[b][i]Intermission Five - Aftermath of Victory[/i][/b]

[b]Municipality of Lubao, Pampanga Province, Philippines - 1/1/2023, 8:40 AM, UTC+8[/B]

Peony Loris was quickly accepted as a volunteer, albeit one closely escorted by heavily-armed infantry, some of them with weapons calculated to knock an Arms Master unconcious; sleep reverted 99.9% of all Arms Masters to normal people. She would be told by the guards that Task Force Obsidian was in the City of Lubao, Pampanga, and she would be shown a picture to go along with the verbal description of the municipality given to her by her escorting guards.

[center][i][url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lubao]A historic town in the province of Pampanga, Philippines, nestled amidst fertile rice fields, Lubao is a mix of old and new, with centuries-old stone churches and houses mixing with chic modern restaurants, hotels, and the houses of the upwardly mobile. Despite recent events, some mango and acacia trees still line the streets, and the waterways are being restored to their clean, pristine state. Due to its quick surrender, many of the historic buildings still stand.[/url][/i][/center]

The guards, despite the efforts of the middle-aged female drill sergant in charge of their unit, were given to gossip, and Peony would be told that Task Force Obsidian, though powerful, competent, famous and rewarded, also had a very high turnover rate, with a 'core' of only a few very experienced and strong fighters and many Arms Masters who either dropped out to do their own thing or got injured or killed or even captured; one or two were later revealed to be enemy agents trying to inflitrate the Task Force but were stopped before they can even meet with the members of Task Force Obsidian; a very big stroke of luck.

She was also told she was late; there was already a meeting in the [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lubao#/media/File:New_Lubao_Town_Hall_37.jpg]New Lubao Town Hall[/url] (the image cannot be reposted outside of Wikipedia), where one of TFO's allies was making some sort of heartfelt appeal for support. Either way, she would be guided to the heavily-guarded entrance of the building, then her escort's leader would say, gruffly, "Don't be late again, got it? Arms Master or not, that does not give you the privilege to be late in a war..."

Then the sky changed, and all of a sudden, it was a starry night again. But Peony still felt the heat of the day on the still-fleshy portions of her skin. Was it an illusion? And if so, was it the hologrammic kind, or the mental kind?

And something [i]fell down from the sky[/i], a streak of flame that crashed down to the ground several paces away from her and her guards, causing an impact that broke the concrete, mud, and grass of the courtyard and caused a large explosion of dust and rubble.

It was...

[@Paths of Parity]

[hr]

[b]Conference Room, City Hall, Municipality of Lubao, Pampanga Province, Philippines - 1/1/2023, 8:40 AM, UTC+8[/B]

Jin Li smiled at that and gave a slight bow before saying, "Thank you. The Qing Restoration Movement - Now the [i]New Democratic Party of China[/i] - will have a place in a Post-Communist political order thanks to your help -"

Then it all went dark. Anyone who rushed to the windows or outside would find that it was night again, or rather, a holographic barrier covered most of Lubao that projected a starry night sky. but did not keep out heat. 

Then the earth shook, as if a heavy weight crashed down on it. The space near the entrance was engulfed in an explosion of dust; did the foe launch an explosive drone?

[hr]

[b]Crater Near the Entrance, City Hall, Municipality of Lubao, Pampanga Province, Philippines - 1/1/2023, 8:40 AM, UTC+8[/B]

No; what had crashed was just one person. 

[center]
[URL=https://www.zerochan.net/2718669][IMG]https://s3.zerochan.net/Maple.%28Itai.no.wa.Iya.nano.de.Bougyoryoku%29.240.2718669.avif[/IMG][/URL]
[/center]

"Eheheheheh..." said the girl as she stood up from the center of the cloud of dust and the crater she had formed, then held out her shield, "I am your enemy, Feng Lin, Pig of the Zodiac, Devourer of Noble Arms! I have been sent to avenge the Chinese Pacific Fleet with your lives!"

And to grandstand, the holographic sky above them briefly returned into daylight, then an [i]Eclipse[/i]. Then Feng shouted, "Now get your civilians out of here so you can face me at full strength! I can defeat all of you, all at once - You have ten minutes before I use my powers to raze this town to the ground!"

A second later, a giant meteor sponteanously dropped down to just a few inches above the New City Hall... then parked itself there, suspended in midair. 

Feng then demanded again, "Now go evacuate all civilians so I can destroy you all singlehandedly!"

[@Amidatelion][@Chiro][@Nimbus][@Digmata][@Ducksworth][@Gerlando][@LladyLloki][@Creative Chaos][@Paths of Parity][@Lewascan2] (if returning) [@Gerlando] (if returning).