Make Them Love Me Or They'll End The World

Kira's eyes burned with fury. Her teeth ground together so tightly that it hurt.

Every cell in her body screamed for her to kill the woman floating before her. Even with blood running down her temple and her ribs aching from the earlier blast, she forced herself upright, trembling but defiant.

Velza's smirk only widened at the sight of her prey daring to stand.

"Hahaha… look at you," Velza's voice dripped with mockery, each syllable sharp as glass. "You really think you can face me? What a fool."

With deliberate calm, Velza reached behind her back and drew her long weapon, a long, radiant sword named Ashlock. The blade hummed with restrained violence, its polished silver edge pulsing with white light that made the air shimmer. The glow crawled up her armoured arm and illuminated her face as she levelled the sword's tip directly at Kira's heart.

Kira had heard the stories, whispers that Velza Cain, Spire's strongest weapon, once fought Supreme Commander Akio to a standstill. She'd thought they exaggerated, tales soldiers swapped to make the war sound larger than life. But now, standing beneath that suffocating aura, Kira felt those rumours were understatements.

Her heart pounded as she flicked her gaze toward Kentaro in the distance. Through the chaos, smoke, gunfire, screaming metal, she could barely make out his shape, shouting something she couldn't hear.

She tightened her grip on her sword. If I have to fight the strongest fighter alive just to reach him… Then so be it.

She crouched, ready to lunge-

But strong arms yanked her back, Milly clamping around her waist like a vice. In front of her, Commander Isak dropped heavily between Kira and Velza, his massive frame shielding her.

Isak's voice boomed like a war drum: "MISS VELZA! PLEASE, overlook my subordinate's foolishness! She's green, she doesn't understand your… True power!"

"WHY?!" Kira thrashed in Milly's grip, eyes wild. "LET ME GO!" But Milly held tight, whispering harshly, "You'll die!"

Velza's grin grew sharper, her blade humming. She let a beat of silence hang, letting the fear settle before answering. "Very well," she said with venomous amusement. "It seems you've been spared, for now, thanks to your competent commander, Kira Mizuno."

With a beat of her glowing thrusters, Velza turned, soaring toward the main battlefield in a streak of silver light.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Kira's voice tore from her lungs, raw and feral. "IF YOU TOUCH HIM, I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF!"

Isak spun, stomping toward her. His face twisted into a furious snarl. Without warning

CRACK!

His forehead smashed into hers with brutal force. Kira's head snapped back from the impact, a spray of blood flicking across the rubble. Milly's eyes went wide.

"Commander!" She gasped, but Isak ignored her, grabbing Kira by the collar and hoisting her up so their faces nearly touched, both bleeding from fresh cuts.

"ARE. YOU. STUPID?!" He roared, spit flying as his voice thundered through the alley. "HOW BADLY DO YOU WANT TO DIE?! YOU THINK YOU CAN TAKE ON VELZA CAIN ONE-ON-ONE?! WITH YOUR ABILITY?!" His bloodshot eyes looked ready to burst.

Kira stayed silent. She wanted to scream that she had to protect Kentaro, but her throat wouldn't work.

Isak's voice lowered but remained molten with rage. "Listen to me. You're not an idiot; you know the truth. Spire's priority is Alberlines. That boy, whatever their plan is with him, that's secondary. If you stop throwing your life away, you can actually protect him… While Velza's busy with Siren."

Kira froze. He was right.

Isak released her collar with a final shove, chest heaving. "The rest of us," he shouted to the squad, "will do our damn jobs and handle the Alberlines! Kira will run her own op for now. Complain about special treatment later, but for now, WE ARE CRADLE SOLDIERS!"

"YES, SIR!" The squad barked.

Milly stayed behind for a moment, her voice soft as she touched Kira's shoulder. "Please… Be careful." Then she darted off after Isak, heading toward the maelstrom of battle.

Kira stood alone, trembling in the silence that followed, her sword still clenched tightly in her hand. Slowly, she turned toward Kentaro's position...

And froze.

Where he had been seconds ago was now a field of jagged ice, glinting blue under flickering streetlights.

