Shinden Meteonis

While Rahim and Naphthien freed the Vulpi from the Ironclad Eagle, Saitori's forces finished off the Reaper Squad guards at the White House yard.

"Perimeter secured!" Captain Arius flipped his laser-edged fedora as the Red Strix and owl drones stood watch. "Owl drones are standing guard. Nobody is walking in or out without them knowing."

General Saitori stroked an owl drone's shield head. "Good! Get the troops ready to move in. We're ending this madness right here, right now!"

"Don't think it will be that easy to capture me, Saitori," Maika's voice echoed from the speakerphones within the White House. "After all, weren't we Shin-Kaminari flesh and blood who hid in the streets to survive?"

"It's over, Maika! Your lies have been exposed, and you have nowhere to run, and your grip over the players has ended! So why don't you make it easy for yourself and surrender? There's no point in continuing this bloodshed."

"Look at you, leading Cecilius' flock of misfits. You're truly a traitor to the Shin-Kaminari," Maika huffed. "I won't lose to some bird-brains playing dress-up."

"Have it your way, Maika. But we're coming for you!"

"Then let's do this. I have plenty of surprises for you, Saitori."

Magnus analyzed data from a Reaper Squad helmet. "I got Forroway's location. We're good to go!"

Saitori signaled the Red Strix to knock down the front doors. When they did, an automatic sentry gun stood in wait, firing at point-blank to catch everyone by surprise. The Red Strix shielded themselves as Captain Arius launched his laser fedora at the sentry, slicing it down.

"Sentry down! Advance!"

As they marched into the blue-rugged hallways of the White House, a pack of blurred stealth hounds ambushed them. Saitori's forces turned on their night vision gear to fight back.

"If we want to rescue Forroway, we have to split into two teams!" Magnus bashed his shield into a hound's face. "He's is kept in the west side."

Saitori drew her UICA and Shin-Kaminari blades to slice the hounds she once created. "And Maika?"

"She's in the President's executive office."

"Alpha Aces with me to capture Maika. The sooner we do, the better."

"Delta Brigade with me to find the President!" Arius choked his fedora into a hound's mouth.

Magnus smashed a stealth hound against the wall with his heat shield. "It's time to bring down the house!"

***

DJ Deadwing Nakajima

Level 357

HP: [357,625/357,625]

Trait 1: Heatseeking Draconids

Trait 2: Shinden Meteonis

The DJ Nakajima bomber opened its thorax compartment as red beeping crosshairs circled all teams.

"Warning! The enemy's Heatseeking Draconids has activated!" Phoenicia warned.

The groups scrambled to avoid the missiles' trajectory, but the newer players weren't fast enough to outrun the targeting system. After the onslaught, Ritom and Enshiron's groups concentrated their fire on the bomber. Mivangeline ordered her ground force and Ampyria's team to take cover behind the tentacle plants. The bomber had two underbelly howitzers that pierced through the plant cover.

"Take out the turrets! We can dish out extra damage that way," Mivangeline told everyone through the speakerphone.

Enshiron finished off a howitzer with a powerful Vampiric Zephyr arrow, but the turret was replaced with a plasma beam emitter that fired a long green laser that scorched the ground. When Ritom scorched the other howitzer, a rectangular 12-barreled cannon took its place to torment the players. As the Nakajima replaced its lost turrets, its satellite dish antennae blared Morse code. The bomber ordered Kyushu fighter reinforcements to spiral down at Ritom's group.

"Jump!" Ritom yelled.

As Ruddigus, Esarin, and the rest of his team tumbled down the pyramidal mountain, the fighter jets engulfed it with a twister formation. When they dispersed, the mountain crumbled into sand.

"Ritom! Meet us behind the plants. Quickly!" Mivangeline signaled. "Ampyria! They need cover!"

The Kyushu fighters circled towards Ritom's group as they scrambled to join Mivangeline. Ampyria's droid team defended them as they hid behind the plants.

"Sorry, Commander. We lost our position," Ritom breathed heavily. "There goes our heavy damage."

"Don't worry about it! At least you all made it safe."

Shien screamed when the bomber's grenade launcher was replaced with a Tesla needle that zapped him nonstop. Esarin quickly fired a rocket to blow it up, which was replaced with an acid cannon. The players panicked as the turrets were replaced with strange weapons like cryokinetic blasters, vaporizers, and launchers firing shurikens that shoot bullets before exploding.

"Any other way to take it down, Commander?"

"That thing spawns weapons we've never seen before!"

"We can't risk wasting all our healing items before the final boss."

Ampyria jumped off a tentacle plant when a flamethrower changed to a saw launcher, cutting the plant in half. "We're losing cover fast! If that bomber uses either of its traits to bust these last plants down, we're goners!"

"I suggest we take action against the bomber's Shinden Meteonis!" Phoenicia gave a hurt player an Eonspace Brew. "It can command DJ aerial reinforcements with different formations!"

Mivangeline covered her head from the overwhelming information but thought of something. "Phoenicia, those Kyushu fighters deal 50,000 damage to whoever they crash, right?"

"That's correct, Commander. Fixed damage that ignores defense."

"Then we can use their Kamikaze 050 trait against the Nakajima. When it uses Shinden Meteonis, Ampyria can drop me on the bomber to activate Paladin's Aegis."

"By taunting them from there, you're tricking the fighters to crash into their ace. Not a bad idea," Ritom blasted a fireball into the bomber's new sniper cannon. "But both traits have the same cooldown. Another Heatseeking Draconids can blast through our only cover and kill our wounded."

