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"Yes." responded Yori. He wasn't surprised that Neza would be excited about the fight. It had always been a game for her. She had wanted to kill Jiro for fun the instant she went back in time. It didn't matter what happened to the rest of the world, as long as she could get her thrills. Yori and Neza both had been resurrected from the dead, but Yori could no longer allow the cycle to continue.
"I should warn you that Neza will have an ally as well." said Himura.
"The double that carried her out of the tombs?" guessed Jiro.
"What you saw of the other was only the husk. Mei doesn't have the same mind, though they have taught each other much." Himura then sighed. "It's unfortunate that our strategy of killing generals two versus one is over."
He was waiting for Yori to rebuke, but Yori didn't this time. His eyes were dispassionately focused. Himura remembered learning about the soldier training that cyborg PaxCorp employees had to go through. It was all about stripping the humanity from the enemy in the mind, lashing outward. It was very unlike how Jiro eyes were calm, seeming to clear his thoughts for the coming battle, of maintaining an inward sanctuary for himself.
"Tell me the weaknesses in her design." said Yori. It seemed he had come to that decision after forcing himself into the mindset of a PaxCorp soldier. He didn't demand to know this for the other generals.
"There are none." responded Himura.
"You expect me to believe you didn't create an artificial one for your own protection?"
"I don't create flaws."
"Your ego makes you a fool."
"I'd be foolish if I tried making a flaw." said Himura. "Neza would've found it and rooted it out of her system. She would've then killed me to make doubly sure the weakness was gone. You know this. Use your soldier training better. If there is no weakness-"
"Make one." finished Yori. Yori then turned to Jiro.
"We can't allow ourselves to become like them." responded Jiro.
"There will be no tricks." assured Yori. "If what Himura says is true, that Neza is excited to fight me, that becomes her weakness. She will try to fight me, and I will deny her."
"I do not understand."
"She's impatient, and wants a specific fight with me, an 'ideal' fight. She will not expect a fight where I simply disengage from her attacks and run. You will fight her instead, while I fight the other. In frustration, she'll try to fight through you to get to me, but you won't allow her. With luck, she might overextend, creating an opening for you to kill her."
"How are you sure this plan will work?" asked Jiro. "There are so many pillars that can fall. What if you're wrong about how she'll react? What if we can't separate them? What if you can't disengage her?"
"I can't be certain any of it will work." responded Yori.
Jiro nodded. "It's time to act. Let us go."
"Finally!" exclaimed Himura. "It's freezing in here."
The ice walls were weak now that Katsumi was dead. Himura pointed to where Yori could carefully burn an opening for them to go through. Himura motioned for them to keep quiet with a simple gesture as they snuck through the halls of the complex once again. Himura went on ahead in front of Yori and Jiro. There were still golems about, but they were unaware of Himura's betrayal. He'd simply divert their paths with simple orders to clear a direct path for them to go. They made it to the old staircase that Himura mentioned. It was one of those that you had to pull down by a cord on a roof to pull down. Himura again went first, followed by Jiro and then Yori. Yori pulled up the staircase from behind them.
It was dark as they crawled through the roof. At one point, they heard Yang below questioning golems on the orders that were used to divert their paths, but those above ignored that, pressing forward silently on their knees on wooden beams. There were a couple of times Jiro caught hold of Himura's shirt so he wouldn't lose balance and fall. They nodded to each other, not in thanks, but in mutual understanding that it did neither of them any good to get caught now. Skipping a fight made a great deal of difference for this gauntlet. They then stopped at what seemed to be a dead end. Himura pointed downward, and pointed at himself, opening a small hidden door at the dead end, revealing a small nook for one person. He then turned around and closed the small down behind him silently. Presumably they would get him later once the coast was clear.
Jiro slid the loose wooden boards aside and the two samurai dropped down from the roof. They turned about to find two handled wooden doors facing them. Unlike the freaky door that protected Waru's realm, these doors were normal by comparison, with wooden etchings of Japanese dragons on the door fronts. With one samurai behind each door, they snuck through together with their swords drawn into a large, open, and beautiful courtyard, overlooked from afar by the topmost level of the complex, where Gin presumably was. Jiro and Yori had their backs to each other as they surveyed their surroundings for the enemy until both pairs of eyes focused on a pair of two stone dragons. Neza and Mei walked out of cover and moved towards the two in unison.
