Sanctuary Agency

〘Date: 2/9 - Saturday〙

〘Time: 11:25 AM〙

〘Location: Texas, San Antonio - La Vernia Valley〙

Poli scanned the battlefield quickly, planning every escape route into the cave with the rest of her team. She turned her gaze toward me, gripping the handle of her katana then shifted her foot slightly.

With a powerful stride, she lunged toward me with a swift slash. I quickly reacted, evading her slash and countering with a powerful knee strike to her gut, causing her to grunt in pain. Poli stumbled backwards, regaining her balance then parried my downward slash.

Poli kicked me away then quickly began to make a run for the cave. I recovered quickly, sheathing my broadsword and unholstering my handgun then took aim at Poli. I aimed lower down, firing round at her feet to lure her away from the cave.

Poli began evading each bullet with careful steps, making sure to not take a single misstep. 'They aren't going to let me get to the cave...I need to take them out..!'

Poli halted in her steps, sheathing her katana then took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She looked up at me, her light brown eyes gleaming a wrathful gold, red energy forming around her body.

"This is where things change, Agency! You will see the Might of the Sola Kaua!" Poli bellowed, letting out a Tribal Howl and red energy began to surge around her body.

"Master! Her Ambition just increased! It boosted her Power Level by multiple of three!" Phroa warned, floated next to me and preparing herself to assist me in battle.

"Hmph...Jigoku Mode. I am familiar with the Tribal Forms and their enhancements to the body. As I am now, I don't think I can handle her alone," I said, holstering my gun and took off my longcoat.

"That's why you have us as well~" Phroa hummed, glancing at me with a confident smile.

I chuckled softly behind my mask, adjusting it upon my face then got into my stance. I glanced over at Desiree and Eliza, noticing the two of them standing by. "Right..."

Poli dashed toward me at high speeds, running in zigzag movements to overwhelm my senses. Her body moved like a blur, my vision unable to keep up with her. Soon, she reached me, landing a powerful kick upon my chin to knock me in the air.

I grunted softly as I was suspended in the air, my brain finally processing that I had gotten struck. I quickly recovered in the air, blue lightning crackling around my body, but noticed Poli wasn't on the ground.

'Where—' I began mentally, scanning the battlefield to find Poli.

"Master!" Poli called out, flying above me and using digital particles to form an energy shield, blocking Poli's attack.

Poli roared, amplifying her attack and breaking through Phroa's shield then struck my back with a crushing stomp, sending the both of us crashing to the ground. Poli jumped off me, noticing me laying on the ground then smirked.

Suddenly, a swift force struck Poli at near invisible speeds, knocking her away and sending her rolling along the ground. Poli quickly recovered upon one knee, sliding backwards and stopping herself. She looked up, noticing Desiree standing before her with light blue energy surrounding her body.

"Hmph...Now you step up now that I've taken down your Ace," Poli taunted, standing up on her feet and dusted herself off.

Desiree looked over at me, watching as I rose back up on one knee then smiled. She turned toward Poli, flipping her hair then tightened her jacket around her waist. "This is his first mission after all, so I don't expect him to solo your faction."

"But, now I'm giving him time to rest and watch his Predecessor show him the power of The Queen! Maluhia!" Desiree bellowed and let out her Tribal Howl, a surge of silver and blue energy rushing around her body and her eyes shifting to a cool silver.

Eliza watched from the air with one leg crossed over the other, humming softly at Desiree, a sweet, wicked smirk stretching upon her lips. "Tranquility vs. Wrath..~ A classic tale of the tribe..."

Poli scoffed softly at Desiree, bracing herself for battle against her. "Your Tengoku Mode means nothing to me! A technique of pacifism can't beat a technique meant for battle!"

Desiree stared at Poli calmly, her lips curling into a cool smirk. She put her hair in a ponytail then got into her stance, her aura pulsing calmly around her body. "Then let's test that theory..."

Poli grunted as she lunged toward Desiree with a series of strikes, but Desiree began to evade each of her strikes quickly, each of Poli's attacks meeting the air. Desiree caught Poli's wrist upon her next strike, knocking her back with a shoulder strike.

Desiree rushed forward with a rising knee, disorienting Poli then rushed her with a series of swift attacks upon her midsection. Poli stumbled backwards upon Desiree's last strike then groaned as she was knocked back with blast of silver wind energy.

"Whoa...She wasn't even able to get a hit on Desiree," Phroa gasped softly, her eyes twinkling as she watched Desiree fight against Poli.

