Fantasy 𝔖𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔯𝔤𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 ℜ𝔦𝔣𝔱𝔰 (ℑℭ 𝔗𝔥𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔡)

Yuzu Sakai

With his words unable to reach the infected agent and his arms being further pressed down toward his face, the metal of his armor creaked and groaned from the bending and morphing of the dull arm-blades wielded by the deformed Vanguard agent. Struggling to push the monstrosity off him, Yuzu barely had time to react as the gaping hole—what he could only assume was the creature’s mouth—began oozing a greenish fluid. Luckily, he tilted his head to one side just as the substance dripped past his helmet. The sharp sound of sizzling filled the air as the liquid made contact with the floorboard beside him. It was acid.

"Great... as if this couldn't get any worse..."

While wrestling with the corrupted agent, Yuzu could hear the commotion not far from where he had been just moments before. His team was also struggling to handle the other infected monstrosities.
Just as he was about to attempt contact with his team to call for a retreat, the weak voice of Eulalia crackled through the comm. radio, catching his attention. He recognized that tone all too well—she was hurt. It wasn't the first time he had heard his comrades in such a state. Had his decision to split the teams been a mistake? Had he just sent them all to their deaths?

These thoughts hammered at him, nearly causing him to lose focus, but the furious roar of the creature before him snapped him out of his daze.

Shoving aside the weight of his guilt, he realized that dwelling on negativity wouldn't help. Trying to reason with the agent before him was clearly useless. "Agents...! Do not hesitate..! These things are no longer human—destroy them all!" His voice rang over the comms. Their orders had been to bring back the missing agents, but now that those very agents had turned hostile—along with he civilians—it was a risk Yuzu was not willing to take. Holding back was no longer an option.

"Crimson Ignition!"

The moment Yuzu spoke, sparks crackled through the air, and the temperature inside the café skyrocketed. The searing heat caused the corrupted agent to ease its pressure on Yuzu, momentarily confused. That instant was all he needed. In a flash, Yuzu’s entire body ignited, flames consuming him as the monstrous agent stumbled back, desperately attempting to wave off the fire engulfing its form. Rising to his feet, Yuzu stood wreathed in fire, the orange glow of his armor's eyes the only visible feature beneath the blaze. In an instant, he lunged at the staggered agent, twisting his body mid-motion before launching his right leg forward, aiming straight for its chest. "Blazing Ruin..." With a hushed breath, his blazing, armored foot made contact—then, the café erupted in a massive fiery explosion. The shockwave rocked the surrounding buildings, and the infected agent’s body was sent hurtling through the sky like a blazing comet. A flaming hole gaped through its chest as it crashed hundreds of feet away from where the café once stood.


With his enemy eliminated, Yuzu broke into a full sprint back toward his team. By the time he arrived, he took in the grim sight before him—Gio being slammed into a lamppost, Garth overwhelmed by infected civilians. Yuzu grit his teeth. There were too many of them. A retreat could risk his team getting surrounded or ambushed. Worse yet, with the squad split up, he couldn't risk using any large-scale attacks without endangering his comrades. He was already breathing heavily—struggling against the corrupted agent moments ago and unleashing two of his high-stakes abilities had drained him more than he cared to admit. But he had no time to hesitate.

Even though his body was no longer ablaze, as he swung his leg toward the creatures pinning down Garth, a small opening near the heel of his armored foot slid open. A sudden burst of propulsion ignited from within, accelerating his kick with tremendous force. The impact sent the two monstrosities flying off his squadmate. "Garth..! Get up and regroup with Gio and Sora! Get as far as you can from here! I'll take it from here... Now, hurry!"

The farther his squadmates got, the greater the wave of his next strike could be. However, Yuzu wasn’t even sure if he could endure his next attack without damaging his own suit—or whether he’d still be conscious after it.