Storm Watch Pt. 5

The city of New Olympos spreads far and wide. It would take almost a full day to travel from corner to corner using public transportation options. The size is immense, and so are the many sectors shrouded in total darkness. No life, no surveillance, and barely enough light to see. The heavy rainfall only made it worse.

Among the towering pillars of abandoned structures, two soldiers stopped to catch their breaths.

"The fuck... is this?!" the first one panted endlessly. "The captain didn't say shit about a fucking psychopath being here!"

"I don't know, man..." the other one gasped. "Shit... My legs are about to give in."

Suddenly, a harrowing voice sang a soft, delicate melody. "La... la... la... la-la-la~ Hehehe..."

The soldiers both lifted their guns in a panic, pointing them in every direction. Likewise, their optics shuffled around at every wall and corner, but nothing was there. With each passing second, it seemed as though the darkness was slowly creeping towards them.

"Oh, shit... Oh, fuck..." one of them muttered fearfully. "We're gonna fucking die..."

"Shut up!" the other shouted. "We're getting outta here! I don't care what it takes, we—"

A sudden whoosh echoed along the walls, causing him to flinch. Immediately after, a subtle glint shined within the cracks of pitch black. From the shadows, a gleaming bolt pierced straight through his neck.

"Ah... A-ah..." the other soldier mumbled as he stumbled to the ground.

He could only watch as his friend was choking from a string of detached blades that was stuck in his neck. Every attempt to try and remove it only splattered the ground with more and more blood. Eventually, the constrained groans stopped, and his head tilted to the side one last time, never to move again.

The blades abruptly contracted, taking the body along with it. In just mere seconds, the darkness swallowed him whole, and all was quiet save for a series of metallic clangs.

"Who.... W-who's there...?" the soldier muttered incoherently.

Then he saw it—a plasma sword glowing faintly in the shadows. The unnerving rhythm of footsteps echoed through the alley, each step drawing the glow closer. Finally, a figure emerged.

The light filtering between the towering structures only illuminated her form up to the neck. She wore an oversized jacket draped over a revealing top, the bare skin beneath contrasting sharply with the scene's darkness. Long locks of magenta hair framed her face, the rest cascading to her shoulders in a sharp, striking cut.

She tilted her head, revealing a vicious smile. Fear surged through the soldier, cold and suffocating. Then her eyes flared, violet light glinting in the hollowed diamonds within them. It was as if he had come face to face with death itself.

"Don't be afraid, sweetie," she giggled. "I won't hurt you."

She walked over and knelt in front of him. Even though it was clear that he was very much afraid, she couldn't help but smile even more.

"Hm... How can I get you to calm down?" she asked. "Want a hug?"

"What..." the soldier finally spoke. "W-what do you... want from me... Loki...?"

Loki let out a soft giggle. "Don't worry. I'm not asking for anything important. I just need you to point me somewhere."

"...Where?"

"Well... There's a certain someone I'm looking for. You might've heard of her. Keira Van Lachlein."

"General Hela...?"

"Yeah. That's the one. Do you know where she is?"

"L-last I heard, she was investigating an area of suspicion in the Undercity district, where we thought... Um... Where we thought that... Y-your captain... Holiday..."

"Is that so? Hah."

After letting out a sigh, Loki stood up and walked off.

"Thanks for the info, sweetie," she smiled. "Don't get lost on your way back, hm?"

"...You're really letting me go?" he asked.

"Of course. I'm no monster. If people give me what I want, then I'll leave them alone."

Suddenly, the sound of marching could be heard amidst the storm. From multiple corners in the darkness, soldiers emerged with their guns pointed.

"Freeze, Loki!" their captain shouted. "Stay right where you are!"

"...Oh?" she grinned. "What's this now?"

"You're under arrest for treason against the High Order! Surrender peacefully, and we can avoid any more bloodshed!"

"Well, wouldn't that be so~ splendid for you, hm? Between all of you guys and me, who do you think will lose the most blood? Honestly... I'm dying to find out."

"Don't do anything stupid, Loki! Get on your fucking knees! Now!"

"Sheesh, I know I'm hot and all, but telling a woman to get on her knees? Sounds like you wanna do more than a simple arrest, don't you think?"

"W-what? No! I meant—"

He was immediately silenced by a string of blades flying through his skull. A splatter of blood fell with the rain, conjoining on the ground. The platoon looked upon their captain in horror as he fell to the ground.

"Hehe..." Loki giggled menacingly. "You guys should've just killed me when you had the chance. Code—"

That was all she was able to get out of her mouth before the soldiers lit her up.

Hundreds of bullets struck her, and even more were passing her by. Her body jolted back and forth, seemingly unable to keep up with the fluctuating impacts.

Three seconds. Five seconds. Ten seconds. Loki was being pummeled by a storm.

Finally, all magazines were expended. The soldiers slowly lowered their guns as they watched in awe. Loki was still standing. Splashes of blood covered her entire body, but there wasn't a single bullet hole.

She stumbled back, her breaths shallow. Immeasurable pain coursed through her body, yet despite that, the smile she wore only stretched wider. The weight of her head felt heavy and yet, she lifted it—and the horrific sight of those devilish eyes would be the last thing they'd see.

"...Berserk."

The area around her exploded as an ominous red glow filled the darkness. The hollowed diamond in her eyes flared into the deepest purple. A hexagonal cage formed around Loki, but it shattered almost immediately—like a beast escaping from its cage.

"Ah..." she sighed contentedly. "Now that... feels good."

Loki drew her weapon and dashed into the crowd, flailing the blade all around and brutally murdering those who were unfortunate enough to be there. Their screams of agony filled the air, and the alleyway was once again drenched in the darkest red. All the while, Loki was laughing at the top of her lungs, as if she derived joy from watching their pain.

It took no time for her to be the only one left standing in the center. Surrounding her were dozens of bodies oozing blood, but the rainwater quickly washed it away.

Loki laughed sinisterly as she lifted her left hand. A small cut somehow made its way beneath her index finger, and it seemed like it was the only injury she had sustained.

Her head lifted, her mouth opened, and her tongue slowly drifted out, sliding against the edge of the wound.

"Hehe... Hahahaha~" she snickered as a grin stretched her cheeks apart. "Just you wait, Keira... I'm coming for you."

As she stumbled away, keeping to the walls, a voice croaked in her ears. "Loki? Are you there?"

For a moment, she neglected to reply. She tried to speak, but nothing came out except for blood. It seems like even her code couldn't fully protect her from a hundred gunshots.

"Loki."

"I'm... I'm here, Holly," she answered. "What's up?"

"You... Are you alright?"

"Yep. I'm totally fine. A bit of blood here and there but nothing I can't handle, ya know?"

"...Take a breather and head to the coordinates I'm sending you. Loki and Minerva's got our guy."

"Yeah, sure. I'll be right there."

"Stay safe."

The transponder went offline, leaving Loki to her lonesome standing atop a mound of bodies. She tilted up to the sky, allowing the refreshing rain droplets to wash off the blood on her face.

"What a beautiful night... for such an undeserving city."