I watched the two battle as well, seeing the two rush around the battlefield in streaks of red and blue. I glanced down at my phone again, looking at the Love Finder feature on my screen, the orange dot still blinking on my screen.

I turned my gaze back up to the battle, standing up on my feet once again. "Phroa..."

"Mhm?" Phroa answered, glancing over at me quickly with a curious gaze.

"This is the state that the tribe is in now...Divided and at war with one another. It's been like this even before Dad was alive, the Mojis and the Solas at war with one another over who should rule," I began, my eyes glowing behind my mask as I watched Desiree and Poli.

"Anakē Celene has always told us about the great divide between our Tribe, how even our father failed to unite the tribe even after taking down Feleti. I believe I know why...Poli is on here," I said, my gaze never leaving the battle.

"Why?" Phroa asked, now more curious about where I was taking the conversation.

"Someone has to unite the clan once more, and Poli is known as Sola's Wahina and Alaka'i, The Sola's Leader. If I can just get close enough to her to know what's wrong, I could help her and convince her to unite with Leilani to unite the tribe," I answered, glancing over at Phroa.

"Mmm...yeah, that sounds like a solid reason, but will it work? She seems set on hating the Moji's," Phroa said, a hint of doubt in her tone.

I didn't blame Phroa for doubting me, and it sounded like a reach to me as well, but I had no other logical reasons in mind. "Yeah, I agree with you. But there isn't any other reason in mind..."

"Mmm... alright. If you're set on pursuing Poli then I'm with you!" Phroa beamed, flashing a bright smile at me.

I nodded back at her, smiling behind my mask then turned my attention back to the fight. "Alright, let's set this plan into motion."

Desiree and Poli continued their battle, clashing with one another and evading each other's powerful strikes. Poli blocked Desiree's kick, grappling her leg and swinging her around, tossing her across the battlefield.

Desiree recovered in the air, noticing Poli rushing after her then smirked. Sparks began to crackle within Desiree's palm, a blast of fire propelling her toward Poli. The two let out a bellow, striking each other's cheeks and knocking each other away.

Desiree grunted as she slammed into one of the Lost Syndicates' cars, falling onto her knees on the ground and groaning softly. Poli groaned as her back slammed against a large boulder, her body falling onto the ground as well.

Poli grunted softly as she began to slowly push herself off the ground, her scar faintly glowing a dark red hue. She stood up on her feet, staggering a bit and looking at Desiree across the battlefield. "You can't...keep me down forever, False Queen!"

Desiree chuckled softly as she picked herself up off the ground, strands of her hair falling over her face. "Likewise, Wahine! Infact, I'm only just getting started!"

Poli got back into her stance, her only focus now being to defeat Desiree for the honor of her side of her Tribe. "For the Honor of Feleti, I will defeat you, Moji! Once I take you down, the rest of the Moji will be next!"

"You're delusional if you truly believe the Sola deserves to rule the entire Mojisola Tribe! You barbarians killed Grandpa Moji for no reason and yet still never rose to power! If anything, the Sola needs to go!" Desiree countered, grunting heavily as black lightning crackled around her body.

Poli noticed the crackles of black lightning, smirking at Desiree and letting out a soft laugh. "Look at you! Succumbing to the wrath within you over the truth! You know as well as I do...that the Sola are the rightful rulers of the Tribe! You Moji's are nothing but pacifists who make our tribe look bad!"

Desiree grunted softly, gently placing her hand over her chest, her breathing slightly growing heavier over Poli's mockery of the Mojis. She glared lightly at her, a low growl rumbling in her throat.

"That's enough," I spoke up, stepping forward and glancing at both Poli and Desiree.

Desiree and Poli both glanced at me, the two of them raising an eyebrow at me as well. Eliza watched as I walked toward them as well, an intrigued expression forming on her face.

"The Mojisola Tribe are meant to be one, and yet we've been divided for generations. It's been 20 years since the last leaders of both sides of the tribe battled, and the Mojis came on top and before them the Solas came out on top," I began, going through the history of Tribal Combat between the tribes.

"It's been a cycle between who rules, but have we forgotten about the Tale of Tenshi and Akuma? Tengoku and Jigoku..? We are meant to rule as one, and yet no one follows the Guide of Balance," I continued, glancing between the two.

Poli stared at me, scoffing loudly at me and dismissing everything I said in her mind. She pointed a finger of wrath at me, her eyes glowing with burning hatred. "And who are YOU to even make any judgement?! You know nothing about us! No outsider should ever have an opinion about our shit!"