"That's why we need Knavus. If Naivern can fly him there, he can negate it by borrowing her HP."

"You hear that?" Enshiron shouldered him and Naivern. "Are you two fine with this?"

The two nodded as both pairs soared towards the Nakajima.

"Shien. Everyone. Do what you can to protect the injured," Mivangeline commanded. "Enshiron, tell your sniper units to provide us cover!"

"Yes, Commander!"

Phoenicia analyzed the trait cooldowns. "I recommend proceeding with speed. There are 30 seconds before the bomber's traits end their cooldowns!"

The Nakajima's new quadruple flak cannons fired at Ampyria and Naivern until Enshiron's group took them down. The bomber's thorax compartment opened and loaded its missiles.

"Can you get me there faster?" Knavus activated his Cosmic Matterslash to energize his blade. "I see those missiles loading!"

"I'm trying!" Naivern struggled to carry Knavus' weight.

Suddenly, the Nakajima's new ultrasonic blaster boomed a high-pitched radio wave at Naivern. Her eyes rolled back as she was knocked out cold, dropping Knavus as she fell.

"No! Naivern!" An enraged Enshiron blasted Vampiric Zephyr to crush the sonic blaster as Phoenicia rushed to catch Naivern. "Now it's too late to stop Heatseeking Draconids!"

"Hold on, Enshiron! It's not over yet!" Knavus flipped in midair to aim his blade while falling. "Commander! You're the closest right now! I need your HP!"

"Do it!" Mivangeline shouted.

As the Cosmic Matterslash summoned a spell circle to sap Mivangeline's health, Knavus chucked the shadowy blade at the bomber's belly before landing on the ground. It pierced a dark rift that cut through the underbelly guns and paralyzed the thorax launcher. With its Heatseeking Draconids unable to finish off the injured, the Nakajima activated Shinden Meteonis instead. Kyushu fighters were divided into two lines that closed toward the ground force in a scissor formation.

"Hope your trait is ready, Mivange! They're coming for us!" Shien and the others huddled to protect the wounded.

"This height is good, Ampyria. Drop me!" Mivangeline instructed.

When Ampyria dropped her onto the bomber, she swiped a tab to activate her Paladin's Aegis. As it buffed her defense, the Kyushus flew into a DNA shape and nosedived for Mivangeline in a wedge formation. She held onto the Nakajima's satellite dish antennae as it spun in circles wildly. The Kyushu fighters chased their ace bomber to get close for a clear shot.

"Wait for it," Mivangeline held on until the fighters were close enough. "Now!"

With the right timing, she jumped off the Nakajima as the fighters' machine guns brazed her hair. The fighters crashed into the giant aircraft, accidentally bombarding their ship with their Kamikaze.

DJ Deadwing Nakajima

Level 357

HP: [0/357,625]

"Yeah! Let's go!" Elysia jumped along with the other players.

"Go! Mivange! Go!" Shien high-fived Phoenicia.

When Mivangeline fell, Shien caught his girlfriend safely. With the Nakajima crashing into the toxic rivers, Ascension Gate Diabolos opened its fangs while its red eyes faded. The players could finally enter the Branded Tower to meet the final boss at the top. Mivangeline ordered the party to rest for HP regeneration, for too many healing items were used to survive the Nakajima battle. They hoped Enshiron's traits would help them make the most of their shortage.

"We're so close to freedom," Shien sighed. "I'll see you soon, Mom."

***

"What are you running for? Cowards hiding in the dark!" Magnus jumped at the last stealth hound, crushing his shield on its head. "Forroway's up ahead."

Arius and Magnus' squadron walked into the West Sitting Hall filled with yellow couches and tables with flowers and teacups. Portraits of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and other previous US presidents filled the walls.

"All clear!" The Red Strix fanned into separate rooms to check for stealth hounds.

In a secret room, Arius found President Forroway tied up in a chair with lightning ropes. Forroway was asleep, badly bruised, and cut across his body with one of his legs missing. The site was still heavily bleeding.

"Good Lord, Medics! Get over here!" The Captain disarmed the lightning ropes as a medic covered his open wound. "President Forroway? I'm Captain Nikol Arius of the UICA. We're here to rescue you!"

"What? Where? UICA?" He awoke, struggling with his bleeding lips. "A-am I dreaming?"

"No, good sir. This is all too real. General Saitori is here to arrest Maika to end this conflict!" Magnus shot a dead hound's beeping eye to be sure.

"S-Saitori is here..." Forroway felt relieved as his body was bandaged. "Thank the Lord."

"General!" Arius contacted Saitori. "We found the President! He's severely injured, but our medics are caring for him."

Saitori battled the crusader droid guards from the other end. "Good work! We're almost to the finish line. Escort Forroway out of the White House."

"Affirmative. Let us know if you find Maika."

"Where's the rest of the Cabinet?" Magnus scratched his head.

Forroway frowned. "Th-they're gone."

"How can that be?"

"Maika, that witch! She made me watch that thing eat them like an animal! I couldn't save them," He wept.

"What in the world do you mean, the thing that ate them?"

Arius and Magnus heard a giggling baby echoing throughout the White House as the lights flickered off, leaving them in pitch-black darkness. The portrait faces of the US presidents turned into bleeding nightmares that spilled black liquid from their eyes and grinning fangs.

"Weee! Ready to play in my meat buffet? It's time for a pow-wow!" Zentroid's voice cackled throughout the White House.