Location: Echohold-09 (Outside Area)

  Time of Day: Morning

  The woman lifted a single finger, curling it playfully in a come here gesture. Her voice dipped, warm and amused. "Now then... come at me."

  "Fine!" Hikari snapped her arm forward, pink aura surging around her. "Drones!" FWIP! FWIP! FWIP! All three Tech Link Bots burst into formation, pink cores flaring bright. "Engage!" PEW! PEW! PEW! The drones unleashed streaks of pink aura bullets straight toward the woman.

  A soft, almost affectionate breath slipped from her. "Mirror Step."

  SHINK! A glass-like barrier appeared before her, perfectly translucent. The bullets struck hard CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! until the entire pane shattered into glittering shards. But behind the breaking mirror, the woman was already gone.

  Captain's eyes widened. "Where the hell did she go?"

  Slayer whipped his head around. "She completely vanished."

  Lumina scanned the area, her hand tightening on her katana. "Stay alert, everyone!"

  Hikari and her drones looked around too, scanning every angle, but there was no sight of her.

  Then a warm, almost playful voice drifted behind them. "Fracture Wave."

  FWOOOM! A wide purple wave exploded outward. They turned too late before it slammed into them. THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD! The entire team was thrown off their feet, crashing hard as their auras dimmed.

  Hikari hit the dry ground with a sharp gasp, her drones beside her, their pink cores flickering as their aura dimmed. Captain crashed down next to her, teeth gritted. Slayer rolled across the dirt before skidding to a stop. Lumina pushed herself up on one arm, drawing a deep, steadying breath.

  Captain breathed heavily, bracing on one knee as it trembled beneath him. "Jeez... it almost feels like my body just went through some intense training."

  Slayer exhaled sharply, struggling to rise. "No kidding. Even my heart's pumping fast from that hit."

  Lumina steadied herself on her katana, eyes narrowed. "That attack just now, is definitely the reason we're feeling so fatigued right now... Not good."

  Hikari pushed herself up slowly, hands on the ground, half in a kneeling push-up position. "Our stamina... sigh... it was either drained or just stolen away from us."

  TAP... TAP... Soft footsteps approached them. The hooded woman moved with refined, unhurried grace, her black smooth stone mask revealing nothing. A faint, appreciative hum slipped from her. "That was only a whisper of my power," she said, stepping lightly across the cracked earth. "A warm-up, really. You'd be wiser to surrender now... before things get climactic."

  Hikari planted a hand on the ground and pushed herself up, pink aura burning bright again. "Never! We're not giving up so easily!"

  Captain rose beside her, red aura surging. "Unfortunately for you... You picked the wrong team to corner."

  Slayer stood tall, sword and shield in hand, blue aura flaring. "That's right. We're not letting you off the hook so easily."

  Lumina lifted her blade, green aura flowing steady around her. "We will continue until our very last drop of stamina is gone."

  The woman tilted her head gently, her voice soft with intrigue. "Impressive. Even after losing more than half of your stamina, you still choose to stand against me. I admire your spirits... truly." She stepped forward, her aura flowing like purple fire. "But I would admire them even more if you stopped holding back... and showed me what your Emanations can really do against mine."

  Lumina tightened her grip on her katana. "Listen up everyone, let's try to attack as one! There are no room for mistakes here so stay sharp."

  Hikari nodded, her drones hovering at her sides. "Right. I'll assist however I can with my drones."

  Captain checked his rifle with a sharp CHK-CHK. "I'll provide cover fire from the back line."

  Slayer grinned, aura flaring. "Alright! Time to go all out!"

  They all shifted into stance in a united line, their auras burning bright again. Lumina's eyes glowed green. With an echoing breath, she yelled: "Chronus Overdrive!" FWISH! "Taking the lead!" She vanished in a burst of speed, reappearing in front of the hooded woman with her katana raised SHINK!

