normally composed demeanour breaking as she started to run at him only for Kiryu to hold her back.

"Liv's right there!" Kamui spoke up, pointing at their fellow Gray Raven in the midst of the Forsaken soldiers standing guard in the darkness.

While it is unlikely that the Forsaken would do anything to harm Liv, especially when they've taken her specifically but there is no telling if tensions between them will reach a boiling point that can only spell out trouble for them all.

"What have you done?" Kiryu demanded, he wasn't shouting but the tone of his voice was cold enough to seemingly spread through the area as he confronted the Forsaken.

He wasn't blind to see a lack of reaction from Liv herself, who stood there as still as a statue with multiple cables and wires attached and extending from her Inver-Device, connecting the Construct to the central consciousness container in the room.

"Explain yourself, NOW." Lee ordered, fingers itching on the triggers of his guns as the Forsaken soldiers also armed themselves in case.

Though they stopped once Watanabe raised an arm before answering Lee's question.

"She... Liv had connected herself to the container in order to rescue the trapped consciousness of my people inside, however... out of everybody rescued... she was the only one to remain."

"We've tried but with our technology, we couldn't properly establish a link to her M.I.N.D to retrieve her." Watanabe continued, guilt marring his face even if it's the slightest.

"Did you force her..?!" Lucia demanded, taking another step forward but Lee interjected quickly and quite urgently.

"Whether they did so or not doesn't matter now, we need to bring Liv back right now." 

"Kamui, keep an eye out for any suspicious movements, do not let a single person leave your sight until we're done." Kiryu ordered.

"You got it!" The Strike Hawk member affirmed, swinging his greatsword before smashing it tip down into the floor as he barred the entrance of the room.

"Commandant, now is on you." Lee said as they walked up to the motionless Construct, the Forsaken wisely moving aside for them.

"I never cared once for perfectionism but just this one, you are to rescue Liv with not a single mishaps stopping you, that is an order." Kiryu declared, activating the Mind Beacon.

"[Mind Beacon output activity configurated to maximum...]"

"Don't worry, we will." Lee stated as the Commandant's system went to work.

"[Initialising consciousness link module...]"

"We've always came back together, in one piece, there won't be any differences this time." Lucia firmly said, mirroring Lee's look.

"[Consciousness link protocol sent... Syncing Constructs (1/3)... (2/3)... (3/3)...]"

"Good to hear, move out." Kiryu responded as the connection between him and Liv was established alongside Lucia and Lee's own consciousness.

"[Target Version Number: BPN-08.]"

======================================

Although their consciousness and physical bodies were split apart in this place, Lucia nevertheless felt the flow of wind pass by her metaphysical frame before she landed onto a large piece of land floating in the middle of the air with other blocks in different shapes and sizes.

"We're in Liv's M.I.N.D now but this is bad... she's already showing signs of the virus." Lee remarked grimly, also landing besides her.

"Tch, that Watanabe... he's getting a beating after this..." He growled.

"Not if Kiryu has anything to say about it." Lucia interrupted.

"He will either stop me or join me though both options sound viable." Lee admitted before preparing himself as a large figure dropped down from the air.

"A Riot-type Corrupted, its firepower and the rate it utilises them is no joke, divide and conquer!" Lucia commanded as Lee ran to one side with her doing the opposite.

Although this isn't reality so getting hurt wouldn't mean the damages will transfer onto their frames, it is still an attack against their own consciousness that is directly exposed to the viral infection that is the Riot Corrupted so best case scenario is to hopefully not get harmed.

Speaking of which, the red bionic eye of the machine flashed and Lucia instinctively reacted immediately, dodging a hailstorm of projectiles that scattered through the air before a large beam followed shortly afterwards.

While the Riot was completely focusing on Lucia, Lee quickly took point and returned fire back at the Corrupted, his bullets impacting the unguarded backside of the machine which caused it to rattle violently before swivelling its attention at him.