"KENTARO!" Kira screamed, launching herself toward the frozen battlefield.

*

"Ken… This is bad."

Tenka's voice cracked through Kentaro's comms, tense and urgent.

Kentaro's group stood cornered, Spire soldiers circling like vultures, rifles trained on him. The metallic click-clack of guns cocking echoed through the narrow street.

"STOP! PLEASE, you need to listen!" Kentaro's voice cracked as desperation seeped in. "Why… Why do you want me dead?!"

The Spire soldiers exchanged glances, their expressions hidden behind visors. Then, one answered with blunt, mechanical coldness:

"Because we were ordered to."

"You bastards won't touch him again!" Yura's voice rang out like a battle cry. Her purple eyes glowed faintly as she stepped forward, her presence heavy enough to make the soldiers hesitate for a heartbeat.

One soldier scoffed. "What will you do, girl?"

The commander barked, "FIRE!"

Muzzles flashed, but a wall of ice exploded upward in front of Kentaro, bullets embedding uselessly in its crystalline surface.

Kentaro's eyes widened. He spun to see Serica standing rigid, a faint shimmer of her Sublimation Frame clinging to her form. Her dark brown eye burned with determination.

"Ken! Let's move!" Yura shouted, grabbing him by the shoulders. Her own purple Sublimation Frame flared partially to life, pulsing with shadowy light.

Before Kentaro could protest, Yura's legs roared to life, hauling him skyward. Serica mirrored her, while Shogo launched himself up using his suit's boosters.

As they rose toward the rooftops, Kentaro felt a blush creep onto his face. He couldn't help thinking: Shouldn't it be me carrying her like a prince?

But there was no time to dwell.

An explosion rattled the city below. Velza's arrival was unmistakable.

"Tenka… Who the hell is that?" Kentaro asked, eyes darting to the streak of silver light cutting across the skyline.

Haruka's voice answered flatly: "Spire's top anti-Alberline operative. Velza Cain. Be careful, her power rivals even the Cradle Supreme commander.

Kentaro swallowed hard. "Great… This just got a whole lot dicier."

"I agree," Tenka said, her voice calm but clipped. "Focus on Aria. Yumi and the rest will mop up ground troops. Get to the rooftop, fast."

Yura landed softly on the rooftop, Kentaro in tow. His heart dropped at the scene ahead.

It was a battlefield. Smoke, bullets, shattered glass, and in the centre, Rin, dual pistols blazing, weaving through gunfire. Nearby, Aria swung her golden guitar, Celestina, soundwaves deflecting enemy fire, but her movements were sluggish, desperate. Both Alberlines were barely holding together.

Kentaro clenched his fists, turning to Yura, Serica, and Shogo. "You know what to do."

They all nodded grimly.

Together, they charged forward into the chaos.

*

Far away, Reiden Vale watched from his private lounge, fingers steepled, eyes narrowed. "Ahh… There you are, Kentaro Takamiya," he whispered. "Not only Siren, but Icebreaker and Dominance as well… Alberlines, all clustered like sheep for slaughter."

His grin turned sharp, hungry. "Perfect. Let's see how Null performs. Perhaps we'll capture more than just Siren tonight."

*

Supreme Commander Akio stood rigid in Cradle's command centre, monitors flashing before her. She watched, stunned, as Serica's ice spread like wildfire and Yura took flight with glowing wings of shadow.

Her knuckles whitened on the console. "That's Icebreaker… And another unknown Alberline. And Kentaro Takamiya is with them?!"

She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. "Damn you, Vale. How long have you known about this boy… And why tell me only now?" Her gaze hardened as she barked:

"New orders: kill all Alberlines. Including the new ones. Icebreaker must not escape again."

"YES, SIR!" the control room roared in unison.

Akio glared at Kentaro's face on the screen. "Surely you want whatever ability he has, don't you... Reiden"

*

Rin and Aria huddled behind a massive ventilation unit, pinned down by relentless fire from both Spire and Cradle troops.

Aria panted, panicked. "Rin… We can't hold them off… There are too many!"