  The woman tilted her head slightly, barely moving as the blade cut through empty air. Lumina swung again. FWOO! And again. FWOO! Slash after slash, each one faster than the last, her Overdrive pushing her into near-blinding speed. But the woman slipped between every strike with gentle ease, like she could see each attack before it even happened.

  "My, my..." she breathed, voice airy with admiration. "You're a swift one, aren't you?"

  Lumina grit her teeth, spun, and delivered a sudden back kick aimed straight for the woman's head. The woman slipped past it effortlessly, purple aura surging around her. And while Lumina was still mid-motion, the woman lifted her leg WHUMP! Her kick was about to connect cleanly across Lumina's torso, when-

  "Oathblade Surge!"

  Behind her, Slayer's voice cut through the air, his aura bursting. Blue crescent waves shot across the field FWOOOOSH! racing straight toward the woman. She turned sharply, her black hood fluttering, and leapt away at the last moment. She landed lightly, away from the waves and clear of Lumina, but Captain was already flanking her from behind the moment her boots touched the ground.

  "Got you," he muttered. BRATATATAT! Red aura bullets tore through the air.

  The woman twisted gracefully, performing a backward flip as the shots carved past her. She landed in a low crouch, then PEW! PEW! PEW! Hikari's drones were already firing, beams of pink aura locking onto her position.

  The woman exhaled softly, eyes glowing bright purple. "Mirror Step." SHINK! A smooth, translucent pane of glass formed before her once more. The shots struck instantly CRACK... CRACK! The mirror shattered, and she was gone.

  Captain's eyes widened as he spotted her. "Behind you, Slayer!"

  She appeared right behind him, her leg lifting for a clean, precise kick CLANG!!

  Slayer spun just in time, shield raised. "Hehe. Not today." The impact surged through his shield, charging it with energy. A smirk crossed his face. “Momentum Guard!” FWOOOM! A spiral of blue light burst from his shield, coiling around his body before exploding outward in a sweeping wave, but the woman quickly slipped back with effortless grace, untouched.

  She let out a low, amused hum, almost pleased. "Mmm... how entertaining."

  Slayer took a stance, blue aura steady around him. “You’re having fun, aren’t you? Then let’s not stop just yet!” He braced himself and yelled, “Now!”

  The hooded woman paused for a moment, a subtle tilt of her masked head, confused... or intrigued.

  SHIIING! Lumina flashed behind her, a streak of green aura trailing in her wake, katana swinging in a clean, sharp arc. The woman's head turned slightly at the sound of her closing in, and she leapt upward in a smooth, effortless motion.

  Lumina's blade carved the air where she'd been a second earlier. "Right where we wanted you," she said softly.

  FWIP! A single red aura bullet sliced through the air toward the woman, curving sharply as it accelerated mid-flight. It had been Captain's missed shot from earlier, now homing back onto its target.

  Captain crouched low, rifle steady, eyes narrowed. "Aura Pursuit."

  While in the air, a soft, surprised hum slipped from her, her purple eyes locking onto the accelerating bullet. "Hmm... how odd. I don't recall hearing that one fire at all."

  Captain's voice cut across sharply. "You're done!"

  The bullet closed in, about to pierce her FWIP! but she glided aside midair with a gentle, levitation-like movement, avoiding it by inches. SKRRRCH! Even so, the bullet grazed her, slicing cleanly through the edge of her hood and tearing the fabric open. A faint scrap of black cloth fluttered downward to the cracked ground. She hovered there for a moment, looking down at the torn edge of her cloak, the slight opening revealing a glimpse of her black leggings beneath.

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  Then a soft, delighted breath escaped her - calm, amused, almost proud. "Oh my... you managed to tear my not-so-favorite hood." Her voice warmed with genuine intrigue. "Please... continue to fascinate me even further."

  Captain lowered his rifle slightly, glare sharp. "Dammit... how is it that she's capable of flight?"

  Lumina's eyes stayed locked on the woman drifting in the air. "It's probably tied to her Emanation. Some form of aerial manipulation, if I had to guess."