Another flash of its eye and Lee narrowly dodged a beam shot towards him, the simulated heat of the M.I.N.D heating up his back as he quickly slid under another laser which Lee retaliated with a shot to the Riot's eye.

The bullet hit its mark and the machine stumbled back and then lurched forward as Lucia drove her blade into its top, pinning herself onto the Riot as she began slashing into the Corrupted, Lotus Berserker and her own spectral sword ripping the target asunder.

As Lucia occupied the majority of the Riot's attention, Lee resumed fire onto its mechanical carapace that was evidently taking more damage rather than the Constructs are, but they cannot risk letting their guards down lest more enemies appear as the Corrupted did.

When Lucia was about to drive her swords into the Riot once again, it suddenly leapt sky high into the air before both Constructs notice an ominous glow coming from its entire body.

"Dodge!" Lee shouted and Lucia didn't waste a second avoiding the immediate downpour of explosions that flooded the area around them.

Thankfully, whatever upgrades Kiryu provided for them have also transferred to their own mental consciousness so avoiding the entire bombardment from the Riot took some significant efforts but they were ultimately unscathed.

"Lee! Can you shoot it down?!" Lucia called over the explosions and dust, narrowly avoiding a laser slicing towards as she heard a curt response.

"Give me a moment..!" 

Among the smoke and dust and debris of the M.I.N.D, Riot was still too preoccupied with attempting to bomb both Constructs to kingdom come but just as another volley of explosions made contact with the ground, a blue light briefly sparked through the smoke.

Said light instantaneously made contact with the Corrupted hovering in the air before a miniature explosion erupted on its body, earning a mechanised screech as the Riot smashed into the ground which Lucia lunged at the chance.

As the machine was felled with its underbelly exposed, this gave the ravenette Construct the perfect opportunity to land a fatal blow, slashing multiple times with a crimson glow trailing after her blade, Lucia leapt into the air with numerous spectral blades following suit.

A single swift motion was all it took to let Lucia's blade pierce right into the Riot's body with the glowing blades skewering the Corrupted all across its body from top to bottom.

Lucia then ripped her sword out from the machine which began glitching out of existence before eventually fading from the recess of the M.I.N.D entirely, leaving the two Constructs by themselves and safely for now.

"What... an unnecessarily well-made piece of countermeasure towards us." Lee remarked irritably after watching the last of the Riot disappear.

"So this... is Liv's M.I.N.D?" Lucia commented, her weapon falling to the side as she took in the scenery around her, titanic fragmented pieces of blocks with a hue of pink to them.

"More specifically, it's her M.I.N.D after being imprisoned by the consciousness container." Lee interjected as they began their search, grimacing as he saw a faint streak of red.

Despite the cavernous appearance of the entire landscape, it won't be long before they found a familiar figure standing motionlessly in the distance though Lucia didn't seem to care as she pointed out to her.

"Isn't that Liv over there!" 

"Wait a moment, this isn't right either." Lee said, holding his leader back as his eyes narrowed at the possible imposter in front of them.

"...No, you're right... she's standing in the middle of all those Corrupted and yet... they aren't reacting to her presence... is she corrupted..?" Lucia said morbidly.

"The state of Corrupted would reflect on the surrounding environments of the M.I.N.D and seeing how everything looks at the moment, the corruption rate should still be far from Liv's barrier threshold for now..."

"It's a possibility that Liv might have lost the fight against the central container and thus became imprisoned as a result." Lee stated.

"So this is just... a pseudo-consciousness of her?" Lucia concluded with her fellow Construct nodding in affirmation.

"Correct, so if we eliminate this pseudo-consciousness, Liv may have a better chance of returning." Responded Lee.

"...So we'll have to fight her..." Was all Lucia declared, solemnly and almost reluctantly, never thinking a moment like this will come.

"Right again, I don't like it either but we have no choice, we might not get another chance like this so we'll have to proceed if we want to save Liv." Lee admitted.

