Make Them Love Me Or They'll End The World

The Halcyon van skidded around another tight Tokyo backstreet, its tyres screeching against damp asphalt. The alley was so narrow that the side mirrors nearly scraped the walls, but they had no choice; they were seconds from catching Rin and Aria.

Kentaro's hands gripped the back of the driver's seat, his breath uneven. He could feel them, Rin's familiar, distant presence that had haunted him since the first time they met, and Aria's faint emotional pulse, flickering like a dying ember.

He was close… painfully close.

Yumi slammed the brakes. The van jolted to a stop.

"Everyone out, go!" She barked.

The doors burst open. Kentaro, Shogo, Serica, and Yura leapt into the night, boots splashing into rain puddles as their breath turned to mist.

"RIN! ARIA!" Kentaro's shout echoed through the alleyways as he bolted forward. His chest tightened, heart hammering. They were right there, just above him, across the rooftops.

But then came the hiss of metal boots cutting through the air.

From the shadows of the side street, Spire troops poured out in formation, rifles snapping up the second their visors locked onto Kentaro.

"Target confirmed," the Spire commander barked. "Fire!"

Kentaro froze. Running back wasn't an option, not with Serica, Yura, and Shogo at his side. Every step closer to Rin and Aria would now mean diving headfirst into gunfire.

"Damn it!" Kentaro shouted, fists trembling. He was so close… Yet completely pinned down. The sound of rifles cocking echoed like a death knell.

Above, on the rooftops...

Rin's boots clicked sharply as she led Aria along the slick tiles, weaving between air vents and scaffolding. But fatigue weighed heavily on Aria's body; her steps faltered, her breath sharp and ragged.

"Seems you're really running on empty, dear…" Rin muttered, glancing back.

Aria stumbled to a stop, collapsing to her knees, clutching at her chest as her vision swam. "I… I just need a second…"

But before she could recover, a shrill whistle cut through the night. A single bullet snapped past her face, close enough that the air burned her cheek. Strong hands yanked her collar, dragging her out of the line of fire. She tumbled hard, hitting the rooftop edge before looking up in shock.

Above her, Rin stood poised, pinkish eyes narrowing at their new attackers. A Spire operative barked in fury at a Cradle soldier:

"Idiot! You almost killed the target!"

The Cradle man sneered but didn't answer. To him, killing the Alberline was not a mistake; it was a solution, Cradle'scalling.

Aria's gaze locked on Rin's silhouette against the moonlight, realisation dawning: Rin had just saved her life, again.

"Thank you…" Aria whispered, weak but sincere.

Rin didn't reply. Her usual playful calm was gone, replaced by a rare, sharp edge of frustration. "Honestly… You brutes don't know when to quit," she said coldly.

With a flick of her wrists, glowing pink motes spiralled around her hands. In a shimmer of light, dual pistols manifested, sleek and deadly, humming with Alberline energy. Rin's smile was no longer teasing; it was a predator's grin.

"I think it's time for Lilium & Noctis", she said softly, raising her weapons. "I do hope dear Kentaro arrives soon…"

Gunfire erupted. Rin's pistols sang back with staccato flashes, each shot a blinding streak of light. Spire and Cradle troops scattered, some falling wounded as Rin's perfect marksmanship carved through their lines. But more soldiers were spilling onto the rooftops every second, drawn to her position like vultures.

Behind Rin, Aria clenched trembling fists, frustration boiling. She had to help; she couldn't just be a burden.

"I… I can still fight," she said, voice shaking.

Rin glanced back briefly. "Can you really?"

Aria's answer came not in words but in action. She extended her arm, "Celestina!" She shouted, then her Sublimation appeared. With a flash, her elegant white-and-gold guitar appeared in her hands, gleaming strings vibrating like chimes.

"Echo Drive!"

Her fingers strummed frantically, and a wave of emotional resonance tore outward. The nearest soldiers froze mid-charge, rifles clattering to the ground. Then came the laughter, uncontrollable, desperate laughter bubbling from their throats as their minds drowned in Aria's melody.

Rin's grin softened slightly. "Good… At least you've got a spark left."

She pivoted, landing precision shots that crippled immobilised soldiers.

But then, like glass breaking, Aria's Sublimation shattered. The guitar flickered and vanished. Aria collapsed to one knee, sweat dripping from her brow.

Her strength was gone.

And yet… Even more Spire troops were closing in, armoured boots pounding like war drums.

Rin exhaled slowly, holstering one pistol and extending her other arm to shield Aria.

"Spoke too soon…" She murmured, voice tight. For the first time, true worry glinted in her eyes.

But giving up wasn't an option.

She raised her pistol once more, stance firm despite the encroaching wall of enemies.

"Bring it on," Rin whispered, a faint, dangerous smile curling her lips. "Until the knight comes to save his princess… I'll stand in for him."

Back at Cradle HQ...

