(POV - 3RD)

Four pairs of footsteps graced the ruined cityscape once more as the Gray Ravens plus Kiryu was en route to the location of the last sighting of the Ascendant known as "Iron Maiden" which had made contact with the Nozzle unit and another unknown Ascendant.

The team had already reviewed the memories provided by the Nozzle, so far, the Iron Maiden had resisted all forms of attacks from multiple attack squads of Constructs and Corrupted alike. 

Its main form of offense is conjuring up rows of dark thorns that erupts from the ground or manifest in thin air as projectiles, even the Nozzle's thick outer armour wasn't enough to fully prevent it from damaging it, thus many attackers afterwards were easily mowed down.

Therefore, they need to establish several Iso-Devices in order to create a small isolation zone which will hopefully contain the target by forming an invisible ring around the movement area thus entrapping the Corrupted and allowing squadrons to take it on together.

Furthermore, the mission the Gray Ravens undertook are more than special from their previous tasks, emphasised by the dangers of the Iron Maiden's powers so the HQ has also sent a Construct to support the team.

"Lee, what are Iso-Devices?" Liv asked, curious as she dabbled in medical arts and not tech which Lee snarked at the thought of the said devices.

"It's from the Cosmos Technicians Union which emanates a Corrupted-repelling field for a certain amount of time... it will take time to set up... and it's also heavy and unwieldy."

"Speaking of which... with how good you are with mechanics, I would have thought you were one of the Cosmos technicians too..."

"I didn't stay there long just as I did with Kurono-" Lee started but a rather cheerful shout interrupted his words.

"YOOHOO! GRAY RAVENS!!" A petite grey-haired female Construct holding a chainsaw suddenly appeared in front of them.

Although  the sudden entrance surprised them all, Lucia nonetheless asked.

"Are you the Construct that Celica mentioned? The one coming to support us?"

"Indeed! Walking the path of heavens... the Construct who will rule everything... it is I! Nanami!" The Construct introduced herself, bouncing in her steps.

"...Is she bonkers?" Lee murmured before Kiryu elbowed him as Liv walked up to her.

"Nanami, why are alone outside? What mission were you on before?"

"Nanami's always been by herself! But um... what was I doing just now? Oh! Those graffiti looked super-duper interesting so Nanami checked it out." The chainsaw-wielding girl stated.

"But now, Nanami's ready to dance with the famous Gray Ravens!" She added.

Indeed, famous, the past few weeks of the team's continuous deployments back on Earth and returning with 100% rate of success had become quite famous throughout the whole of Babylonia, much to Kiryu's chagrin as he prefers information relating to them to be discreet.

So far, the streak has yet to be broken other than by the unexpected encounter with the two Ascendants; Alpha and Masaki, if barring that one incident, Gray Ravens' reputation remained as the top squad of Babylonia force.

Luckily for Kiryu, while his father had stated that he can share the information of the Tiga Suit with his team, the Commandant still prefers to fight by relying on his own flesh and bones even though logically, it would be the safest to use the said suit.

However, although it felt familiar, the Tiga Suit itself felt alien to him as well as uncomfortable but nonetheless, Kiryu won't hesitate to don the armour if it meant protecting his team.

Back to the mission on hand.

"...Are we sure she's not bonkers?" Lee whispered again as Kiryu wryly smiled with Lucia tilting her head rather innocently, not understanding why Nanami would "dance" in battle.

"Ooh, right! Nanami also has something else to do!"

"By something... do you mean the graffiti?" Lee questioned as Nanami nodded.

"Yup! This is important stuff! See y'all for now!" With that, the Construct ran off.

"...So much for a support." Kiryu remarked.

"Nanami's quite a carefree person, even in this place, it's almost contagious." Liv commented with a gentle smile.

"Yeah... although loud, it's still enviable." Lucia agreed with a twitch on her mouth as Kiryu gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"Oh, uhm... I think you have an unique personality too, Lucia!" Liv quickly added albeit awkwardly as Lucia remained quiet.

"Rather than some whimsical happy-go-lucky, I'd prefer working with something down to the earth more." Lee agreed bluntly.

"Then again, we all have our own personalities, no?" Kiryu asked.

"You're probably right, Commandant." Lucia nodded.

"Back to that Construct Nanami though, there's not much about her on the database which is suspicious if you ask me..." Lee stated.

"Well... we can worry about that someday later, HQ wouldn't send her if she's suspicious." Kiryu interjected as he motioned the group continued walking.

