Chapter 35: Flashbangs and Friends
The surviving tank swung around heavily, its treads grinding against the pavement. Through his binoculars, Tom watched as the man with the red katana swung his blade aimlessly at the air, completely disoriented by the blindness.
The swordsman let out a roar of absolute fury. "I will find you and make you pay!!"
As his vision began to clear through the blur, he spotted the silhouette of the retreating tank. He raised his weapon to strike, but before he could swing, clink-clink. Another metal cylinder rolled to a stop right in front of his boots.
"No-!"
FLASH!
Once again, he was completely blinded. He roared into the light, violently cursing the fleeing soldiers.
Inside the tank, Ari pulled up a heavy canvas sack overflowing with metal cylinders. "Do we need more?" she asked casually.
Tom stared at the sack, his jaw dropping. "Geez!!? How many of those did you bring?!"
"About forty," Ari replied proudly.
"Where are the frag grenades, or the thermal ones, or the sticky ones I explicitly told you to pack?!" Tom yelled.
Ari pouted, looking away defensively. "I... I thought you said not to bring those, and only to bring flashbangs..."
From the driver's seat, Bianca let out a dry chuckle. "Typical Ari... you never listen to directions."
"Hey!!" Ari snapped, crossing her arms. "Those flashbangs just saved our lives, thank you very much! Right, Tom?"
Tom looked back through his binoculars, refusing to take sides. "I'd really rather not get involved. Bianca might steal my dessert out of the mess hall again if I choose wrong... I cannot handle that kind of heartbreak a second time."
Ari scoffed. "Seriously?! You're picking sides based on sweets?!"
"Wait..." Tom interrupted, his voice dropping as he focused the lenses. "There are... civilians approaching the danger zone!"
Bianca glanced out the viewport. "What?"
"Five girls... they're running straight toward the monster we just retreated from!" Tom furrowed his brow, squinting. The girl leading the pack was dressed in a vibrant pink frilly dress with long, bouncing pigtails. It looked exactly like a magical girl cosplay.
Tom quickly leaned out of the tank hatch and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Don't!! Retreat, there is a highly dangerous threat here!! Do not come any closer-"
Suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck stood up. A shadow fell over him.
The monstrous swordsman had recovered from the blindness. In a single, impossible leap, he had landed directly on top of their tank. His red katana was already mid-swing, coming straight for Tom's neck.
CLANG!!!
A shower of sparks exploded into the air. Another blade had intercepted the red katana just inches from Tom's face. Suki stood firmly on the chassis of the tank, her black samurai armor gleaming under the sun. With a powerful thrust, she deflected his momentum, forcing the monster to leap backward off the vehicle in surprise.
Suki immediately dropped into a perfect, flawless battle stance. Meanwhile, Pink, Alice, Maya, and Miss Marcy rushed forward, forming a protective line in front of the tank.
Tom stared in absolute disbelief. "Wait... so she just parried it with a sword?!" he muttered.
Down in the hull, Ari and Bianca were straining to see. "Wait, what?!" they yelled up at him. "What's going on up there? Tell us!!"
Pink burst into a loud, bubbly laugh, using Tony's mouth to cheer. "Yeah!! Suki, you are so fast and cool!!!"
Suki's stoic face flushed a faint shade of pink. "Please... I need to concentrate."
Miss Marcy looked completely terrified. Tears were already streaming down her face as she looked at the shredded tanks around them. "We're... we're going to fight that thing?!" she wailed.
Down on the street, the monster recovered his footing and chuckled darkly. His jagged teeth bared in a wicked smile. "So... the prey comes to me willingly? Good. Saves me the trouble of hunting you down. I need to snuff you all out before the portal closes anyway."