"Besides, if you've been paying any attention for the last few years since you want to be in our business, a member of the Moji Tribe died five years ago by the hands of Judgement, and they still feel like they are fit to rule?!" Poli questioned, her tone filled with doubt and hidden sorrow.

Desiree grunted softly at the memory, closing her eyes and lowering her head. "Haku..."

I knew exactly who Poli was mentioning, the memory of attending Haku's funeral still playing freshly in my mind. I stayed a bit silent, not knowing what exactly to respond with.

"Exactly...The peaceful ways of the Moji are over! Once I defeat and kill Leilani, as the Leader of the Sola Tribe, I will bring the Mojisola back to greatness!" Poli declared, her eyes shining with pure ambition.

"Not on my watch you won't!" Desiree bellowed, her aura surging around her body and propelling herself toward Poli.

"Sis, wait—!" I called out, grunting as a strong gust of wind pushed me back from Desiree's powerful energy.

Poli glared at Desiree, dashing toward her with a roar. "And you of all people are in my way!"

Desiree and Poli clashed once more, the two of them grappling each other's hands, trying to overpower one another. After a bit of struggle, Poli broke the test of strength, landing a devasting blow upon Desiree's face and sending her flying backwards.

I watched as Poli rushed after Desiree, the two entering into La Vernia Cave, a part of Poli's plan succeeding. I grit my teeth, running after the two and unsheathed my broadsword once again. "Phroa! Let's go!"

"Right on!" Phroa exclaimed, flying after me at high speeds.

Eliza smirked even more, her eyes gleaming with a sadistic excitement. "Well, this has become more exciting..~ A mission to stop the Syndicates turned into something...more..."

Desiree dodged Poli's next strike, swinging her arms and manipulating the rock walls around her and hurling chunks of stone at Poli. Poli broke each large stone with palm strikes, using her own alchemy to manipulate the smaller chunks of stone, firing stone bullets at Desiree.

Quickly, Desiree unsheathed her katana, deflecting each stone bullet quickly, each deflected rock crashing into the walls around them. While Desiree was distracted with deflecting the stones, Poli rushed behind her with a chop to the neck.

Before Poli's hand could reach Desiree, her hand struck an afterimage, the mirage of Desiree turning into lightning and electrocuting Poli. She groaned out in pain, the lightning stunning her in place and allowing Desiree to land a full power blow to her chest.

Poli grunted heavily as she slammed into a rock pillar, a bit of rubble falling upon her body. Desiree slightly lowered her arms, panting softly and recovering her stamina while Poli was temporarily down.

"Des! Where are you?!" I called out in the cave, looking around the cave to find Desiree and Poli. "Desiree!"

My voice echoed down the long manmade rock tunnel, the eerie silence following behind my calls. I continued to traverse down the tunnel, hoping to run into Desiree and Poli, but the further I went down, the further from my destination I realized I was from.

At the end of the tunnel, a more wider opening was found, leading into what looked to be a mining factory. Phroa and I froze in our steps, realizing we had found where exactly the Lost Syndicates were.

Before we could do anything, Eliza swooped down to grab me up then pulled me into the shadows, the two of us unseen by the enemy. I looked up at Eliza, feeling her hand over my mouth.

"Stay quiet...we can not risk being seen now," Eliza whispered, using her other hand to possessively rub my hair.

I blushed lightly at her gentle, yet possessive touch, nodding my head and turning my gaze back toward the mining factory. I watched as the Lost Syndicates worked to mine the valley's rhodium, the sounds of heavy machinery and stones breaking filling the large opening.

Eliza and I watched as the Lost Syndicates worked, each worker using their equipment to its fullest in the mining process. While I scanned the area, a golden light caught my eye in the distance. I turned my gaze toward the center of the mining grounds, my eyes widening in shock.

Within the center of the mines stood two figures, a figure donning a golden mask with a green clover design on the entire right portion of the mask and a large golden fox, her fur standing up in protest and resistance.

"Eliza...is that—" I began, looking up at Eliza in disbelief.

Eliza nodded, her gaze never leaving the masked figure and the golden fox beside him. She continued to stroke my hair, her gaze intensifying with disgust. "It is...The Fortune and Clover..."

I turned my gaze back toward the two of them, gently escaping out of Eliza's hold to walk closer to the opening of the rock walls. I couldn't take my eyes off Clover, her distressed expression clear as day on her face.

"Those bastards..." I said softly through my clenched teeth, my eyes shining with anger as I watched them mistreat Clover. "We have to save her..!"

"It's not as easy as it seems, darling," Eliza said quietly, walking toward me and placing her hand on my back. "It's not going to be as easy as it was 20 years ago..."

