A massive wave of fire rolled across the floodlight-lit grounds, fanning out towards the Chaos Knights — only for the Pyrotechnic Knight to seize control of the flames and turn them around on Sky. But just as he did, Twy summoned up a bubble of water around the flames, partially extinguishing them before Sky fanned them to explode the bubble into a cloud of steam — a cloud that Spike readily bounded through, descending onto the Pyrotechnic faster than he could react and grabbing him by his neck. As Spike continued charging forward to drag the Pyrotechnic Knight away from the fight, Obra quickly lashed out with his barriers to lock down the Velocitechnic, while Gavon used his gravity control to disorient the Aerotechnic.

Amidst this, Sky began pelting the two Chaostechnic Knights with fireballs, and Twy fired off a series of arrows, distracting the two Knights just long enough for Saito and Hackett to approach, CENT fields active. But just as they leapt out of cover to charge at the two Knights, the Support Chaostechnic called out “Chaos Assist!” while the Void Chaostechnic snapped his right hand toward Saito and muttered, “Chaos Void.”

“Shit—!” Saito immediately threw himself to the side, narrowly escaping the annihilating black sphere that appeared where he had been running just a moment prior. He quickly stumbled back to his feet, only to get slammed by the Velocitechnic Knight and launched across the outpost grounds — only for Twy to draw the Velocitechnic’s attention by encasing her in a bubble of water and striking her with several silver arrows. Just a moment later, the water bubble was sheared off by the Aerotechnic Knight’s wind, allowing the Velocitechnic to rejoin the fight.

Damn it…! Twy thought warily, holding herself aloft in the air with a bubble of water around her lower body as she continued firing arrows down at the Chaos Knights. We just can’t get the upper hand. And now that Spike’s Overdrive has worn off, our shields are actually starting to deplete. At least Nil’kin isn’t here, but…Twy’s attention drifted to the outpost behind her, and the incredible damage that the farthest building had suffered — and then also to the distance beyond, where she could sense three individuals running away from the outpost. …Whatever happened, it seems like Phoenix, Kestrel, and Pierce are leaving the outpost — but why? And it seems like Pierce is just running around, without a care in the world. What happened to protecting Liask? What happened to Rebehka, and Nil’kin? I’d like to see what’s going on over there, but there’s just too much going on right here—!

In the middle of Twy’s thoughts, her vision was suddenly overcome by blinding sunlight. Reflexively, she coiled away, her hand moving up to shield her eyes from the bright light all around. She could hear the sounds of combat dull as everyone else seemed to react similarly, leading her to slowly look for the source of the light… a search that soon brought her gaze to the skies above — where the bright sun amid white clouds now hung, no longer masked by darkness. What…? Twy stared up at the blue skies in confusion. But… what about the spacetime maze? Did the damage to the outpost shut it down, or something—?

Once again, Twy’s thoughts were interrupted — but this time by bestial screeching. Quickly, she spun around in the air to look back at the outpost, just in time to spot several individuals throw themselves from the roof at the combatants on the ground. One of the newcomers leaped straight at Twy, their arms outstretched to try and grab her out of the air; she deftly dodged out of the way, causing the individual to fall helplessly to the ground… thus allowing Twy to see the metallic silver streaks that covered their entire body, and the array of metallic tails extending out of their lower spine.

“KNIGHTS! Code red!”

“What…?” Twy glanced back at the roof again, noting Nil’kin and Rebehka both leaping off in pursuit of the corrupted individuals. Both women easily caught themselves on the ground below, their shields absorbing the forces of their fall as Nil’kin blasted away a nearby corrupted Bleeder with her lightning, and Rebehka fashioned a massive wall of ice to cordon off the area from the other corrupted.

“What’s going on?” Gavon questioned, keeping an uneasy eye on the Knights, who had ceased fighting — though themselves were cautiously watching the Earthians, Gavon, and Obra.

“There’s an infection outbreak,” Rebehka reported, her eyes snapping to the side as a couple of the corrupted began to crack her ice wall. “We need to contain it!”

“At all costs,” Nil’kin added. “Knights, the infection is our new priority. I trust your side to do the same, Dean?”

“What the hell happened — how is there an infection outbreak?” Saito pressed. “Did something happen to Travis, or the girl? Something related to that new ship that showed up?”

“Or why we can see the sky, now?” Hackett added.

“Or why those Bleeders are here?…” Spike questioned.

“Or why they have tails?!” Sky exclaimed.

“And what happened to Phoenix, Pierce, and Kestrel?” Twy pressed.

“Pierce went berserk. Phoenix and Kestrel went after him,” Rebehka stated.

“Wait, he what?” Conrad questioned, making himself visible for the first time since fighting broke out. “Are you saying—?!”

“The short of it is that Bleeders attacked,” Rebehka explained. “I don’t know why we can see the sky, now, or why these infection victims have grown tails… but we don’t have much time for explanations, anyways. We need to contain the infection before it can runaway into a Critical Infection incident!”

