Ayre watched over Raven as he slept. She'd been hoping that this would end soon. She wasn't sure how much more one could take if she was honest. Even more, she honestly hoped that when this is over, maybe Raven wouldn't want to disconnect with her, maybe stay with her.

They've been through so much together. Not to mention how much they even helped each other. But if Raven wants to go off alone again, well... then she guesses that she'll just have to learn to move on.

She suddenly heard the COM explain that Raven had one message. She quickly woke him up, then watched him take a look at the briefing.

"You saw the ruins." said Walter, "Institute City... The mausoleum of the sinners who caused the Fires of Ibis. The Coral's right there. Waiting..."

The picture of the city slowly turned red as Raven was shown the familiar flaring particles of the Coral, just like Ayre when he sometimes sees her, as a small red glowing dot, pulsing as if imitating a heartbeat, and yet like a small lighter flickering.

"Arquebus has ordered us to discontinue the survey and hand things over to their AC squad." Walter continued.

But then, suddenly, the Arquebus logo disappeared, and Walter's voice got even more serious.

"621." he said slowly, "We're done with the corporations. Wipe out the Arquebus AC squad and get to the Coral first. When this job is over.. I'll tell you about the last of my friend's requests."

Raven looked at his handler's logo with a suspicious look. What did he mean by that? And now they're done with the corporations? What is going on. But, nevertheless, he clicked the button, and felt his AC being taken up and brought over to the opening.

"...621. From here on out I..." Walter's voice came again, then pausing, "Nevermind. Just trust your instincts."

Now Raven was getting even more suspicious. That's the first time he had ever paused like that.

...

They waited in the helicopter. Ayre felt almost nervous. She could hear them. She could really hear them.

"Their voices are so close now..." she said, "This... This is my home..."

Raven wondered what else she was feeling at the moment. His thoughts were interrupted once OBSIDIAN WING was then being taken outside, ready to fly. It then dettached, and Raven enagged the thrusters. He then looked over to all the rusted metal and fallen buildings all across the place.

"Comence mission." Walter ordered.

"...Let's go, Raven." said Ayre.

OBSIDIAN WING then engaged assault boost and started to fly over the ruins of the city. They then started to pick up channels and began to hear some commotion.

"V.II Snail, come in. Requesting backup," said V.VI Maeterlinck, "We have insufficient force to ensure success."

"These institute relics are such pests!" G3 Wu Hauha complained.

"That's the Arquebus squad." said Ayre, then realizing, "...Isn't that one with the Redguns?"

<>

"Looks like the drones are keeping them busy," said Walter.

Raven then realized that his boosters had run out of charge, and would've been fine with him if he hadn't happened to have landed his AC right in between the two enemies and drones. He immediately fired at the Vesper first, staggering him.

"Oho... You're Raven, the independent mercenary." said Wu Hauha with excitement in his voice, "Decided to ignore Arquebus orders, did you?"

"V.II Snail, come in." Maeterlinck commed, "The raven has landed. Requesting backup."

Raven then spun around with his laser blade, damaging both the two enemy ACs.

"Balam was a sinking ship. But Arquebus's star is on the rise." said Wu Hauha, "And me... I'll be well rewarded when I bring your head on a silver platter. Yes... I smell opportunity!"

However, his "opportunity" was crushed the moment OBSIDIAN WING stabbed right into the AC's chest.

"Did I... misread the signs?" he asked.

The coms died down.

"He was right to bet against Balam," Ayre admitted, "but his luck had run out already."

Raven quickly engaged his assault armor and staggered his enemy. He could hear V.VI shouting for Snail to come over for her "Friendly AC" ally was down. OBSIDIAN WING relentlessly kicked the enemy's AC's head off and shot the missile there.

"Please... Snail... Com in..." she begged.

The static took over as the AC went up in flames.

"The Vespers left her for dead... That wasn't pretty." said Walter, "Looks like you're clear, ...Keep moving."

Raven decided to quickly explore and scanned for anything else. Turns out there was something there at a gigantic bridge... Once he reached the cliff near it, The handler's voice came back in.

"...The Vascular Plant. It's still here..." he said.