  Slayer let out a long exhale. "Well that's not annoying at all to deal with."

  Hikari stepped forward, eyes narrowing with determination, her drones hovering beside her. "C'mon... we'll figure it out. If she wants to fight up there, then we'll take the fight to her."

  A soft, pleased hum drifted down from above. "My... how determined you guys are to win this battle," the woman said, hovering gently in the air. "It almost makes me want to let you all go... just to see where you'd stand in a year or two." Her voice dipped, soft and final. "But unfortunately... my orders are absolute."

  Hikari's eyes widened slightly, her voice low with a hint of awe. "What does she mean by 'orders'...?"

  The woman lifted one hand. FWUM... A brilliant diamond appeared, floating just above her palm that was about the size of a baseball. Clear and radiant, its surface shimmered as it bent and reflected the surrounding light. It hovered with a soft hum, spinning slowly and casting scattered reflections across the battlefield.

  Captain narrowed his eyes at the diamond. "A diamond?"

  Slayer raised his shield, blade ready. "Is that her weapon or something?"

  Lumina's gaze sharpened. "It seems that way."

  Hikari stared, brows narrowing. "What is she planning...?"

  The hooded woman gave a soft, elegant chuckle as she admired the crystal resting on her palm. "Mmm... such a beautiful yet deadly little piece." She lifted it slightly, letting its facets catch the light. "Meet my HeartFract Prism," she said, tone warm and almost ceremonial. "My beloved weapon." The diamond gleamed softly in her hand, humming with quiet power. "Now... its time to show you all what it can do."

  The team tightened their stances as those words sank in, their auras flaring around them. Captain steadied his rifle, eyes narrowed. "Careful, everyone. She's planning to come right at us with that diamond."

  Slayer raised his shield. "Let's just hope our weapons can actually cut through it."

  Lumina lifted her katana, green energy flaring. "Even if we can't... we'll just go for the source instead."

  Hikari's drones hovered close, humming sharply. "Keep your distance, everyone."

  The hooded woman watched them with quiet satisfaction, her attention drifting back to the crystal in her palm. A faint glow lit her purple eye behind the mask. "Shatter."

  CRRRSH! The diamond broke apart instantly, splitting into six floating fragments that glittered like suspended stars. They hovered above and around her palm, orbiting in smooth, elegant motion - each piece alive with sharp, lethal purpose.

  She extended her other arm toward the team, palm open as if commanding an unseen force. Her voice softened, warm and deliberate. "Search..." One fragment rose a little higher, spinning. "And destroy."

  FWIP! The elevated shard launched forward like a bullet, streaking straight toward Slayer. His eyes widened, then he snapped his shield up just in time. CLANG! The fragment speared into the metal, embedding halfway through before stopping.

  Slayer exhaled sharply behind his helmet, a confident grin forming. "Sorry, but that won't do."

  A soft laugh drifted from above. "Oh... forgive me," the woman said gently. "But I think I forgot to mention something." She lifted her free hand with slow, graceful poise, palm facing the sky. "Ah, right... this is the part where I go-" Her fingers curled. "Boom."

  KABOOM! The shard embedded in Slayer's shield detonated point-blank. The blast swallowed him in light. Slayer was hurled backward, slammed into the ground with a metallic CRASH!, then rolled across the dirt until he finally skidded to a stop. His armor was dented inward, black scorch marks spider-webbing across the metal as he groaned beneath the impact.

  The woman gave a soft hum, almost sympathetic, as the diamond fragment drifted back to hover above her palm. “Mm… perhaps I was a bit too brutal?”

  Slayer didn't rise and he didn't even twitch.

  "Slayer!" Hikari shouted, eyes wide.

  Captain's teeth clenched as he scanned the damage. "Damn it! He's not getting back up."

  Lumina's brows narrowed sharply. "Tch. He blocked it, but that blast was unexpected." Her eyes snapped to Hikari. "Hikari! Can you heal him?"