“I can’t believe we’re teamin’ up with these fuckin’ outsiders,” Obra grumbled, “but if the new enemies are Bleeders, then I’ll gladly cut ‘em in half! The Dean’s Overdrive has worn off, too, so that won’t be stoppin’ me!”

“Her’s ain’t the only Overdrive that’s worn off,” Spike muttered. “Be careful with your shields, they won’t last for long!”

“And neither will we, if we keep standing around, here!” Nil’kin snapped, and then lunged forward, her arms cackling with lightning just as several of the corrupted finally beat down Rebehka’s ice wall. “Everyone, Knights — follow my lead! Annihilate the infection, at all costs!”

---

*

“Shit… shit…!”

Phoenix scowled as she flew through the air, held aloft by Kestrel’s air currents. All around the two women were dead, ancient trees and thick, swirling fog, barely held at bay by Kestrel’s winds — and even then, she was only able to clear the air within fifteen meters or so, such was the thickness of the fog. Nevertheless, the newly-exposed sun allowed the two to at least see their surroundings as they searched for any signs of Pierce and his berserk rage.

“Fucking hell…” Phoenix muttered again, while pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. “Just how the hell did things get so bad, so quickly?”

Kestrel briefly glanced back at Phoenix, but otherwise didn’t respond. She instead focused on clearing the air around her, as well as flying forwards at a rapid pace while dodging around all of the dead trees hiding in the fog.

“And now the sun’s out, too…” Phoenix mused. “Did the maze break? Or are we outside it? Damn it… I sure hope it broke, or we’re going to have one hell of a time trying to get back to everyone else…”

“…”

“And now, Liask… fuck. There has to be a way to save her, right?”

“…”

Phoenix heaved a deep sigh. “…Can you at least sense her, Kestrel?”

“…Mm,” Kestrel grunted and offered a curt nod. “…West. Far west.”

“And Pierce?”

“Northeast.”

“Figures they’d run off in different directions…” Phoenix muttered. “But at least your danger sense is directional. I don’t know how the hell we’d find Pierce, otherwise…”

Kestrel glanced back at Phoenix. “Yours?”

“I can’t sense a direction,” Phoenix replied. “I just get this twisting, knotted feeling in my stomach when something bad is about to happen. And I’ve been feeling that ever since right before the Knights showed up. Fuck me…”

“…Mm.”

“What about Pierce? Are you sure we can catch up to him? He can run faster than sound, after all…”

Kestrel shook her head. “…He’s distracted. Fighting something.”

“Really…? I guess it’s probably that Bleeder that threw him out of the building…” Phoenix mused. “That gives us a chance to catch up. And then…” She paused just long enough to summon her silver and crimson chakrams into her hands — the first time she had summoned the weapons in a long while. “…And then we just need to hit him over the head with these. And supposedly, that works. Like… what?!”

“Trust Rebehka.”

“I’m sure she knows what she’s talking about, but… fuck. There hasn’t been any time to process anything that’s happening!”

“Mm,” Kestrel grunted, though her attention was focused forward. “…Almost there.”

“Damn. Alright. Bring me close,” Phoenix said; Kestrel promptly complied, bringing Phoenix close enough for them to touch. Phoenix then reached out, grabbing Kestrel by her shoulder before muttering, “Chaos Other Armor—“

Just as she finished the invocation, the loud cracking of wood bark shot through the air, as though something had just smashed a dead tree to pieces. Phoenix and Kestrel both snapped their heads toward the direction of the sound, and Kestrel began flying forward, now focusing on creating a larger area of cleared fog instead of moving quickly. The limbs of dead trees swayed under Kestrel’s forceful winds as the fog was slowly pushed back even further, until suddenly, a man stumbled out of the fog and into Kestrel’s winds. He looked up at her in confusion, just long enough for Phoenix and Kestrel to note that he was wounded all over — but an instant later, a dark silhouette lunged out of the fog, its dark claws slamming the man into the ground before hoisting him up, whirling him around, and chucking his body into the fog beyond. The silhouette crouched down, as if prepared to give chase… but then it stopped, its head snapping to the side to stare straight at Phoenix and Kestrel.

“…Pierce…” Phoenix muttered, an involuntary chill running down her spine. While the silhouette matched Pierce’s athletic frame, little else of his physical features were visible through the dark aura that surrounded him — and his hunched over, bestial posture barely made him look human.

Their eyes locked for but an instant; immediately after, the berserker lunged forward, leaping through the air straight towards Phoenix. Acting quickly, Kestrel wrapped Pierce in fierce winds to arrest him of his momentum and hold him aloft. She then summoned her green and silver spear and shot it forward with her winds, hoping to score the one hit that would dispel Pierce’s Berserk State — but even while berserk, his superior Velocitechnic reflexes allowed him to simply snatch the spear out of the air. In one smooth motion, he whipped the spear around and chucked it back at Kestrel, where it slammed into her so fiercely that her Chaos Armor cracked and her energy shields lit up brilliantly. The blow disturbed her concentration just enough to disrupt the winds holding Pierce aloft, allowing him to drop to the ground and instantly disappear into the fog.

