(POV - 3RD)

Much had changed ever since Kiryu and Lucia's official partnership and re-establishment of the Gray Raven team but the initial awkwardness between the two of them had disappeared after their first mission together, effectively sealing their camaraderie.

It also helped that Celica continuously send out more missions for the Gray Raven which pretty much made the Commandant and Construct see eye to eye with each other, even understanding how they both operated in battle.

Lucia fought relentlessly but never too recklessly, making up for her formidable skills in battles against the Corrupted, she still retains the tendency to worry too much especially when her Commandant is a human, Kiryu noted.

Kiryu kept his distance but was never afraid to get close to a target should the need arises though he usually kept away from the Construct in order to maximise her efficiency without getting in her way, was what Lucia noted in return.

Overall, both of them were more than happy with this partnership, not showing it outwardly since both Kiryu and Lucia prefers to keep their emotions to themselves.

Although F.O.S Academy taught them the basics of a Commandant's roles in missions, they also taught them the process of upgrading a Construct to their maximum potential through the use of evolving said Construct's ability to send out damage via their innate skills.

Similar to the concepts of RPG games and its elements, every one and other unique Constructs within Babylonia have the capability to wield elements designated to their frames.

For Lucia, it was a mixture of Physical-Fire type which explains why she sometimes dealt out attacks that appeared to have digitalised flames attached to the enemies.

The other elements includes; Lightning, Ice and Dark or simply Physical which was pretty much self-explanatory, but for now, Lucia's frame didn't have the abilities to usher out such powers.

However, upgrading her innate skills was another story and something Kiryu was keen to do so since their missions would progressively become harder and dangerous for both of them, therefore multiple improvisations was paramount to success.

Also, nobody told him that upgrades to certain stages changed the Construct's fashion but that's a story for another time as Kiryu and Lucia were once again, sent down to Earth for a mission.

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"Lucia! 3 o'clock! Two Pilgrims!" Kiryu shouted over the gunfire, dodging a Hydraulic leaping at him before slashing it apart.

"Received!" The Construct shouted back, immediately dodging two blasts from the Corrupted before effortlessly mowing them down.

The Commandant then turned to see a few Executors and Gardeners charging at him to which Kiryu responded with a hail of bullets from his GUTS HYPER handgun.

Personally modified and another gift from his father, the handgun's uniquely designed bullets easily tore through the metallic frames of the Corrupted, downing their numbers quickly and effectively reducing the mission's difficulty, if not just by a little bit.

Lucia slashed through another pair of Aerial Monitors before kicking a Jitterbomb straight over to Kiryu whereas the latter ducked, allowing the suicide bombing Corrupted to fly at the remaining Executors and Gardener that survived his bullets.

"Behind you, Lucia!" Kiryu shouted as the Construct saw herself surrounded by several Tamers and Repairers, closing up any openings for her to escape.

However, despite Kiryu's initial warning, both of them aren't at all concerned, especially when the former had upgraded Lucia's frame several times until it reached its maximum potential.

Before the Corrupted could even overwhelm Lucia, the Construct crouched down whereas a vibrant crimson energy encompassed her body as she leapt into the air, literally turning her own body into a translucent red streak of light that tore around the Corrupted.

Lucia slammed back down onto the ground where several red blades simultaneously rained down onto the surviving Corrupted, effectively tearing through their frames and killing them.

Notes to self, remember to always upgrade his Constructs whenever he can even though their fashion changes every now and then.

At least Lucia's looking more fit for a battle, was what Kiryu could think of at the time since her clothing was nearly that of a simple casualwear instead of an armoured uniform.

Well, the Corrupted are dead, that's all that matters now.

"Side cleared, no remaining enemies." Lucia reported.

"Side cleared, no Corrupted remaining." Kiryu similarly reported before his comms buzzed as Celica's voice spoke up.

"[Congrats on dealing with all the Corrupted in the area, thanks to your efforts, an effort to retake the sector is already undergoing operation.]"

"I see... any other tasks or is that all?" Kiryu asked.

"[Well... for now, just regroup and be on standby and rest, you did kill over a hundred of Corrupted in a span of half an hour.]"

"Got it." The Commandant said before the comms switched off as he turned to see Lucia standing and waiting for the next orders.

"What's our next move, Commandant?" She asked but Kiryu simply shook his head.

"We wait, Celica's most likely discussing our next task with the other." He stated.

"I see..."

"By the way, how's the sword?" Kiryu asked as he reloaded his handgun.

"...It's holding up better than I expected." Lucia admitted, gazing at the Lotus Berserker, her new blade which replaced her old one.

"Huh, that's surprising." The Commandant remarked.

"Isn't it more surprising that you're the one who forged it?" The Construct reminded.

"Technically, I had a team of researchers and engineers behind its creation so most of the credits goes to them." Kiryu retorted.