"Fair point."

...

...

...

"Commandant, we've reached the coordinates for the Iso-Devices' deployments, each single device needs to be 1.5km apart until it links up with the other squads." Lucia said.

"The other squads are already closing in on their objective, we should hurry." Liv added as the Commandant remained silent.

"Kiryu? Is something the matter?" Lucia inquired, concerned at his lack of words until he pressed a button on his helmet.

"There's a connection request." He stated.

"A connection request from a nearby Construct? And it's from... deep within the Corrupted zones." Liv repeated in surprise.

"Identification?" Lucia questioned.

"Please wait... it's from a Construct named 'Tifa', also a Support-type Construct and a member of the Suzaku squad." Liv answered.

"According to the logs, Suzaku squad is also in this operation as we speak but unfortunately, their commandant was KIA and the other Constructs are labelled as MIA."

"No consciousness were recalled as well..." Liv said.

"If I remember correctly, the massive loss of Construct squadrons also began around that time but we mistook the Nozzle model as the culprit due to the lack of information." Lee spoke up.

"So the 'Iron Maiden' is in fact the culprit behind these incidents?" Liv deducted.

"Not enough to say for certain, but this signal..." Lee trailed off, unsure.

"Commandant, I advise against linking with this signal, connecting with more than three constructs at a time will place a heavy strain on your mind." Lucia stated firmly.

"And from our previous experience, this could be a trap as well. We do not have enough information if it's truly an ally or not or if it might cause any danger to you." She added.

Although Kiryu wouldn't lie and say that he isn't curious to the mysterious signal, his time at the many sessions and classes of F.O.S Academy did explicitly state that the human mind cannot simultaneously handle multiple connections to Constructs.

Remembering that, Kiryu only cancelled the request, much to Lucia's relief and guilt.

"Sorry, I shouldn't be relieved for the loss of contact with other Constructs, but I'm more worried about your safety than other squads, Commandant." She explained.

However, Kiryu simply gave Lucia a pat on the head with a smile behind his helmet.

"Thanks for the concern." He warmly said.

"Lucia, your paranoia may be justified even when the human body is frail and can be easily destroyed by the Punishing Virus..." Lee stated.

"The virus cannot affect humans through their mind which is the sole advantage they have against the virus and is the reason why Kiryu can be here with us."

"Besides... although my conscience says so otherwise, Commandant had proven himself when he managed to survive the encounter with the Ascendants, let alone repel them."

"True..." Lucia agreed but the concerned expression still remained.

"Well... the signal is near our designated path anyway, so we could also investigate when we've reached our destination." Liv offered helpfully.

"We can put a hold on that thought for now, we have contact with hostiles." Kiryu said as he brandished the Sparklence Blade and GUTS Hyper.

"Lee, take the front and gain their attention with me, Lucia, flank them from either sides and Liv, provide support whenever you see an opening!" He ordered.

"Roger!" The three Constructs shouted out as they once again prepare for battle.

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

Like all previous missions that have encounters with enemies, the Gray Ravens and the Commandant utterly and almost effortlessly decimated the horde of insane machines, mostly thanks to their already highly enhanced gears and frames.

The squad then continued making their way towards their objective, all the while not forgetting the active signal from the Construct named "Tifa" and unfortunately or fortunately, the ravens would be contacted by another Construct.

[Connecting---]

"Is it Nanami?' Kiryu asked but Lee was the one to shake his head as a different Construct appeared on the holographic comms, a red-haired female with an equally red eyes.

"[Why, hello there, Gray Ravens~!]" The Construct greeted with a rather provocative tone.

"[This is the leader of the Cerberus squad~]""

...That's a femme fatale if I ever see one..." Kiryu thought to himself.

"...Vera." Lee greeted back with disdain.

"[Oh, how have you been? My dear Lee?]" Vera asked, completely ignoring the visible irritation seeping onto said Construct's face.

"I should thank you, after all, my faith in humanity was restored quite significantly after leaving Kurono and joining Gray Raven." Lee retorted with a light sneer.

"[And you're as sweet as ever with that tone of yours.]" 

"I choose how I speak out my words, and that depends on the person itself. But you? I'd prefer brevity over everything else." Lee bit back.

"However, we're wasting time so what do you want?" He demanded as Vera only chortled before replying back.

"[Still so volatile after all this time, but alright, I'll be blunt and ask that you've all noticed that signal from the Construct Tifa, yes?]"

"What of it?" Kiryu asked as Vera's eyes lingered on him for a second before answering.