"Clover is bound by that mask...the only way to save Clover is to kill The Fortune and take back the Mask of Fortune," Eliza explained, looking down at me and noticing faint red glowing upon my skin. "Ryder..?"

"If that's what it takes...then I'll kill him. Dad trusted me with those...and for me to lose them during that attack on Destiny Islands. For me to lose my Love Demons is a disgrace to my father's name..." I growled lowly, my heart beginning to beat faster with a tribal rage.

"And for so long, I've been running away from my own responsibility. Too scared to honor his legacy...but now seeing this... seeing how they have been using her. No more running...it's time that they Acknowledge Me.." I finished, pushing myself off the wall and unsheathed my sword.

Eliza watched as I walked off, her eyes glowing with intrigue as she noticed wrath energy forming around my body. She licked her lips with a sadistic desire, her wings twitching with excitement. She followed behind me, her scarlet red eyes shimmering with a lust for blood.

The Fortune yanked upon the chain leash around Clover's neck, grunting as he used his strength to drag her with him toward the next section of the mines. "Come here, you stupid fox..! I will not keep fighting with you!"

The Fortune took out a remote from his pocket, clicking the red button with intensity. The orbs upon Clover's collar shined, sending powerful electrical shocks around her body. Clover let out a loud pained cry, her body growing weak and thudding upon the ground.

"Sir, I don't think she can take much more of this. Let's just take a break for now and—" The Syndicate Knight began, immediately growing quiet once The Fortune held his hand out in his face.

The Fortune looked down at Clover, his eyes filled with disdain behind his mask. "We will not rest until our mission is complete. I don't care how much more she can take, she's bound by this mask. As long as the mask is intact, she is immortal."

"She is the one defying my orders. Her resistance is leading her down a path of pain. Alas, I don't expect a stupid fox to be capable of being obedient anyways," He finished, turning his back upon Clover to face the Knight.

The Knight looked at Clover, his gaze filled with slight sympathy for her. He turned to face The Fortune, letting out a soft exhale. "Well, alright. You're the Sub Leader. Let's move on to the next mine."

The Fortune nodded, watching as the Knight walked toward another mine within the cave, following behind him. As they went into the mines, a swarm of bats rushed toward them, startling them for a moment.

The Knight unguarded his face, noticing the colony of bats had left and slightly let down his guard. Suddenly, I appeared below the Knight, my blade glowing with a killing intent as I prepared my strike. Without hesitation, I slashed upward, my blade slicing through the Knight effortlessly.

The Fortune heard the Knight's chilling scream, turning around and noticing his body falling to the ground, yet there was no attacker. He looked around cautiously, his back tingling as he sensed danger behind him.

He swiftly dodged my attack, turning around quickly and noticing me standing at the entrance of the mine. "Well, well...if it isn't The Ace. It seems the Sanctuary Agency has found our area of operation by sheer luck."

I didn't say a word back to The Fortune, my gaze cold and apathetic as I stared at him. The more I stared at his face, the angrier I seemed to become, my veins slightly growing from my neck. At this moment, I began to succumb to my own wrath.

"Heh, you're more quiet than normal...and a lot more muscular. Have you been working out recently?" The Fortune chuckled softly, adjusting his mask then took a good look at me from head to toe.

'Hmm...That is definitely a male. He has tribal tattoos, red glowing...maybe a Sola Tribe member? I can't really put my finger on it. His energy feels similar to Poli's,' The Fortune analyzed, mentally scanning my body and energy levels.

The Fortune shook his head, chuckling softly and crossed his arms. "Well, if you're just here to stare at me then I don't have the time to dally around. There's work to do."

The Fortune began to walk past me, his lips curling into a smirk beneath his mask. After he walked past me, I swiftly pivoted around and slashed down his back, but by some miracle, my attack was only a near miss.

Without second thought, I dashed toward The Fortune, swinging my sword at him, aiming to strike him down with one slash but each of my attacks were miraculously near misses. The Fortune dodged my next attack, palming my stomach and knocking me away with a pulse of golden energy.

I groaned as I crashed into a rock wall, but quickly recovered then charged toward The Fortune once again. I sheathed my sword, taking out a dagger and began to swiftly slice at him, but like my last attempts, each strike was a near miss.

"Keep trying all you want, Ace! You'll never be able to land a single strike upon me!" The Fortune taunted loudly, dodging each of my slices the jumped backwards to create distance between us.

"All Syndicate Members, prepare your weapons as we've encountered The Ace!" The Fortune called out, his voice echoing throughout the cave.