  Hikari nodded quickly. "Yeah, I can try and get to him."

  "Good." Lumina stepped forward, katana ready. "Then Captain and I will keep her busy while you get him back on his feet."

  Hikari's drones hovered by her side. "Right. Sounds like a plan."

  Captain aimed his rifle up at the hooded woman. "Let's just hope Ms. Black-Hood over there lets us execute that plan."

  A soft hum drifted down from above. The hooded woman tilted her masked face toward them, voice warm and calm. "Oh dear... you knew exactly what I was thinking?" Her tone stayed gentle, even sympathetic. "Do forgive me, but... I won't let you execute such a lovely plan."

  Hikari's pink aura flared sharply. "Then come and stop us if you can!"

  "Mmm," the woman breathed, amused. "I'll gladly accept your invitation."

  Lumina's eyes snapped forward, stance tightening. "Hikari, Captain, now!"

  Hikari snapped her arm forward. "Drones advance!" HUMMMM! All three drones launched upward in formation, firing rapid pink aura blasts toward the woman in the air.

  Captain advanced, rifle raised. "Assisting fire!" BRRRTTT! Red aura rounds tore through the air in a steady stream.

  High above them, the hooded woman lifted her free hand. The six floating diamond fragments hovered elegantly around her other arm. Her purple aura flared, controlled and overwhelming. "Search... and destroy."

  FWIP! FWIP! FWIP! FWIP! Four diamond fragments shot forth at blinding speed, streaking across the sky like razor-sharp crystal arrows. Pink and red aura bullets slammed into the incoming shards CRRRSH! CRACK! SHNK! Each aura projectile shattered on impact, bursting into dust. The diamond fragments didn't chip or slow down. They simply curved in a perfect arc and drifted back to the woman's palm, orbiting above her palm once again.

  Hikari's eyes widened. "Our bullets didn't work."

  Captain reloaded his rifle with a sharp burst of red aura. “Hmph. Guess we won’t be going for her diamond fragments then.”

  The woman's purple eyes glowed. "Sorry... but you're going to have to try har-" she paused, voice warming with amusement, "no... pierce harder than that."

  Lumina’s voice came firm. “Hikari, just focus on getting to Slayer. I’ll handle her.”

  Hikari nodded once. "On it." She then sprinted toward Slayer's motionless form.

  The hooded woman noticed immediately, her masked face tilting. She extended her free arm toward Hikari, palm open.

  Lumina moved in a flash. "I won't let you!" Her eyes lit with a sharp green glow, her aura flaring around her. "Chronus Overdrive!" FWOOOM! Her speed doubled instantly. Lumina pushed forward, green aura surging into her legs, then launched herself upward in a streak of emerald light. She closed the distance fast, blade already cutting through the air as she slashed at the woman midair SHIIING!

  The woman drifted aside with effortless grace, hardly even shifting her posture, as if she had seen the strike long before it came. "Oh... aggressive, are we?" she murmured, voice warm and lightly amused. Then her leg snapped outward WHUMP! The kick slammed into Lumina midair, catching her clean across the ribs. The woman spun, and another sharp kick crashed down from above, sending Lumina hurtling toward the ground. THUD! Lumina hit hard and rolled through the cracked ground.

  "Lumina!" Hikari called out, still not having reached Slayer. Lumina was already on the ground.

  Captain's jaw clenched. "Damn it... no way she took Lumina down that easily..."

  The woman descended gracefully, touching down without a sound. She faced Hikari directly, her voice warm and almost disappointed. "You're falling again, Hikari," she said softly. "So tell me... what will you do this time, hm?" The diamond fragments hovering above her palm spun a little faster. "Oh I know. Why don't you show me that lovely form of yours? Maybe that will save your future once again."

  Hikari's brows narrowed at her, hands clenching tight.

  Captain stepped forward toward her. "Don't listen to her, Hikari!" he snapped. "She's trying to get under your skin! So stay focused!"