"...Understood, commence mission." Lucia announced after a deep breath, steeling herself as she gripped Lotus Berserker tightly before charging towards the fake Liv.

"Incoming hostiles!" Lee warned, following closely behind as a pair of Executor Corrupted appear in front of them though they were quickly dispatched.

The next set of enemies that the pair of Constructs would encounter is a group consisting of three Ground Monitors and a single Shieldbearer which Lee quickly began a short of work on the formers while Lucia tackled the latter.

Wolf Fang and Lotus Berserker like their owners were also attuned to its maximum potential, no less thanks to Kiryu once again so every enemies that they targeted were instantly obliterated in mere seconds, not even close to a minute.

As Lucia and Lee proceeded through the sloping scenery of the M.I.N.D, they were accosted once more by another group of Corrupted, a few Sentry Guns and a Gardener though they too, were easily decimated by the Gray Ravens.

Perhaps it is due to the rate of corruption of the Punishing Virus as Lee had stated earlier, that because it has yet to breach Liv's integral threshold, the embodiments of the virus were simply lesser and weaker enemies which made the approach very easy.

Holes were instantly riddled into the Gardener's body as Lee tore through it like paper to fire while Lucia was quickly handling the Sentry Guns that began firing erratically as if to stall time, they were soon sliced apart like nothing too.

However, before Lucia could deal another blow to the Corrupted below her, a pink laser shot past her face which she narrowly avoided, the former turned around expecting another enemy but unfortunately... the M.I.N.D itself had provided Liv as her next opponent.

"Liv..." Lucia murmured, regret and guilt emerging from her core as she abhorred the notion of hurting a team member, much less a friend.

"Remember what I said, Lucia..." Lee muttered as well as they prepared for hopefully the last fight within this place.

"We're bring her back." Declared the ravenette as they sprinted towards the doppelganger.

In an instant, a volley of lasers were fired at their approaching forms which both of them immediately lunged to the side to avoid getting singed by the attack which meant they can try a pincer attack to corner "Liv" into defeat.

The imposter was clearly not as lenient nor as ignorant as the other Corrupted which meant it began leaping around the battlefield, weaving through their attacks while retaliating with its own, forcing Lucia to focus solely on dodging the lasers with Lee providing support.

Through the imposter's impassive and immobile expression, it handled each Constructs' attacks as if it had already gotten a read on them, for Lucia it simply sidestepped or jump away to avoid the fatal blow while Lee's bullets were shot out from the air by its own cannons.

But this only made Lee shoot faster and harder, increasing his rate of fire and unpredictability which was aimed to disorient the imposter's targeting system as Lucia took a shot at every given openings exposed in Liv's doppelganger.

*SHLIK*

That was visceral sound of Lotus Berserker impaling and slicing through Liv's temporal consciousness as Lucia held back the remorse in her systems before ripping out her blade, another round of bullets from Lee shot away the cannons and remaining Corrupted on the field.

It wasn't clear if a fatal blow on the pseudo-consciousness was enough to snap Liv out of her coma but the silence and inactions that followed after Lucia pulled out her sword was jarring but their fears would soon be unfounded as life graced the formerly expressionless Liv's face.

"W-what happened..?" She asked, befuddled as she felt her own consciousness being enveloped by a warm body as Lucia quickly held Liv close to her.

"Liv!" The ravenette called out in relief and almost indiscernible joy.

"Oh..? L-Lucia..?" The said Construct called back in more confusion, clearly wondering what happened to warrant an embrace from her usually stoic leader.

"You're okay... I was... I was so worried..." Lucia admitted as Liv returned the hug, rubbing her leader's back consolingly.

"I'm sorry we couldn't protect you." 

"L-Lucia... t-too tight, can't breathe..." Liv whispered out, patting said Construct's back with growing urgency at the tightening grip.

"O-oh, sorry..." Apologised Lucia as she pulled Liv up from the ground, clearly flustered as the latter smiled at the familiar antics from the former.