"I should warn you that Neza will have an ally as well." said Himura.
"The double that carried her out of the tombs?" guessed Jiro.
"What you saw of the other was only the husk. Mei doesn't have the same mind, though they have taught each other much." Himura then sighed. "It's unfortunate that our strategy of killing generals two versus one is over."
He was waiting for Yori to rebuke, but Yori didn't this time. His eyes were dispassionately focused. Himura remembered learning about the soldier training that cyborg PaxCorp employees had to go through. It was all about stripping the humanity from the enemy in the mind, lashing outward. It was very unlike how Jiro eyes were calm, seeming to clear his thoughts for the coming battle, of maintaining an inward sanctuary for himself.
"Tell me the weaknesses in her design." said Yori. It seemed he had come to that decision after forcing himself into the mindset of a PaxCorp soldier. He didn't demand to know this for the other generals.
"There are none." responded Himura.
"You expect me to believe you didn't create an artificial one for your own protection?"
"I don't create flaws."
"Your ego makes you a fool."
"I'd be foolish if I tried making a flaw." said Himura. "Neza would've found it and rooted it out of her system. She would've then killed me to make doubly sure the weakness was gone. You know this. Use your soldier training better. If there is no weakness-"
"Make one." finished Yori. Yori then turned to Jiro.
"We can't allow ourselves to become like them." responded Jiro.
"There will be no tricks." assured Yori. "If what Himura says is true, that Neza is excited to fight me, that becomes her weakness. She will try to fight me, and I will deny her."
"I do not understand."
"She's impatient, and wants a specific fight with me, an 'ideal' fight. She will not expect a fight where I simply disengage from her attacks and run. You will fight her instead, while I fight the other. In frustration, she'll try to fight through you to get to me, but you won't allow her. With luck, she might overextend, creating an opening for you to kill her."
"How are you sure this plan will work?" asked Jiro. "There are so many pillars that can fall. What if you're wrong about how she'll react? What if we can't separate them? What if you can't disengage her?"
"I can't be certain any of it will work." responded Yori.
Jiro nodded. "It's time to act. Let us go."
"Finally!" exclaimed Himura. "It's freezing in here."
The ice walls were weak now that Katsumi was dead. Himura pointed to where Yori could carefully burn an opening for them to go through. Himura motioned for them to keep quiet with a simple gesture as they snuck through the halls of the complex once again. Himura went on ahead in front of Yori and Jiro. There were still golems about, but they were unaware of Himura's betrayal. He'd simply divert their paths with simple orders to clear a direct path for them to go. They made it to the old staircase that Himura mentioned. It was one of those that you had to pull down by a cord on a roof to pull down. Himura again went first, followed by Jiro and then Yori. Yori pulled up the staircase from behind them.
It was dark as they crawled through the roof. At one point, they heard Yang below questioning golems on the orders that were used to divert their paths, but those above ignored that, pressing forward silently on their knees on wooden beams. There were a couple of times Jiro caught hold of Himura's shirt so he wouldn't lose balance and fall. They nodded to each other, not in thanks, but in mutual understanding that it did neither of them any good to get caught now. Skipping a fight made a great deal of difference for this gauntlet. They then stopped at what seemed to be a dead end. Himura pointed downward, and pointed at himself, opening a small hidden door at the dead end, revealing a small nook for one person. He then turned around and closed the small down behind him silently. Presumably they would get him later once the coast was clear.
Jiro slid the loose wooden boards aside and the two samurai dropped down from the roof. They turned about to find two handled wooden doors facing them. Unlike the freaky door that protected Waru's realm, these doors were normal by comparison, with wooden etchings of Japanese dragons on the door fronts. With one samurai behind each door, they snuck through together with their swords drawn into a large, open, and beautiful courtyard, overlooked from afar by the topmost level of the complex, where Gin presumably was. Jiro and Yori had their backs to each other as they surveyed their surroundings for the enemy until both pairs of eyes focused on a pair of two stone dragons. Neza and Mei walked out of cover and moved towards the two in unison.