"[Well, a little birdie told me this very Tifa is also our target for this whole tedious operation, the 'Iron Maiden' itself.]"

"Oh, I couldn't have guessed." Lee snarked back almost readily, not catching the implication behind the news itself as Kiryu narrowed his eyes while Liv gasped silently.

"[No, no, no, I mean that- she is 'our' target.]" Vera emphasised as Lucia and Lee blinked.

"...What?" They both asked in surprise.

"Was that the case this whole entire time?" Kiryu questioned since the Nozzle model's memories never discerned the Iron Maiden's true identity.

"[Oh? What's with that helmet covering up your face? Are you perhaps shy~?]" Vera promptly ignored the Commandant's question before retorting with one of her own.

"I feel violated just by her looking at me..." The Commandant thought, feeling as if Vera was literally gazing into him.

"Here I thought we could gain some useful intel but speaking with you is a waste of time, and you haven't even answered my question." Lee stated.

"And don't look at our Commandant with your perverse fantasy." He added as he stood in front of Vera, blocking Kiryu from her sight.

"[Me and my 'perverse fantasy' would be the least of your worries but that isn't important, no?]" Vera said with a smirk that conveyed a silent message.

"So you're not going to cooperate." Lee bluntly declared with a scowl.

"[More precisely, disrupt.]" Vera corrected, still grinning almost maliciously.

"Let me be clear, Vera. If the Iso-Devices aren't deployed as planned then the target may escape. Don't drag us all down because of your selfish stupidity." Scorned the gunner Construct.

"[Oh, that? It's already sorted as we speak.]"

"What?" Lee could only question again as he heard Vera's response.

"[While all of you were meandering around, Cerberus will take a bite out of our target first but for now, you can all continue playing with your little toys so, tata~]" The Construct snarked before the connection ended.

"...Well, that was... enlightening." Kiryu remarked.

"Who exactly is Vera..?" Lucia asked.

"An official member of Kurono Ops which later became the leader of the Cerberus squad which is also a part of the Purifying Force." Lee replied.

"Even in the Purifying Force, Vera's squad is a unique one since they receive direct orders from Commander Nikola himself."

"Unlike other groups, Kurono and its members would do anything to achieve their goals, filtering out the useful and useless assets brutally."

"Because of their coldblooded thirst for merits, that's their usual method of operation which is why they aren't well-liked in the first place, and is the reason I left."

"But there is one thing I'll give them credits for is their capabilities to back up their name." Lee admitted albeit grudgingly as he then turned to Kiryu.

"Commandant, for the sake of your sanity, dignity and chastity, you should keep your distance from Vera." The Construct insisted quite firmly.

"...Were you a victim?" The Commandant asked cautiously.

"No, and thank goodness for that but I've heard enough rumours about that woman."

"That... sounds completely far cry from where I was stationed before..." Liv commented.

"It's true Cerberus has their own objectives, but Gray Raven does too so for now, let's continue with our given mission. We can just react and adapt to their methods accordingly." Lucia said.

"Not to mention that Cerberus isn't the only available squad we can cooperate with."

"Indeed, with the enemies cleared out for now, we can also begin our preparations." Liv interjected as the team lugged over the Iso-Devices.

"Then we can start here and extend the Iso-Devices coverage until it links up with the others." Kiryu commanded as the squad nodded.

"Afterwards, we'll move out!"

"Roger!" The Gray Ravens affirmed.

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

As Lee had stated, setting up the Iso-Devices was nonetheless a tedious task due to how they were wired and structured as well as built with heavy material that even a Construct would find irritating to carry around.

However, the devices were all gradually set up before the luminescent field repelled the levels of Punishing Virus in the air, no matter how miniscule it was.

Afterwards, the team then set off to find tracks leading to the Iron Maiden or anything that has relations to the Corrupted and so that their search would not be in vain.

Soon enough, the telltale signs of the Iron Maiden's tracks showed themselves in the forms of said black thorns filling up the area littered with corpses and wrecked machines, Liv quickly walked up to one of the downed Constructs which happened to be from the Suzaku squad.

"...Signal's gone, Commandant. We're too late." Liv regretfully said as she stood up from the hole riddled body of the Construct.

Kiryu nodded silently before scanning the area with his helmet but saw no signs of any enemies or the main perpetrator behind the black thorns and the destruction of the area.

"Commandant..." The medic of the group began, worried as Kiryu glanced at her.

"Yes, Liv?" He asked.