Supreme Commander Akio stood rigid in the war room, eyes glued to the live feeds of the battlefield. Rin's lone figure danced amidst a storm of soldiers, holding her ground against dozens, forty at least, yet refusing to fall.

It was infuriating.

Akio's fist slammed against the nearest desk, rattling equipment. "Enough! TROOPS, all units, converge on their location. Once you get to those Alberlines… Shoot to kill!"

Operators stiffened at her voice, echoing "Yes, Commander!" As the room lit up with urgent orders firing through comm channels.

Justice would not waver. If Vale wanted to play games with Spire's resources, fine. Cradle would do what had to be done, no hesitation, no prisoners.

Meanwhile, in Spire's Tokyo office...

Reiden Vale sipped calmly at his wine, watching his private feed of Akio's order. A grin stretched slowly across his face.

"Oh, Akio… Couldn't help yourself, could you?" He mused, his voice dripping with amusement. "Your sense of 'justice' always was too strong for diplomacy."

He tapped a finger against his glass, eyes glinting.

"No matter. Your righteous fury will serve me well, a perfect distraction while I summon them..."

He chuckled softly, already certain that the chaos below was falling perfectly into his hand.

*

Kira's squad had been shadowing Kentaro's group since the van pulled out, careful to stay just far enough back not to be spotted. Commander Isak muttered curses under his breath the entire way. For a man like him, proud and seasoned, this felt beneath him.

But for Kira, every second of tailing Kentaro was agony.

Milly glanced over mid-leap as they bounded across rooftops, her face etched with concern. "Kira… I know what you're thinking. I'm worried too. But I don't think Spire's planning to hurt him. They're just making sure nothing leaks to the public if something goes wrong."

Kira gave a small nod, pretending to agree, but deep down, she knew better. Spire wasn't watching Kentaro; they were hunting him. Yet she couldn't do a thing but follow, her heart pounding heavier with every step.

When the van suddenly screeched to a halt in a narrow alley below, Kira stopped dead, peering over the edge. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw Kentaro burst out, shouting, voice cracking:

"RIN! ARIA!"

Isak squinted, muttering to himself, "Who the hell's he looking for? Relatives, maybe…"

Milly nodded slowly. "Must be… Why else would he-"

She stopped abruptly.

Because around the corner, emerging from the shadows like wolves, Spire agents appeared, rifles raised, barrels locked directly on Kentaro.

Kira's blood ran cold. Her stomach twisted into knots. No thinking, no hesitation-

"KENTARO!" She screamed, leaping down with explosive speed. She tore past Isak, who didn't even try to stop her. He knew exactly what this was, Spire overstepping again, and frankly, he'd rather take heat from HQ than keep playing Vale's lapdog.

"Go," he muttered to himself, watching Kira's figure streak forward like a bullet.

Kira's heart slammed against her ribs. She didn't care if she burned out her gear or broke every bone in her body; she just had to reach him before Spire pulled the trigger.

If she could just make it a little further-

BOOM!

The world exploded in light and sound.

A shockwave tore through the alley, hurling Kira through the air like a rag doll. She slammed into the side of an abandoned building with bone-crushing force, punching a crater into the crumbling wall before collapsing to the ground.

"KIRA!" Milly's voice echoed as she and the rest of the squad dove down after her. Even Isak, usually unshaken, looked stunned.

Kira's vision blurred. Her ears rang. Blood trickled down her forehead as she tried to push herself up, every muscle screaming in protest. Her ribs felt like they'd been shattered.

But she refused to stay down.

She staggered to her knees, planting a trembling hand against the debris for support. She couldn't see straight, couldn't even breathe right, but her instincts screamed at her to look up.

And when she did… Her heart nearly stopped.

Floating above, descending like a divine executioner, was Velza Cain.

Even in a battlefield full of chaos, Velza's presence silenced everything.

Her A.A.S. suit gleamed like polished silver, glowing faintly with holy-white light that rippled in waves down its sleek armour plates. Unlike the standard, darker-coloured Spire suits, this one radiated dominance, a design meant for one thing only: eradicating Alberlines.

The armour's design was a refined evolution of a typical Spire combat exosuit: layered silver plating with faintly glowing seams, reinforced mechanical joints humming with power, and sleek thruster fins extending from her back like spectral wings. Every controlled hover of her descent left pale arcs of light in the air, as though an avenging angel had arrived on the battlefield.

Kira felt small, insignificant, crushed under the sheer killing intent emanating from Velza.

"You…" Kira rasped, voice raw and trembling. She forced herself upright despite the pain tearing through her body."What… Are you doing here?"

Velza hovered above her, looking down like a goddess observing a pitiful mortal. Her sharp features were framed by the gleam of her helmet, her eyes cold and unwavering.

She smiled faintly, a smile that promised death.

"We've come," Velza said, her voice smooth yet merciless, "to take Siren away…"

Then her eyes narrowed, the glow of her suit intensifying like a supernova about to erupt.

"…And to kill Kentaro Takamiya."