"Nevertheless, my frame's adjustment to this sword is quite outstanding."

"Good to hear then."

As the two chatted away, they failed to catch sight of a lone surviving Jitterbomb which just booted itself up from the rubbles, its red vision catching sight of Lucia and Kiryu before it began dashing towards the duo.

Just as the Corrupted was about to implode behind the unsuspecting duo...

A blue bullet suddenly streaked through the air before piercing through the Jitterbomb, causing it to blow up and prompting the two to look behind them to see another Construct, standing on the edge of a nearby building.

Unlike Lucia, the Construct is a male standing over the former's height and donned in an opposite shade of colours of black and blue, he also had a similar pair of blue horns on his head like Lucia whose were red.

The Construct's name is Lee and was designated to the Gray Raven fireteam as an Attacker-type whose expertise were in the firearms sections as the said Construct wielded a pair of handguns.

"Next time, maybe check every nooks and crannies." Lee stated as he jumped down from his perch, returning his guns to his holsters.

"Perhaps we will, but we have you, don't we?" Kiryu rebuked, quite confidant in the male Construct's marksmanship.

"You know I won't always be here, right?" Lee sighed as he raised a brow.

"...Well, we also won't always be here to send Liv out to find you." Lucia said from the side, albeit slightly timid at her attempt to sass like Kiryu.

"......That's a different story." The gunner responded, avoiding their gazes.

"After getting lost several times and forcing us to rendezvous in another area?" Kiryu questioned, mouth twitching even though they can't see it behind the helmet.

"...Shut up." Lee demanded, flustering at his biggest issue during missions.

"How's the situation on your end?" Lucia asked from the side, eager to dispel any negativity that grew even though there never was any.

"We've neutralised at least 90% of the Corrupted on our side, area's completely cleared of any enemies, for now." Lee reported.

"And the remaining 10%?" Kiryu noted.

"Um... I took care of it..." Another voice answered the Commandant as he turned to see another member of their team arrive.

Donned in complete opposite colour schemes from Lucia and Lee, the petite female Construct had a mix-match colour of white and pink as opposed to the formers' black, red and blue. However, instead of a physical weapon held in hand, the Construct had a pair of cannons floating by her side in the air without support.

The other member of the team, named Liv and designated to Gray Raven as a Supporter-type Construct whose expertise is in the medical field for both Commandant and Construct alike.

However, due to that, her offensive capabilities is not on par with Lucia or Lee which led her to often stay behind the frontlines monitoring with Kiryu but despite her appearance, she is still a force to be reckoned with, especially with her dual cannons.

But it's Liv we're talking about and the Construct's the worrisome type as well.

"Did any of you get hurt?" She asked, concerned as she scanned for injuries on Kiryu and Lucia.

"No, but thanks for the concern."

"Negative, my frame's still in full condition for battle."

Liv then sighed in relief before the team began moving through the rubbles and cracked streets of the city until they found a vantage point well hidden from the horde of Corrupted. By the time the sky had darkened with the stars shining down along with the moon, the Gray Ravens have already set up a small camp with the fire going.

"Alright, Celica's instruction remained as the same with us standing by until further notice is given but for now, if there's any sitrep you've noted during our patrol, now's the time to say it."

Kiryu requested with each of the Constructs nodding before Lucia started first;

"From the entirety of our patrol, the levels of Corrupted were insubstantial enough to be fully perceived as a threat, the majority of the enemies consisted of Repairers and Ground Monitors which their observed conditions are deemed too fragile to be considered dangerous."

"And as such, Commandants like me or any other Constructs, even Supporter-type would be able to neutralise them." Kiryu concluded, nodding before looking at Liv.

"My observations are similar with Lucia's, the number of Corrupted are too low to be seen as an active threat, many of them also seemingly kept away from the main road." She reported.

"I see, and I assume the same goes for you, Lee?" Kiryu asked with the said Construct nodding.

"Pretty much, but I did notice some Corrupted lingering around what appears to be graffiti painted onto walls." Lee replied.

"Was there anything worth noting from these graffiti?" Questioned the Commandant, but Lee shook his head.

"No, it was just a bunch of incoherent symbols and colours without much significance, but the Corrupted are gathered around it as if worshipping it." Lee reported.

"If that's the case then I suppose none of you wouldn't be opposed to investigating this phenomenon tomorrow?" Kiryu asked the group.

"Not at all."

"As long as we get approval for it..."

"If that's your wish, Commandant."

"Alright, unless any of you have more to say then each of us will be taking turns looking out for any dangers." Kiryu instructed before Lucia spoke up.

"I'll take the first shift then, Constructs won't require much rest as humans in the first place."

"Then I-" Kiryu began but Liv interrupted him.