"Are you certain you're not feeling any pain or side-effects?" She questioned, concerned as to refer to Kiryu's head injury made by Masaki.

"I am certain, I don't feel anything out of the ordinary." Replied the young Commandant.

"If you say so..." Liv murmured, unsure.

"Her concern is understandable, considering you literally went toe-to-toe with an Ascendant and a dangerous one no less." Lee added.

"Yet I repelled him." Kiryu retorted.

"It still doesn't make it any less suicidal, Commandant." Lee rebuked.

"I get it, but it doesn't sit right with me when I need to stand back while you three take on the enemies." Kiryu said, securing his helmet.

"Fighting the Corrupted is what we're made for, Commandant." Lucia interjected.

"We have copies of our physical frames. Even if we are to fall in battle, we can just connect back to Babylonia, we were literally made to be expendables." Lee interjected.

"Not to me." Kiryu declared, rendering the group silent until Lucia spoke up.

"Logically speaking, you're wrong but I... we appreciate it, Commandant."

"Kiryu, over there!" Liv suddenly said, pointing her finger in the distance.

The Commandant and the rest of the team turned to see a severely damaged Construct, struggling to stabilise himself as he tried to walk in a direction further down the street all the while ignoring his grievous wounds.

"That's... a Construct from the Suzaku squad, correct?" Kiryu asked.

"Yes... but he's displaying symptoms of the Punishing Virus and at a high level... it's too late for him, Commandant." Liv reported as Lucia grimly took out Lotus Berserker.

"Wait." Lee called out as they heard the Suzaku Construct mumbling.

"Tifa... I need... to save Tifa... I'll get... her... to Babylonia... Tifa..." The voice was garbled and strained as the Construct continued stumbling in one direction.

"...Gray Ravens, we'll follow him first so Lee, protect Liv and Lucia, with me." Kiryu ordered, all of them hearing the name which leaked out the distress signal.

"Understood." The group simultaneously affirmed.

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

Kiryu pulled the Sparklence Blade out of an Executor before shooting a Hydraulic dead, the rest of the Gray Ravens also following suit as they finished off their own targets which then proceeded to follow the already-breaking down Construct down across the street.

However, it wasn't long before the Suzaku Construct fell onto the ground heavily as his body was finally unable to hold onto itself anymore but the Construct wasn't deterred as he tried to pull himself forward by crawling inches by inches despite the impossibility of his survival.

"Commandant... his signal is fading, it won't be long before..." Liv said before trailing off.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that death is right above the Suzaku Construct.

"Kiryu, should I..?" Lucia asked, unsheathing Lotus Berserker, looking at him.

"...After we pay our respects, the least I could do is console him before he dies." Kiryu answered, crouching down to hold the Construct up.

Suddenly, the Suzaku Construct grabbed Kiryu by the wrist as the former shakily looked at the young Commandant who in return, only gazed back through his visor.

"Save... Tifa..! Please... save her..!" The Construct begged.

"...I cannot guarantee us in saving Tifa but... Gray Ravens will do their best... now, you can rest easy, soldier." Kiryu replied gently as he set the Construct down.

"...Thank... you..." Was the last words he spoke before his signal vanished as Lucia beheaded him to prevent the virus from reanimating his body.

"Kiryu, it's the distress signal." Liv reported

The Commandant also noted down the said signal before triangulating its source which is just a few kilometres away from their current position, also he shouldn't connect with it but closing in on its location is another story.

"We'll investigate it, stick together and keep your eyes out." Kiryu issued the command and without anymore words needed, the team moved out.

However, it wasn't long before the Gray Ravens came to a bridge where the signal became the strongest until it faded out, most likely due to power drainage but they were able to find the source of the signal itself soon enough.

"This is what's causing the signal... it's an Inver-Device from a Construct..." Lee observed, peering closely at the object but not touching it.

"Do we know who it belongs to?" Kiryu questioned as Lee scanned it.

"Tifa, it belonged to Tifa." Was all he said.

"Why would she rip out her own Inver-Device?" Liv asked.

"Perhaps something else ripped it out?" Lucia suggested, surveying their surroundings.

"Although that sounds viable, there would have been a struggle nonetheless yet the area around us is completely unscathed." Kiryu replied before falling silent.

"...Inver-Devices are meant to secure and maintain a connection between Constructs and Commandants alike, right?" He then asked the technical expert.

"Correct, to remove it would only spell disaster for the Construct." Answered Lee.