  The woman hummed, lightly amused. "Mmm... perhaps. Or perhaps I'm just simply telling her the answer to her current situation." Her purple aura flowed steadily around her, calm and knowing.

  Hikari steadied herself, her drones hovering close beside her. "No matter how difficult things get," she said, her voice firming, "we always pull through. I don't care what or who gets in our way." Her aura flared brighter. "We will make it out of here together!"

  Captain stepped beside her, rifle raised toward the woman. "Well said, Hikari. One way or another, we're finishing this together whether you like it or not."

  A soft, delighted hum slipped from the hooded woman. "Mmm... such conviction. Now then... let's see how long you can hold onto those words." Her free hand lifted, palm open toward them.

  "Careful, Hikari," Captain warned. "Here she comes again."

  Hikari braced herself, her drones hovering tight beside her.

  The six diamond fragments in the woman's other hand shot forward FWIP! FWIP! FWIP! Hikari dove left and Captain rolled right. The shards sliced past them, stabbing into the dry ground before snapping back toward her, returning to hover neatly above her palm once again.

  Captain quickly dropped into a low stance, red aura igniting around him as he grabbed the side of his rifle. "Configuration Shift. SMG MODE!" CHNK! SHRRRK! The rifle compressed into a sleek SMG form, vents flowing with red aura. Captain snapped it up and took aim at the woman. "Let's see you dodge this!"

  BRRT! BRRT! BRRT! A burst of three bullets tore toward her - BRRT! BRRT! BRRT! Followed by another three in rapid succession. The woman raised her free hand, ready to command her diamond fragments to intercept but-

  Hikari's voice cut through the battlefield, sharp and focused. "Aura Tech Link!"

  ZSHHH! A pink beam shot from Hikari's hand, threading through the floating diamond fragments in the woman's palm before fading out. The link was established. Hikari had hacked the fragments into place.

  The woman's head tilted slightly toward them. "Oh my..." she murmured. She tried to command the fragments forward, but they didn't respond.

  Captain's bullets closed in fast, and the woman was forced to react. She dodged at the last second, but CRACK! The bullets struck her smooth stone mask directly, sending cracks spidering across the surface as her head snapped to the side from the impact.

  "It struck her mask," Captain said quietly.

  Hikari and Captain stared as the hooded woman slowly turned her head back toward them. A piece of the black stone mask loosened, dropped, and shattered against the ground. Through the broken half, they finally saw her left eye - a deep purple, sharp and calm. A faint, elegant curve touched her lips. Wine-red hair, long and flowing, framed the glimpse of her cheek.

  The woman lifted her free hand, fingertips brushing the cracked edge of the mask with gentle curiosity. "How cruel..." she breathed softly. "Well, that took an unexpected turn." She tilted her head just slightly, her exposed eye narrowing with quiet intrigue. "To think you'd actually land a hit on me..." A soft chuckle slipped out, delicate and musical. "How... pleasant."

  Hikari’s voice came firm, yet curious, as she maintained the hack. "So, now that we forced your identity out... care to tell us who you are?"

  Captain kept his rifle trained on her. "It's our reward for landing a hit on you."

  The woman let her hand fall gently to her side, her voice dipping into warm approval. "Mmm... a reward, you say." She stepped forward once, calm and unhurried. "I suppose it would be rude not to accept your request, since you pushed harder than I assumed you could."

  The fragments of the broken mask still clung to the right side of her face, concealing the rest. She straightened her posture, her purple aura easing into a calm fade, her diamond fragments still frozen above her palm. “Very well then.” She placed her free hand over her chest, closing her eye for a brief, composed moment. “My name is…” Her purple eye opened. “…Serava Lysavelle. One of the four members of the Obsidian Veil.” She snapped her fingers lightly. “Nice to make your acquaintance.”

  Hikari and Captain stood stunned, the unfamiliar names hitting them like a blow. A storm of questions raced through both their minds. The battlefield fell into a still, quiet pause as the three of them stared at one another.