"I'll take the second one, I also need to recalibrate and make sure our equipment and frames are in working conditions regardless."

"The third shift-" Kiryu started.

"Will be taken by me, no questions asked or needed." Lee stated bluntly.

"...What about me?" The Commandant questioned, deadpanning.

"You'll be resting." The three Constructs simultaneously said in agreement.

"...Fine, if you insist." Kiryu murmured before turning around and removing his helmet, its visor dimming as the Commandant began fiddling with it as well as submitting a digital report into it.

Out of curiosity and the fact that Kiryu isn't sleeping but more focused on his helmet, Liv couldn't help but ask a question, regardless if the others are listening in.

"Commandant, does that helmet have any significance to you? I don't think I've seen other commanders wearing it."

Kiryu merely stopped what he's doing before smiling lightly at the question.

"Actually, it does. This helmet was made by myself, every single system and functions within it are calibrated by me during my time at the academy." He answered.

Having been around other individuals and people on the battlefield and in the society for quite some time since her induction into Babylonia's forces, Liv was able to perceive a sense of nostalgia and almost sentimental feeling in Kiryu's tone.

"Is this helmet... something you value more than other things?" Liv asked as Kiryu nodded.

"Indeed, although I was encouraged to do my best, being in the top rankings of F.O.S Academy did not help me gain any connections with other trainees."

"So that means..."

"It meant I was mostly secluded to myself, with nothing but my own interests keeping me busy, thus I built this helmet to pass time." Kiryu stated.

"Commandant, this is late to ask but..." Lee called out, returning his guns to his holster before gazing at Kiryu with an almost quizzical expression.

"What is it, Lee?" Kiryu asked.

"You treat us more akin to that of friends instead of acquaintances or even strangers met by chance, unlike other commanders who would view us more as tools or even... inhumane."

"But when we first met and when this team had apparently officially formed, why did you seemingly overvalue our experience more than yourself?" Lee questioned.

"Naturally because you've all been in combat for longer than I had, while you were all fighting, I was alone in the academy learning how to lead you as a team." Kiryu answered.

"As for why I treat you like friends? I'm sure it won't hurt to make friends with the team you're leading especially for the coming future." 

Kiryu added, not noticing Lucia turning her face to smile at the statement... she still isn't too open in revealing her emotions to other people but for her new Commandant, she'll manage.

"When you're in a team and fighting on the battlefield, what keeps you alive the most isn't your skills, nor whoever is it that you're fighting."

"It's your comrades themselves, your team that make sure you keep each other alive to see another day in this world."

"I can understand that... but you chose us two specifically for Gray Raven, why?" Lee couldn't help but ask another question.

However, Kiryu was more than patient enough to return an answer from his personal opinion.

"First of all, may I inquire why you decide to quit your previous positions?" He asked.

"I quit Kurono simply because I hated every single way of how they operated." Lee gritted out, mood fouling at the memory of that organisation.

"They call us Constructs 'inhumane', but the irony lies in themselves for being hypocrites that perform inhumane experiments." He grounded out further with hate.

"My previous commandant had me... discharged after a misstep in a mission, it wasn't until you decided to take me into the team." Liv explained, eyes glistening at her previous experiences.

"But I wasn't the only one, my previous commander did not see eye to eye with us... or more like, she never wanted to see or hear our opinions, even if we're right." She added.

"My condolences..." Kiryu replied solemnly before staring at the two resolutely.

"Then unlike your previous... employers, I'll be using each of your skills to maximum. You may think I'm overvaluing your capabilities but what I'm saying is the truth."

"What I'm saying is; each of you have a value in team Gray Raven." Kiryu declared, pointing at each members of said team.

"Lucia with her skills in combat, Liv with her medical expertise and Lee with his intellect in technology and modifying equipment."

"So remember my words, if you're in Gray Raven, you are a valued member whose role is just important as your own lives." Kiryu stated firmly.

"Thank you, Kiryu." Liv shyly said at the compliment as Lee simply patted his shoulder and looked at him with approval.

"I look forward to our missions in the future, Kiryu." He said as the said Commandant then patted both Lee and Liv on the back with equal camaraderie.

"Value your skills and value yourself more, because it matters." Kiryu said one last time before getting up and lying against a wall which he then fell silent.

Seeing that their new Commandant, their new and unexpectedly nice one fell asleep, Lee and Liv turned to Lucia who simply smiled at their faces as if asking if that just really happened; that they will find a place in the Gray Raven.

Lucia only smiled, after all, she was the first one to have the pleasure of meeting Kiryu.

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This chapter serves more like a correlation on what happened between the MC and Gray Raven as well as giving an insight on how they all first met. Nothing more to add, for those waiting for a new chapter, thanks for the patience. 

Btw, if chapter didn't reveal it, all of Gray Raven are fully upgraded.