"The lack of violence around here and the removed Inver-Device... I can only think of Tifa being ordered to remove it herself." Kiryu theorised.

"If that's the case then..." Liv began.

"Tifa purposely allowed herself to be infected?" Lucia trailed on, stunned by the assumption.

"That would be the case if my theory is on point... but if the Punishing Virus has indeed gotten to her then it could also means the Ascendants playing a role in this whole scenario. Furthermore, with them keeping the virus in check, Tifa could have also learnt how to control it to her will."

"...This is not good." Lee stated the obvious as the whole team were now apprehensive and cautious at the prospect of possibly fighting an Ascendant.

"Where's Nanami when we need her?" Kiryu sighed before his ears perked up as he saw the faint but distinctive sounds of explosions in the distance.

"Was that what I think it is?" He then asked.

"If you mean Cerberus' engaging the enemy then yes, their style of combat is... destructive." Answered Lee, scowling slightly.

"Commandant, I suggest waiting for news from Cerberus to properly gauge our target before engaging them ourselves." Lucia stated.

"Suggestion approved." Was all Kiryu said as the Gray Ravens then found a suitable vantage point to rest for a moment.

"Kiryu, may I take a look at your head injury?" Liv asked.

"I don't feel anything at all but sure, Lee, would you please keep an eye out with Lucia?" The Commandant requested.

"Affirmative." They both said as Liv started scanning Kiryu's body for abnormalities.

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

Eerily, the explosions soon dimmed down afterwards which prompted the squad to slowly make their way towards the supposed site of battle, what greeted them was simply more black thorns that adorned the area top to bottom.

However, what made the lethality of the said thorns dreadfully dangerous was the fact that there was a limp body of a Construct violently impaled through from multiple angles, making a gruesome sight to behold regardless if it's human or Construct.

"That's..." Lucia began.

"A member of the Cerberus squad, no doubt." Lee answered, frowning at the sight as the team got closer for examination.

Kiryu suddenly stopped, an act noticed by his team as they too paused in their steps before the former started scanning the area, his helmet immediately picking up on the almost faint and invisible spike of Punishing Virus that would have gone unnoticed.

Except it did not and it's slowly increasing, especially where they stood.

"JUMP!" Kiryu shouted as the team leapt aside just in time to avoid several dark thorns penetrating out from the ground.

Any later then they'll get skewered like the previous victims.

"Enemy contact, get ready!" Kiryu ordered as he whipped out his blade, Lucia unsheathed her sword as Lee fired up his guns along with Liv and her cannons.

"AHAHAHAHA~!!!" The garbled and distorted laughter of their target rang out from the shadows as Tifa revealed herself in all her maddened form.

"Spread out! Lucia with Liv, Lee with me!" The Commandant shouted next as dark thorns erupted everywhere.

The term "Iron Maiden" was rather fitting for her, especially when Tifa was encased within a constrictive armour wreathed in thorns, the Corrupted continued firing off her dark spikes at the squad which forced them to spread out wide across the area.

"THIS IS MY STRENGTH, COMMANDANT!! ARE YOU PROUD OF ME?!?!" Tifa continued to scream with insane glee as she attacked everything in sight.

"Hey, Vera! I thought you had this handled?" Lee demanded as he connected to the said Construct while sprinting around the Iron Maiden with Kiryu.

"[We almost... had her... but she had something up her sleeve... tch!]" Vera's strained voice coughed into the comms, frustration lacing her tone.

"And that member of your squad?!" Lee added.

"[Just an idiot that can't even follow the simple order to dodge!]" Vera scoffed as Kiryu frowned slightly at the Construct's disregard.

"Any advice?" He asked, leaping away from a dark thorn shot at him as Lee fired his bullets onto the Corrupted.

"[Watch your ground, muffle your ears and an universal advice? Be careful.]" Was all the Cerberus' leader said before cutting off the connection.

"You heard that?" Kiryu questioned as his Constructs nodded.

"What a great advice..." Lee snarked but nevertheless avoided the dark orb shot at him which exploded when it made contact with the surface.

"Got it." Lucia stated, leaping in for a slash which the blade scrapped harmlessly off Tifa's armour but the impact behind still lurched her.

"ACH! YOU DAMN WEAK-!" The Corrupted screeched, launching more projectiles towards Lucia who deflected a few before jumping aside.

However, with Tifa's attention directed at Lucia for now, both Lee and Liv fired their respective weapons onto the former's exposed back which forced her to keep an eye out on all three attacking Constructs, allowing Kiryu to flank the Corrupted.