"Lee, Lucia, thank you both. I too, was worried about you when we were separated." Liv said.

"Good to see you fine and kicking, but we should get out of here first." Lee stated before signalling to Kiryu at reality waiting for them.

======================================

"You're back!!" Was the first thing they heard from Kamui as he jogged over gleefully though he was still holding onto his weapon tightly in case.

"Welcome back, Liv." Kiryu said, sighing inwardly.

"Did the Forsaken..?" Lucia began but the Strike Hawk member beat her to the chase.

"Don't worry, none of them did anything funny." He reported, gesturing to the said soldiers who at the moment, looked rather guilty, though reluctantly.

"Watanabe..." Lee growled, storming up to the said Construct with his fists clenched tightly as Kiryu followed behind, either making sure Lee doesn't go overboard or joining in.

"Please wait!" Liv suddenly shouted, stepping between her team and the Forsaken.

"..." Both Kiryu and Lee remained silent, prompting Liv to turn to Watanabe with a passive gaze as she spoke out her thoughts that were made prior to her dive into the container.

"Mr. Watanabe, as per our agreement, I've finished your mission so I hope you keep your words from earlier." She stated as the Forsaken leader began speaking albeit awkwardly.

"That you did... Liv, thanks to your valiant efforts and contribution, we were able to rescue the trapped consciousness of the Forsaken and reunite them with their loved ones." 

"And for endangering Gray Raven, I apologise for my actions and so as compensation, should Gray Raven need to operate in Forsaken territory, we will do our utmost best to assist you."

"However, only for Gray Raven so long as you won't threaten us, I'm afraid our long-held grudge for Babylonia isn't shallow enough to be lenient for any other squadrons." Watanabe added.

"...I suppose all's well that ends well..." Kiryu said after a moment of silence, sighing as he rubbed his face- helmet.

"Watanabe... about the Forsaken and Babylonia..." Lucia started but she was met with a light shake of the head from the former who answered solemnly.

"As I've said, grudge makes everything worse but other than that... we can negotiate." 

"So as you have said now, there will be a ceasefire between us and the Forsaken, so long as we don't pose a threat to your livelihoods?" Kiryu repeated, making sure.

"Correct, as long as demands are not too outrageous, we will provide assistance in your missions should you request it." Watanabe responded.

"Assuming there's no ulterior motives..." Lee remarked bluntly.

"Lee... that's enough, they got what they wanted so I'm willing to let bygones be bygones." The Commandant lightly chided.

"Commandant... you are far too trusting." Lee stated with a sigh which Kiryu rebuked.

"The Forsaken may have deceived us but all for the matter of finding their loved ones back, I think that's enough incentive to trust them or at least give them the benefit of the doubt."

"Kiryu... thank you." Liv said, glad to see both sides becoming more amicable by the seconds though Watanabe seemed frankly more awkward by the admittance.

"Ahem... since you're willing to put your trust in us once again, I suppose this may serve as another means of apology and thanks." The Construct said, typing something into his terminal.

Seconds later, Kiryu received a message from Watanabe which revealed a set of coordinates, just not far from the area that they stood in but still a considerable distance to make on foot.

"What is this?" The Commandant inquired curiously.

"An institution from the Golden Age, it's been sitting there for a while now but we lack the time and resources to properly investigate it, also whatever's inside may not be worth the trouble."

"So any relics discovered inside there will be given to you, should it be useful to you all. Think of it as a sign of goodwill this time from the Forsaken to Gray Raven only."

"I just hope this goodwill doesn't attract another Vassago..." Kiryu sighed as Watanabe let out a small chuckle at his expression before replying earnestly.

"You have my absolute words this time, no strings attached. Now let's get you going to the real stronghold, there you can replenish your supplies and leave whenever you want."

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Nothing to say, but I promise the next chapters and so on will feature more of the MC using the Tiga Suit in battle.