“Shit…!” Phoenix muttered, brandishing her chakrams as she quickly looked every which way, in the hopes of spotting Pierce before he could attack. “Kestrel, this is it. Watch yourself, stay airborne, and stay near me if you can! As long as we’re close by, he’ll focus on us, and then we just need to find an opening!”

“Mm,” Kestrel grunted in acknowledgment, summoning her spear back to herself as she moved back-to-back with Phoenix, prepared to shake Pierce free of his berserk rage.

---

*

“It… it sounds like the fighting’s still going…”

“Yes… I know…”

“Are— are we gonna do anything about it? Or, uh, will we be fine? Will Luke be okay?”

“Austin…” Kaoné responded, her voice strained from focus as she stared intently at Luke’s unconscious form, her hands outstretched toward him as she focused on attempting to expel the infection from his body. “…Trust in your friends.”

“Uh… right…” Austin replied as he fidgeted uneasily. He looked restlessly around the room; he and Kaoné currently stood within a separate underground room from the one the infection-curing machine was in, while Luke laid on an operating table that Kaoné had fabricated out of thin air. There were no windows, and between the scramble for the Fog Islands and the surprise arrival of the Chaos Knights, the different separated groups hadn’t had the chance to distribute communicators. As such, Austin and Kaoné were completely in the dark as to how the battle above was unfolding — aside from the occasional rumble or muted roar of an explosion.

After another few moments of silence, Austin looked back to Kaoné. “Uh… do you… need help with that, maybe? I mean, I’m a Simulator, so I can—“

“I can handle it,” Kaoné stated, never once shifting her focus away from Luke. “This is a very precise process, and one that’s still experimental.”

“Right… um… well, the fighting’s been going on for a while, now, right?” Austin questioned warily. “Maybe I should go help…?”

“No…” Kaoné responded. “This… is taking all of my effort. If I stop now, the infection will seize Luke’s entire body. I need someone to watch my back in case someone gets in here.”

“Do you think that’s a risk…?”

A moment of silence. Then, “…it’s enough of one to account for.”

“Right…” Austin muttered uneasily. He fell into silence once more, watching Kaoné steadily work before dropping his gaze to his unconscious uncle. Indeed, the silvery rashes that had been spreading across Luke’s body seemed to be receding, but Austin had no idea just how well Kaoné was actually doing — or how much more time she would need.

“Overdrive— wait… what…?!”

“Huh?” Austin quickly looked up at Kaoné again, finding that her brow was knitted, and her eyes closed, as if intensely focusing on something. He then snapped his attention down to Luke’s body, where the metallic rashes had stopped receding, and seemed to be fighting to grow. “What’s wrong?!”

“I was going to renew my Overdrive, but…” Kaoné responded, her voice strained, “…the infection is suddenly fighting me, fiercer than before! …Something’s happened…!”

“What? Well, I mean, if something bad is happening, then shouldn’t you use your Overdrive?”

“No. My Overdrive doesn’t… work on the infection,” the Dean replied, clearly putting a great deal of effort into restraining the infection still present in Luke’s body. “If there’s a Critical Infection… then my Overdrive will only hinder the defenders.”

“R-right. But what about Luke? Is he going to be okay?”

“The infection is…” Kaoné trailed off, as if trying to determine something. “…It’s fighting me, but it isn’t gaining. It’s good that I started trying to cure Luke… or else he’d be lost right now. But I… I don’t think I can fully suppress the infection. Not completely!”

“W-what? But, that means—!”

“It doesn’t mean he’s doomed,” Kaoné cut in. “…But it does mean that… hmm…”

When the Dean failed to finish her sentence, Austin looked up at her helplessly. “It means what? Can you still save Luke?”

“…I think so. But I need to ask, Austin. Do you know… which is his dominant arm?”

“Huh? He’s right-handed, but…” Austin responded cluelessly, only for realization to wash across his face — followed swiftly by panic. “Wait, are you saying—?!”

“I’ll do everything I can to save his life, Austin. I promise,” Kaoné declared. “I just need you to focus… on watching my back. Make sure… no one disturbs us!”

Austin stared back at her, at a loss for words — but the Dean spoke no further, her brow still furrowed as she focused intently on dealing with Luke’s infection. Tentatively, Austin’s gaze drifted down to his uncle, again… at which point he whipped around, borrowing Kaoné’s powers to begin thickening the walls of the room in the hopes of preventing unwanted entry, all while muttering to himself. “C’mon, Luke. You can make it. Don’t die here, please…”