"He must mean that gigantic structure in the distance..." Ayre guessed.

Raven nodded and then got under the bridge and saw then investigated to see what was in the chest and opened it. What he saw there was a game changer. Maybe he'll use it another time. However, before he could tell Ayre, she shouted:

"Enemy detected! An autonomous grinder wheel...?!"

Raven quickly quickboosted to the right and aimed his handgun at the wheel's exposed sides, damaging it greatly. He then swung his laser blade, disposing of it immediately. Well, it certainly caught him by surprise.

"That machine was running on stable energy for half a century..." Ayre realized, "Perhaps it should be no surprise... that humanity does desire Coral."

Raven then realized that there were even more of them below the bridge. He then assault boosted downwards and started firing with missiles. He started to back away, however, some of the grinders were able to shove his AC down.

He quickly got up and boosted forward, watching two crashing into one another. Suddenly, a whole ray of air missiles struck him, staggering OBSIDIAN WING long enough for even more damage to hit him.

"AP at 50%." the COM system warned.

"...Arquebus must be tracking us by now." Walter warned, "Hurry, 621."

Raven started to split his missiles to hopefully cover more ground, hitting a few more grinders, but them moving around so much was too much for the missiles, causing them to explode on each other. Raven was forced to use a repair kit once the AP went down to 30%.

"Readlines are off the chart. You're close." informed Walter.

"My brothers and sisters' voices are stronger than ever now." said Ayre with hope inn her voice, "It's like... they're calling to us.."

Raven had to admit that it kind of sounded a little creepy to him as he made OBSIDIAN WING then assault boosted upwards towards another smaller bridge. Walter then informed that the response is getting stronger.

"We're nearly there, 621..." he added.

Raven then heard Ayre suddenly gasp.

<>

"This lake...It's all..." she said.

"Here we are, 621." said Walter suddenly.

A resupply cache hovered near OBSIDIAN WING, ready to be used.

"Arquebus will be here soon." Walter warned, "Investigate before they arrive."

Raven then lowered OBSIDIAN WING down to the lake area. There they could see the bottom of the Vascular Plant seemingly beginning to glow with a crimson red bleeding through the cracks like a sun trying to breach through clouds.

"The Coral's rising..." said Walter, "It's building up faster than I'd expected."

"Raven." Ayre started, "I knew Walter was-"

"Wait! Something's wrong!"

A small drone-looking machine suddenly opened up, glowing red as it hovered and mysteriously moved away.

"Unidentified machine, overhead!" Ayre warned.

Raven used OBSIDIAN WING's enhanced eyesite to hopefully figure out what was he looking at. It seemed to be some kind of... jet? A small red line trailed from the very tips of it and it seemed to be followed by a few other red lights.

"A response..." said Ayre, then sounding horrified, "It's a C-Weapon!"

The enhanced eyesight then caught the drone, watching it entering one of the C-Weapon's wing-like back pieces.

It then suddenly engaged its boosters and aimed upwards then came straight down and stopped once reaching the lake, skidding across and stopping. It had almost like a bird-like design, almost plain white and thin too as well.

"The Ibis Series... Still functioning." said Walter.

The mysterious machine then rose up, letting out all of its mini drones. Then summoning some kind of electric line with them.

"Get ready, 621." Walter warned, "One more job for you!"

<>

Suddenly, a giant laser formed, almost hitting OBSIDIAN WING, only for it to miss, by a single inch perhaps.

"This isn't like the C-Weapons you've encountered so far." Ayre analyzed, "It's not just powered by Coral... I think it's controlled by Coral too!"

"...Listen up, 621," Walter explained, "The Ibis Series are no ordinary weapons. They're designed to prevent Coral disasters. A security measure to keep Rubicon safe. And now they're original masters are long gone. Destroy it before it destroys you!"

The drones acted like extra mini laser weapons. Raven could barely keep up with it all together. OBSIDIAN WING's black paint was beginning to get scorned off as each laser hit it again.

"Raven, we're in danger!" Ayre worried.

<>

Raven fired a few missiles right at the C-Weapon and quickboosted to the right, luckily dodging a more focused laser beam.