"Calm," Rin said softly, her tone even as her pistols materialised in pink sparks. "He'll be here. I trust him."

But when she peeked around the corner and saw hundreds of soldiers closing in, even Rin knew her limit was seconds from snapping.

Then, a shout cut through the chaos.

"KENTARO!"

Rin's smile curled as Yura and Serica swooped in, trading places with Aria and a spire soldier closing in, before unleashing waves of ice and purple shadow balls. Shogo fired suppressive rounds from a halcyon-issued rifle.

Kentaro vaulted over the cover and slid next to Rin and Aria, his chest heaving.

"My, my…" Rin teased, her voice soft but audible even over the carnage, "Fancy seeing you here… In such delightful conditions."

Kentaro grinned, his voice loud enough to be heard. "I'm here to save you girls."

Rin's face stayed placid, but Aria's breath hitched in relief. A knot in her chest loosened at the sight of him alive, but her heart warned her not to trust yet. She turned away with a flustered huff. "We… Didn't need your help," she muttered.

Kentaro's jaw dropped. "HUH?!"

"Hehehe," Rin chuckled, lips curling. "Oh, Kentaro… We most definitely needed your help."

Aria's blush deepened as Kentaro scratched his cheek awkwardly.

Peering over the cover, Kentaro saw waves of soldiers still advancing, bullets sparking off ice and shadow barriers. Yura and Serica fought valiantly, but they were sealed Alberlines, half their true power. They wouldn't last.

Rin gave Kentaro one final look, a rare softness in her pink-glowing eyes.

"Though just a little…" She said with a teasing lilt, "…You've matured. But alas, my dear Kentaro… Would you be a gentleman and take Siren off my hands?"

Kentaro swallowed, nodding. "I'll do it. But Rin, what about you?"

Her answer was a faint smile as Lilium & Noctis materialised in her hands.

"Don't worry about me. My plan won't fail."

The twin pistols glowed as she raised them, pointing one directly at Kentaro. His breath caught in his throat. Memories of their first meeting flooded back; she'd pointed a gun at him just like this.

"Rin, what are you-"

She interrupted, voice silk over steel. "Now, dear Kentaro… You and Aria will go far away… For some alone time."

Aria exploded in a red-faced protest. "NO! N-no! I can't, I still don't trust you or any human! I just-"

Kentaro turned, understanding the situation and grabbed her shoulders, desperate. "PLEASE, ARIA, I BEG,"

BOOM!

The rooftop erupted in an explosion that ripped through their cover, sending Rin, Kentaro, and Aria flying in separate directions. Rin tumbled off the building's edge.

"KEN!" Yura, Serica, and Shogo screamed, unable to reach him as soldiers pinned them down.

Tenka's voice crackled in Kentaro's ear. "Vitals look stable, no broken bones. He's alive."

"Good," Shogo grunted, reloading. "Let's hope he stays that way."

Kentaro crashed onto a lower rooftop, clutching Aria to shield her from the impact. They skidded to a stop, both gasping for air.

Kentaro's mind spun. They were isolated. Rin was gone. The others were pinned.

Before he could speak, a metallic screech cut through the air. He turned-

And froze.

Emerging from the shadows, twenty… Thirty humanoid constructs advanced silently, their glowing eyes locked on them. Their movements were unnatural, jerky yet precise.

Kentaro's stomach dropped. "What… The hell…?"

"Ken, you there?!" Tenka's voice crackled through.

"Yeah, but what the hell am I looking at?!"

Tenka's voice wavered, uncharacteristically shaken. "…That's the Null. A forbidden humanoid weapon… Created by Cradle to counter Alberlines.

They were scrapped because they went rogue… uncontrollable."

Kentaro's throat went dry. "Then why are they here?!"

"I don't know," Tenka said grimly. "But listen carefully, these aren't regular machines. They're built to fight Alberlines on equal ground… And unlike human troops… They don't run out of energy."

The Null units raised their claws, metallic joints screeching as they closed in, their glowing eyes unblinking.

Kentaro tightened his fists, standing in front of Aria.

"This is bad…" He whispered.