[b][i]Chapter One, Desperation in Lingayen, Part Six[/i][/b]

[b]Lingayen Beach, Municipality of Lingayen, Lingayen Gulf[/b]

"The enemy Arms Master we [i]know for sure[/i] is after us is Ren Huo - Or was it Huo Ren?" Noel responded to Regina punctually. "His Noble Arm is a Spear which allows him several Sun-themed powers - That means he's most likely the one projecting that Artificial Sun above us. Thankfully, Princess Fukuyo here is strengthened by fire and heat in general, meaning that she can counter him long enough for us to stab him in the back. As for the other Arms Masters... I don't have anything yet."

And indeed, the Princess could feel her Noble Arm being strengthened, and it was faster than it should be even in these circumstances. She might recall a memorandum from Japan's Military Intelligence that Ren Huo might have a secret weakness; that he seemed to empower every Arms Master who based their power on fire and heat whether he was willing to or not.

Those rumors were further confirmed once the Artificial Sun suddenly began fading, turning transparent until it vanished completely, leaving a clear sky. Noel's strategy, discussed with Callie and Nil, to use Henri to negate the magical construct had succeeded, with Henri's dive into the giant ball of fire, a dive where he had been able to activate his 'Anti-Magic', being the decisive factor in halting Ren Huo's onslaught and the near-loss of the defenders.

In the air, Lotus Squadron could see the man with the spear, Ren Huo himself, halt completely in his tracks, and Kaitlyn could see him as well, and if she requested Qingshe for a telescope or already had binoculars, she could have a closer view of the man who had caused so much havoc on his own.

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"Fireteams one and two - All of you but Nemo can reach him with your powers!" Noel shouted, clearly remembering Regil, Lucy, and Fukuyo's abilities in particular. "Prepare to attack; fire at will when we get the enemy's position through the comms!" He then shifted topics, "Lotus Squadron, do you copy? If you've found Ren Huo, give us the coordinates of his position - We might have a chance to rub him out of this world!"

He then took the time to walk up to the smallest Arms Master (Nemo) and give the boy a cautious head pat, before saying to him, "You did well in the previous stage of the battle. Now, I presume you have more powers than what you've already shown? If so, while the others blast him, tell me all about them so we can use your Noble Arm better."

Then to Qingshe, Noel continued, "Can you relay a message to Private Pierce? Tell her she's amazingly good with kids; can she and you help me protect this one?" he gestured to Nemo, "We can't avoid all trauma, but we can use whatever support we can to get through it and even minimize what we get..."

[hr]

Team Callie had succeeded with flying colors, giving the Main Group a chance to deal with the enemy who had cast the Artificial Sun. It was almost time for the real deal to set, and the sky was brightly lit with red as the area cooled. They could see from their position that the Chinese Fleet was holding back, making no moves to attack for thirty seconds - An eternity in a modern battlefield. Was this because although the ships had been reset yet again by the mysterious Arms Master who was frustrating their efforts, the crewfolk who had been killed on the vessels had not been so lucky?

Either way, this would be enough time for the Main Group to fire at Huo Ren, enough time to get off one or two blasts, but that wasn't their problem right now. 

Because in the thirty seconds' pause, the earth was shaking, even though it was not being pounded with artillery. The Philippine marines that had been stationed on Team Callie's new hill were vanishing, many turning to the just-appeared team of Arms Masters for help before they were swallowed into the softening ground. Then, when the three members of the team were finally alone, yet given enough foreshadowing of their enemy's nature and capabilities to be afraid, to sense that they were being toyed with, the earth underneath them began to crack, with small chunks of the hill breaking loose and tumbling down towards the beach...

Just as the three of them saw Sophist flying towards them, lightening gravity in their area so that they were almost floating, "The person behind this must be nearby - I've lightened your gravity to allow you to escape, then we're going to find whoever is causing this once we find another vantage point!" 

[@SkyHresvelg][@The World][@Chiro][@Aisede][@MagusDream][@Lewascan2][@Vergil][@Sniblet][@Conscripts][@Gerlando][@Senhara]