Bodies with various red clothing practically being scattered to the winds, the one reddest of all may very well have been Macario. The Crimson Company forces were too numerous to arm the entire force with guns, so most went to the Verdant Company's much smaller artillery squad. However, while the armed fighter was still largely in melee ranger where he excelled, to fight dozens upon dozens, hundreds upon hundreds, it was to be expected he'd take his licks here or there.

Holding his palm open, fingers tight together, Macario shouted, "Kun!" Slashing his arm across a trio of mooks, they fell back, blood flashing as if they'd been cut. Despite his own blood being shed, Macario seemed to have no intent on slowing down.

A fair amount of time having passed since the invasion started, the med beyond the chokepoint had started to get restless, but the wall was too tall to scale without preparation, and the only other opening was chock full of Azure Company forces. Those nearest to the opening would quickly become frightened upon seeing Macario's carnage, where those behind grew restless, wondering why it was taking so long, their bodies unable to do anything despite their adrenaline in the heat of battle.

"That the hell is going on! Why has no one moved yet?" a voice came, booming from right in between Macario and a goon he charged. Punch knocking him a few meters away, the men he'd been fighting seemed anxious, looking around before someone yelled to pass a message along. Suggestions of an 'obstacle' echoed throughout the enemy forces, Macario quickly dismissing it.

Then, a minute later, the forces split like a book, the stopped charge giving Macario a moment of reprieve. As he caught his breath, he watched the slow approach of another, taller man, a black and white scarf around his neck in a red suit, hair and beard both black and bushy. Man standing a few feet above Macario, Leader Vermilion scoffed, "Where's everyone else?"

Pulling back his fist, Macario said, "Off doing their own things with the rest of your Companies. Now..." Thrusting his fist forwards, "Xun!" Force shaking the air, Vermilion was struck, flying backwards. Spittle flying out of his mouth as he fell back, he skidded to a stop, glare shooting from under his black banded hat, he brushed off his chest, scoffing, "'Scuse me if I'm surprised we've been held up for so long by [i]one guy[/i]. Ya see I'm more of a proponent for majority rules myself." Left hand glowing white, right hand reaching a pair of fingers into the edges of his mouth, Vermilion let otu a shrill whistle, which seemed to reverberate throughout his forces. Stances going firm, faces growing serious, his men lined up, equal amounts of men on left and right moving around Macario.

"You think your guys didn't try that already?" Macario laughed. Legs buckling, he leaped to one of the groups. They brought their arms up on the defensive, but a rapid flurry of "Dui" brought them down. Shifting his position, a "Xun" knocked two men from the other group down as Macario took a step forward. With each step he shot off another punch, successfully stopping both groups, but he seemed rather fatigued by the end of it.

Taking advantage, Vermilion slipped in, knives in between each of the fingers of his right hand. Flicking one knife, Macario deflected it, letting it land on the ground with a mild 'thp'. Then he heard another 'thp', this one from just under his ear. Flinching, his arm flexed, trying to block a knife that wasn't there, as one that was dug into his leg. "Wha-?" he gasped, wincing in pain as Vermilion bore down on him, knife aiming for his eyes. Glaring, Macario's free hand snapped out, jabbing him in the stomach and stopping his charge, before his other curled over, smashing him in the face and sending him hurtling back into some of his own men. The others seemed prepared, jumping right out and aiming their swords at Macario. He took his nicks and blasted them back too as Vermilion shakily returning to his feet.

"The hell was that?" Macario and Vermilion echoed.

"Stupid ghost knives, I'm sick of ghosts!" Macario grumbled.

"You take swords like a block of marble what the hell are you made of?"

Macario winced, "It still hurts asshole."

Flicking his wrist, more knives appearing, Vermilion stated, "Well I'm still planning on cutting you apart. There's power in unity so for my interests, your body parts are best kept [i]separated[/i] from each other."

Clenching his fist tightly as he pulled it back, Macario's eyes closed as he focused intently. "Yeah to be honest I could use a breather. "Zhen: Flaming Wind," he murmured, before letting his fist fly. Vermilion tried to leap over, but was struck, chest erupting into flames. Yelping, he was pushed back further, the flames spreading even more. Men panicking, Macario grinned, wondering, "Why don't I do that more often?" Glancing at his arm, he couldn't help but notice it was covered in flame, as were several spots on the ground around him. Dropping down to a roll, he punched his arm into the earth, yelling in pain alongside the Crimson Company, the two sides aiming to extinguish themselves. Finishing first, Macario lay down on the ground, arm red with burns, muttering, "That just made me more tired!"

Mind going as the recovering Crimson Company began to mobilize, Macario considered, [i]I guess his power has something to do with sound? He made me hear things, he was communicating with his men...does it really matter then?[/i]

Taking a breath, knowing his body wouldn't be able to hold out in full, he took a mighty stride as he got closer, Vermilion heading himself at the front of his forces. "Now!"

His men hollered a battle cry, Macario's face turning into a glare. "While he's weak!" Vermilion said, just as another cry came from behind him as if it were echoing. Macario didn't seem to care though, despite the threat of forces ambushing him from the rear. Rather then turn and fight, he simply began to scream. A low yell quickly building to a fierce battle cry, one that shook the hearts of the Crimson Company. Vermilion grimaced, eyes wide, hand whipping forward, tossing their knives at Macario. A raise arm took the blades, but his volume only increased, matching the pain he received. Trying to step back, but blocked by his men, Vermilion tried to bark orders, but Macario was getting closer and closer, his yelling drowning out anything he could have said. His men began to fall into disarray, intimidated by the seemingly unshakable man. Those in melee range thrust out blades, but it was fruitless.

[b]"ZHEN: LAKESIDE MOUNTAIN,"[/b] Macario roared, arms blurring as he unleashed a flurry of blows. Each blow landed on some mook or another, piercing power blowing through and striking even more beyond. Vermilion just barely managed to stay out of reach, using his taller figure to scramble through his men as Macario chased him, lines breaking. Only some of the punches connected however, some stopping short without even impacting, let alone releasing their shockwave of piercing power. But despite the flaws of the technique, against such a weak force, even the failed punches still had psychological effect, as did the mass of men trying to escape, their panic instilling more fear, even as punches failed more often as the attack continued.

Macario laughed, "WHAT'S THE MATTER? YOU'RE UNIFIED AREN'T YOU? ALL OF YOU ARE AFRAID!" Line completely shattered, even has his punches stopped connecting, the effects had reverberated throughout, men shooting every which way, some even daring to slip through the hole in the wall to finally reach the palace grounds at last.

Arms finally slowing to a stop, Macario collapsed to his knees, catching his breath. "Damn, guess I can't hold off an army forever..." Despite Macario falling, with the first men who jumped him getting blasted away, no more dared encroach. It was more than a dozen minutes before Vermilion caught himself, using his Echo Echo Fruit powers to reorganize his men, readying for another charge by the time the enemy captain had made his way through to the palace.

Rallying his men, Vermilion started for the wall, but Macario laughed from his position. "Round 2 then?" Vermilion broke out into a sweat, hesitant.