The Commandant sprinted below Tifa's line of sight before he plunged the Sparklence Blade right into the gaps of the armour, severing the chain that bound it together as well.

"AHH! PAIN, PAIN! IT HURTS, COMMANDANT!!!" Tifa screamed as Kiryu was blew back by the sheer soundwave emitted from the Corrupted.

"So that's what Vera meant by muffle your ears..." Kiryu thought while massaging his temples as the scream reverberated through his head.

"Kiryu, are you alright?!" Liv yelled from within the chaos.

"I will manage! Do not let up your attacks!" The Commandant shouted back, disregarding the ache in his head.

"DAMN YOU!" Tifa screamed as she summoned rows of spikes towards Kiryu, attempting to skewer him like the Construct earlier.

Unfortunately for Tifa, Kiryu was more than ready to intercept her attacks and furthermore, he was not alone as Lucia charged at the Corrupted, slashing apart the thorns and into Tifa's armour as Lee continued firing his bullets.

Liv simultaneously provided support by deploying healing fields that fixed up any injuries the trio may have sustained while firing her cannons at Tifa repeatedly to distract her from Kiryu's attacks with Lucia and Lee following close by.

Kiryu and Lucia avoided another row of thorns threatening to pierce them before dashing towards the Corrupted together, slashing apart more spikes with their blades until they reached Tifa then plunged both their swords into her.

"GAH! YOU DAMN CONSTRUCTS-!!" Tifa roared, launching the two back with her scream before she backed away to summon more thorns from the ground.

Unfortunately, both Kiryu and Lucia were still slightly stunned from Tifa's scream which led to the spikes nicking their bodies whereas the pain forced them to dodge the many spikes.

Fortunately, the Gray Ravens have Liv who provided immediate aid to their injuries before it could spread across their bodies and get infected.

Tifa, however, instantly noticed and began firing more dark orbs at them. Aiming especially for Liv as she held the team together through this fight via her abilities to heal others.

While the Supporter Construct was busy disinfecting Kiryu and Lucia's wounds, Lee took it upon himself to distract the Corrupted, hailing barrages of flaming bullets towards Tifa who shook off the majority but still succumbed to the minor few that grazed her.

"ENOUGH!" The Iron Maiden screamed as her armour split open to reveal the former Construct underneath, her appearance a ghastly far cry from what she used to look like.

A metallic grey skin tone and a ghostly white hair, Tifa's black sclera and red eyes bored into the team's own eyes before she suddenly spun towards Lee, firing another projectile, this one faster than the previous shots.

"Damn it-!" Lee exclaimed, trying to step aside but it made contact with the gunner in seconds, blowing him back with a dark explosion.

"Lee!" Kiryu shouted, returning to the fight as the said Construct got up.

"I'm fine! I think we have her backed into a corner!" Lee replied quickly, shooting at Tifa again as Liv followed suit with Lucia running after Kiryu.

"If that's the case then be ready! On my mark, all of you engage!" The Commandant ordered, slicing apart the barricades of thorns with a shockwave of his own.

"Understood!" Lucia affirmed as Lotus Berserker lit up with a crimson digitalised flame as Lee's Wolf Fang also flared up with blue fire while Liv's Type Zero cannons crackled with pink energy.

Kiryu emptied a round of bullets into Tifa before reloading the GUTS Hyper and then shooting several projectiles launched at him which then exploded into thin air as the Corrupted continued lashing out violently.

"Wait for my mark!" Kiryu shouted again as he continued shooting Tifa's armour noticeably in one spot before dashing forward.

Without hesitation, the Commandant plunged his sword into the exact bullet marred spot which broke through the armour and sank deep into Tifa's constricted body, causing her to scream.

"AAAAAAHHH-!!!" Tifa's voice became even more distorted as the pain flooded her already sensitive receptors due to the virus.

"NOW!" Kiryu bellowed, leaping back as Lee and Liv fired off their weapons first, causing a mayhem of flames and energy bolts before Lucia joined in.

Transforming into a literal flash of red, Lucia blitzed towards Tifa before relentlessly slashing the Corrupted over and over again, marring her armour and body with burns and deep cuts as the Construct slammed down, summoning forth several crimson blades as well.

As the spectral swords stuck themselves into the Iron Maiden's body, Lucia immediately leapt aside just as Kiryu raised his Sparklence Blade high up into the air and then swung down.