Silence followed his order, the cave filled the lingering echoes of his voice. A soft giggle sounded around us, Eliza walking out of the shadows while licking a bit of blood from her teeth.

"I'm afraid that your entire squad has been taken down..~ I was quite thirsty after all," Eliza said in her natural sultry tone, looking down at The Fortune with a bloodlusted gaze.

The Fortune looked up at Eliza, letting out a frustrated growl as his plans had been foiled by her alone. He turned his gaze back toward me, his lips curling into a cool grin. "Hmph...I might have lost all of my pawns for now, but I am still untouchable through sheer fortune alone. The stars will always align—"

The Fortune chuckled softly as he dodged my assassination attempt while he was mid sentence, countering with a spinning heel kick to send me crashing across the cave. "—for me..."

I grunted softly as I began to slowly push myself up off the ground, my anger alone unwilling to let me stay down. "Phroa..."

Phroa glanced at me, turning her gaze back toward The Fortune. "I dunno, Master...You aren't thinking clearly and you aren't normally like this. As you are now, you will lose against him."

I stayed silent for a bit, balling my hands into fists and grit my teeth. As much as I hated to admit, I had no control over my Jigoku Mode like Poli, and I knew I wouldn't be able to control my own anger. With a sigh of resignation, I relaxed my body, my aura dispersing from around me.

The Fortune watched me closely, tilting his head with slight curiosity. "Powering down, are we? Have you come to terms that you can't beat me? It's quite alright to admit your losses. Not everyone can be as lucky as me..."

I turned around to face The Fortune, noticing Clover laying on the ground in the distance and balled my hands into fists. "Sure...You may be lucky, but that's solely because of your mask. What you don't realize is true skill, true talent will always outclass luck..."

The Fortune laughed softly in response to my statement, crossing his arms and sighed lightly. "Is that so? I'm sure those books told you all about it huh? Well, Habilee Heart is a false historian...a woman who merely idolizes a false hero!"

I glared at The Fortune, gritting my teeth with frustration at his blatant disrespect for my father. I closed my eyes, letting out a deep exhale and calmed my nerves. I rose my head slowly, keeping my eyes closed and began to pray.

Everyone watched as I prayed in my head, a radiant aura flowing around my body, shifting in hues of silver and blue. Eliza's and Clover's eyes began to shine with recognition, the two noticing my tribal tattoos shifting from a crimson red to a serene light blue hue.

'The color of his tattoos changed..? So he is of the Moji Tribe..? No, he has the blood of both...just who is this guy..?' The Fortune thought to himself, his cloak calmly flowing with the gentle breeze my aura began to produce.

I opened my eyes slowly, finishing my prayer with a soft word, "Maluhia..."

Stepping forward, I let out my Tribal Howl, my aura surging powerfully around my body. The Fortune grunted as the winds grew even stronger, sensing my power level skyrocketing beyond his expectations.

Blue lightning crackled around my body, my aura shifting between shades of blue with hints of silver mixed within. My eyes became a peaceful silver, glowing with a mix of determination and inner calm. The star upon my mask began to faintly glow, my mask beginning to resonate with my energy.

"Heh...Well, well. If I'm not mistaken, only few people within the new generation of Mojisola have ever been able to tap into their tribal abilities according to Poli..." The Fortune began, chuckling with a hidden intrigue in his tone.

"And you so happened to be lucky enough to be a part of that low percentage," He added, his tone laced with mockery and belittlement.

I adjusted my mask, closing my eyes then let out a soft scoff. Without warning, I made my way behind The Fortune using a burst of speed, going for a heavy strike to knock him down. By a streak of luck, The Fortune managed to evade my attack, going for an immediate counterstrike.

I caught his arm, twirling him around and restricting his movements then landed a devastating palm strike upon his chest, a pulse of energy blowing him away. The Fortune groaned as he was knocked away, rolling backwards along the ground then recovered onto his feet.

I got into my martial arts stance, my pose a calm as a gentle current yet my mind as transparent as a clear, open sky. "I wasn't lucky...I made my way through hardships as a child and even now. It's time you recognize the true name...of The Ace."

Eliza hummed softly at me, giggling lightly at the sight of my Tengoku Mode in action for the first time in battle. 'Finally..~ Now, we get to see what he can do with it for the first time...'

The Fortune took off his cloak, preparing himself to faceoff against me in combat. He tossed it aside, letting it float in the wind then got into his stance. 'I still don't know who this guy is...but something tells me, he's more than what meets the eye. The True Ace that's defying my fate...'