"Its taking damage, Raven!" shouted Ayre.

Thank gosh that Walter was able to send Raven his bazooka incase of "even worse trouble."

With that, he was able to stagger the thing.

"We won't get many chances to land a direct hit," said Ayre, then sounding encouraging, "But I know you can find a way!"

Raven fired a few more missiles, but they were sent off course once the C-Weapon dodged to the side with absolute ease. It started to fly towards them, combining with its drones and fire a few smaller beams.

Raven dodged just in time, then saw it coming right for him, holding an energy glowing red blade.

OBSIDIAN WING's laser blade immediately ignited and blocked the attack and swung again due to it being charged, forcing the C-Weapon to back away from him. Another bazooka blast staggered it once again.

"Keep it up, 621!" said Walter, "It can't take much more of this!"

Suddenly, multiple blasts struck from everywhere. Raven barely had time, causing it to get critically damaged.

"AP at 30%." the COM system warned.

Raven then stared at the C-Weapon as it started to boost all the way towards him. He slowly lifted up his bazooka and aimed carefully.

<<...Goodnight!>>

He pulled the trigger, and the C-Weapon was sent flying backwards and falling to the ground.

"Enemy Coral response... silent." said Ayre, feeling down.

All of a sudden, red energy began to surge within the water, going right for the C-Weapon.

"Wait!" Walter halted Raven, "It's coming back!"

"It's reactivating!" Ayre said, shocked.

It started to fly even faster than before.

"Is this what the Ibis Series are truly capable of?!" said Walter.

"It's resonating with the ambient Coral, drawing power from its environment." Ayre realized, "It won't stop until we destroy its generator!"

For a moment, Ayre began to think about it. Its bird-like design, usage of feather-shaped attacks and its second phase transition are meant to invoke the image of a phoenix, a mythological creature known to revive itself from its ashes, a symbol of rebirth.

Is that what this thing was supposed to be? A mechanical version of a legendary bird?

Raven staggered it long enough for him to give it two good swings of its laser sword. He then quickly kicked it down to the ground and fired his bazooka, only to miss. It then shoved him off back.

"AP at 50%." Raven was warned.

He quickly burned a repair charge once Ayre's voice came back.

"Enemy has taken significant damage." she said, "...I'm picking up a powerful ambient resonance. It bears an imperative... to protect the Coral."

OBSIDIAN WING then kicked it again and launched the last of its missiles to stagger it.

"You nearly got it, 621!" shouted Walter, "You're the only one who can finish the job!"

The C-Weapon then suddenly began to glow from its body even brighter with the extra Coral and started to fly all over. It looked like a bird of light somehow. Raven frowned and then assault boosted all the way through.

He ignored Ayre and Walter's shouting for him to get out of the way and swung with every bit of power he had left. The C-Weapon began to explode uncontrollably.

"Enemy generator compromised!" said Ayre.

"It's gonna blow!" Walter warned, "Get out of there, 621!"

Raven quickly gave off the last of the assault boost charge, not caring for how much was left and watched the C-Weapon blow up. It fell down, smoke and steam leaving the cracks in its armor.

"...Is it over, 621?" Walter groaned.

"The Coral resonance... It's fading." said Ayre, her voice heavy, "The machine's resolve, inherited from its creators... Voices from the past... fading into-"

Suddenly a spire came out of nowhere. It stabbed into the floor next to OBSIDIAN WING.

"Huh?!" said Walter, shocked.

The spire then shoved a piece inside and a yellow electrical explosion hit the floor.

"No!" shouted Walter, "621, move!"

But it was too late. Raven groaned in pain as it felt electricity course throughout his veins while OBSIDIAN WING began to go limp.

"Raven?!" Ayre screamed in horror, "You're losing control!"

No response.

"Damn it," Walter cursed, "they were one step ahead of-"

...

V.II Snail's weapon smoked from the blast it sent to that dog.

"Yes.. Yes." he said dismissively, "I left the subject alive as instructed. Only a fool would try to outfox Arquebus. I'll see that the unruly dog is punished and brought to heel. Oh, and of course... Let's not forget the hound's master, either."

https://youtu.be/WEsibVKPNA0

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