The shockwave blew across the area, breaking up debris and shaking up dust as Tifa could do nothing but take the brunt of the force, instantly demolishing her defence and ripping apart her armour and spikes almost effortlessly.

"AHH! AHHH! IT HURTS SO MUCH!! COMMANDANT!!" Tifa screamed as she smashed into a wall, dark red fluid leaking out from her wounds as her voice became even more delirious.

Inwardly, the Gray Ravens, especially Kiryu winched at the utter pain and despair emitted from Tifa as they watched on sympathetically, knowing full on well why so.

However, despite the Corrupted former Construct's delirium, her visage immediately snapped back to Kiryu before lunging towards him, fuelled further by her pain as rows and columns of dark thorns erupted everywhere, keen on skewering the Commandant.

"Commandant, watch out!" Lucia yelled, attempting to run towards Kiryu but the dense file of thorns blocked her path, prompting her to cut through it as fast she could.

Liv and Lee were not idle and because they possess ranged weapons rather than melee, they tried to shoot Tifa herself who was still bulldozing her way towards Kiryu.

The Commandant jumped back just as another column of spikes erupted from the ground, narrowly avoiding him before Kiryu fired upon the rampaging Corrupted, his bullets sinking deep into Tifa's frame but only to spur her on towards him in a frenzied rage.

Lucia broke through the thorns before she leapt at Tifa, Lotus Berserker poised towards the Iron Maiden's exposed back which easily tore through her chest, rendering her almost immobile from the pain as she screamed again.

The Punishing Virus resonated with that pain and the area around Tifa was instantly destroyed by more thorns erupting out from the ground, walls and thin air which launched itself towards Kiryu and the Gray Ravens.

"!?!" Lucia crossed her arms before deflecting as much thorns as she could to which the force behind the spikes caused her to get pushed back several feet.

Lee and Liv were not doing any better as they dodged multiple thorns aiming at them, allowing the Matrix system embedded within them to avoid more spikes thrown at them.

Unfortunately, the Constructs were preoccupied with blocking the thorns, they did not manage to get to Kiryu in time to defend him as well, but the latter was doing his best fending off the spikes launched towards him.

However, Kiryu was still human albeit with supernatural abilities that were still developing as several thorns managed to graze him, drawing out blood as he continued blocking the attacks with only his helmet preventing any serious injuries to his head.

"KIRYU!" Lucia exclaimed before ignoring the pain as she dashed through the thorns that ripped into her, trying her hardest to reach her Commandant.

Lee rolled across the ground as he avoided another row of thorns as Liv quickly weaved through the garden of dark spikes, but Lucia continued running towards Kiryu.

As the Commandant swung his blade across the field of thorns, he failed to deflect one single spike that was shot straight towards his chest, Kiryu looked down as everything seemingly slowed down as if time was announcing his death.

Kiryu reeled back his arm, the Sparklence in his hand slowly prepared to block the spike.

Lucia was sprinting towards Kiryu but she was still too far from him.

The black thorn only reached the Commandant's chest inches by inches as Lee and Liv could do nothing as they watched on with growing trepidation.

"DIE!!" Tifa screamed as she summoned more thorns towards Kiryu.

"COMMANDANT-" His Constructs shouted.

Just as the first thorn hit the Sparklence.

And light consumed Kiryu.

"WHAT THE-?!" Tifa exclaimed as the light seemingly burned into her body, blinding her and the Punishing Virus within.

"Kiryu..?" Lucia murmured, first time witnessing what is happening in front of her.

One by one, the familiar metallic armour encased Kiryu's body before the purple, red and silver colourations settled in along with the shining blue core in the middle of his chest.

Kiryu's own helmet seemingly retracted as the suit's own visor enveloped his head, the blue diamond shaped crystal emerging in the centre of his forehead before the eyes shone as the armour began activating its systems to ensure its host's survival.

The light died down and what stood in place was Kiryu and the Tiga Suit, fully formed.

"That's..." Liv began, the armour around Kiryu immediately catching her attention.

"What Hassen told us about, Kiryu's legacy..." Lee answered almost in wonder, as a former technical expert, he could tell the suit itself was far more advanced than their own frames.

"Kiryu..." Lucia started, unsure whether to be relieved or even more worried as the suit's functions were not known to her, it could be dangerous for all she knows.

The said Commandant only stood there almost in a daze as he glanced and gained a feel of his suit, he was in all honesty, still sceptical about his heritage and the armour itself but...

If it helps him in his duty and to protect his squad, then he use it to its full potential.

"You... what are you..?" Tifa limping form demanded as she felt herself almost breaking down from Kiryu and the Gray Ravens' relentless assault.

Kiryu in return, said nothing as he took one step forward-

Before instantly closing in the distance between them, even Lee's hawk-like eyes enhanced for his specialty as a gunner-Construct almost couldn't keep up with Kiryu's speed as his form left nothing but dust in its wake.

"?!?!"

Tifa reeled back in shock before summoning what remains of her powers to attempt and slow Kiryu down but the latter took out the Sparklence Blade once more, slicing apart the thorns with ease until he leapt into the air, sword raised and aimed at Tifa herself.

The Corrupted in question, didn't feel any anger nor hate, but only... incompetence.

"Even now... I'm still so weak... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Commandant... please, if you are watching from anywhere above... forgive me..."

To her, accepting the Punishing Virus' powers has its merits but... ultimately deep within the former Suzaku Construct's mind, she knew it was wrong, she knew her Commandant wouldn't want her to become what she and he swore to destroy together.

It's a cruel irony and fate, for her to fail as a Construct and become a Corrupted, but also fail as Corrupted and to be slain by another squad of Constructs and Commandant.

Tifa quietly whimpered as she accepted her fate to be cut down like the rest of the Corrupted, arms dropping to their side as the Punishing Virus relinquished its hold on her, having outlived her usefulness and failed as a potential Ascendant.

Yet, despite it all, Kiryu still saw this small act and he... still sympathised her.

In a split second, Kiryu readjusted his grip before almost painlessly slashing through Tifa, separating what remains of her original Construct frame from the mangled mess of a Corrupted coffin that tortured her endlessly after her downfall.

"...It's over." Lee stated solemnly, gazing at the former Construct lying on the ground unmoving.

"Then... what about Tifa?" Liv asked softly, as the said Corrupted was still alive albeit dying as they speak while Kiryu walked up to her.

"..." Lucia only watched on, having a smidgen of a clue to what Kiryu wants to do.

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

Kiryu stood next to Tifa's body, the Tiga Suit vanishing into light as fast as it came before the Commandant sat down and gently held up the former Construst.

Despite coming so close in a physical contact with the once Corrupted girl, the Punishing Virus that filled up her core and body had abandoned her, leaving her as an empty shell of who she once was on both sides, Tifa the Suzaku Construct and the Iron Maiden.

Tifa's eyes were glazed over, her sclera turning back to white as her once crimson glowing eyes turned to a dull red as she felt Kiryu holding her up.

"Commandant... Commandant... is that you..? Are you... there..?" Tifa whispered almost desperately as her eyes could see nothing but a faint outline.

Kiryu could do nothing nor say anything now to comfort her except to hold her closer to his chest, letting her feel his heartbeat as he squeezed her hand gently... Tifa was going to die.

There is no other words to say in this situation.

"Commandant... did... did I do well..? Was I useful to you..? Did I do... my job well..?" Tifa whimpered as she began to lose her senses with tears sliding down her face.

Still, she could see nothing but Kiryu's outline and he himself said nothing still.

Yet, Tifa still smiled shakily in relief, with hope despite its indefinite fragility.

"Commandant... I... I want to thank you... for staying here, for being here... even in my... final hours... I'm so glad... happy... can... you... say my name... one... last time..?"

"..." Kiryu took off his helmet silently as his silver eyes gazed into Tifa's unseeing ones.

"One... last time... Commandant?" Tifa cried out as Kiryu closed his eyes.

"I am more than proud... Tifa, you did more than good... you did threw away your own life to help others even when you didn't need to..." Kiryu began.

"Tifa... I am glad to have met you." Kiryu said, unknowing if his voice was heard but Tifa only widened her eyes in confirmation as more tears escaped them.

"Thank you... Commandant..." Tifa whispered out one last time as she took her final breath before closing her eyes in contentment as she still felt the warm embrace around her.

...

...

...

The sound of silence filled the air as Tifa now laid motionless and cold in Kiryu's arms, Lucia, Lee and Liv all stood around him as they paid their respect to their former comrade even if they never met her in Babylonia or the battlefield.

It was a harsh fight, an eventful mission but at last.

The sorrow, the pain, the suffering of the Iron Maiden has finally ended.

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Ngl, I procrastinated way more than needed when I wrote this chapter but yeah, I took some inspiration from another PGR author KochoTurin so check out their story if you haven't but nevertheless, thank you for the patience and I hope you enjoyed it.