ACE OF FATE-Chapter 35: Inescapable Terror

Katsuhiro entered the area beyond the door.

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[Zshhh]

Suddenly, Katsuhiro's body started to stretch swiftly like a fluid, then in just a second, it transformed into a girl wearing an opulent black and red aristocratic dress with long, fitted sleeves that covered her shoulders and arms.

The dress featured a wide-hemmed heel-length red skirt, a black petticoat, and a large black ribbon with red striping attached to the right side of her waist.

The girl had light orange hair with a slight pinkish tint. She was 170 cm tall but had a voluptuous figure despite her size. Her amber-colored eyes were barely visible in the darkness, although she still couldn't beat Miku's beauty and figure.

"This is so dumb," the girl said, swinging her left arm while she put her right hand on her left shoulder. "Why the heck did the captain send me to find that jerk?"

She mimicked her captain's voice, "'Zoya, you must free Lewi so he doesn't do something absurd.'" With a sigh, she stepped further into the room, ready to carry out her mission.

"Ugh, let's just find that dumb Capybara already," Zoya muttered as she started walking down the dark hallway.

What few candles remained sputtered weakly, their flames barely clinging to life, as if even the light feared this forsaken place. The jail cells stretched endlessly, their walls etched with faintly glowing runes—circular artifacts pulsing with a dull, sickly green hue, sealing the barriers with an unyielding strength that mocked any hope of escape.

[Clink-Chink]

Chains rattled faintly in the distance, a mournful hymn to the prisoners' futility. A cacophony of noise filled the air—voices echoing off the walls, shouts and murmurs from the prisoners. Each cell was a small, dimly lit room that housed multiple inmates, far more than it was designed to. Every sound was amplified, contributing to the unwelcoming environment.

"The solitary confinement cells must be around here," Zoya said to herself.

After walking for a while as she continued her search for Lewi, she mused, "I guess it's true that they have limited soldiers here. They must have gotten news about the war with the Empire. They must be pissing their pants right now." She chuckled slightly at the thought.

Now she was reaching a point where there was a path to the right and one to the left.

"I wonder how they will handle their morale before and after this huge conflict, and how the people will react to their emperor's death in the heart of Midono," she pondered.

[Clang-clank]

Abruptly, she heard metallic footsteps from the left side.

"Yeah, I wonder why the emperor hasn't had an audience since the clans meeting," one samurai guard said to his friend.

[Zshhh]

"D-Do... you think the rumors are t-true...?" His samurai friend asked nervously.

"What if they are... will that change anything of who you are? On second thought, let me ask who you really are?" asked the first samurai.

"I....Am...." The friend whispered.

"I didn't hear that," said the first samurai, leaning closer with his hand on his ear.

"I AM SAMURAI OF UNIT 77!" shouted the friend.

"You didn't have to say the Unit, but I hope you show that spirit in a real fight, fish eyes," the first samurai laughed.

"Wait, did you say... fish eyes..." the friend whispered.

"Ahem..." They heard a slight cough.

"What are you doing, guards?" asked Zoya, disguised as Katsuhiro.

"It's the General!" said the fish-eyed samurai.

"Greetings, sir!" They both straightened themselves, putting hands on their katanas.

"We were just patrolling, sir!" said the samurai guard.

"I see.... then please lead me to the captured Kaal... I need to ask him some questions," said the disguised Zoya.

"Yes, sir!" said the samurai guard, then immediately whispered something into the ear of his fish-eyed friend.

"Is there something wrong?" asked the disguised Zoya.

"No, sir! It's just that only a few people know the cell and the area where the inmate you're looking for is, but my friend here just happens to know the way!" he explained.

"I understand... then please lead the way," disguised Zoya put her hands behind her back.

The samurai guard bowed, "Then sir, I must take my leave as I am not supposed to know this confidential information."

"Fine...thanks for your service, Samurai..."

As the samurai guard started heading back towards where he came from, Zoya shouted, "Wait!"

"Can I have your name before you leave?" she asked.

The samurai turned around, "Yes, of course, Sir. It's Asuma, just Asuma."

Zoya smirked. "You can go then."

With that, Asuma left, and the fish-eyed friend samurai and Zoya went to the right side of the corridor. Just as they disappeared into the darkness, Asuma came back to the middle of the three ways.

"You are clever, but not as clever as you think you are," he said with a smirk, his eyes narrowing slightly.

[Whoosh]

Then he rapidly disappeared, moving towards the main door of the Block.

[Fwoosh]

"This is it, sir," said the fish-eyed samurai, pointing his palm towards the grey door of a cell without any windows, while Zoya stood behind him.

"As you know, this is just as you said...we put him in a solitary confinement cell, so we don't get the weird disease."

"Nice job...loser," Katsuhiro's voice slowly changed into the feminine voice of Zoya.

[Thwack-Zshhh]

"Whaa..." The fish-eyed samurai went unconscious as he got hit by a heel to his head from behind.

[Thud-Clomp]

The samurai falls to the floor as Zoya lands, dusting off her dress.

"This artifact crystal thing is here too... it's some type of lock that just recognizes certain people's Zor energy frequencies, huh?"

"Well, I don't care..."

[Whiiiiiish]

Zoya, with her hand pointed towards the crystal and fingers slightly curved, starts to suck the crystal's Zor energy.

[Crack-Shatter!]

The crystal at the side of the door frame shatters into pieces, along with the crystals on the four ends of the door.

"Well, that's new. I never heard of this alarm stuff before," Zoya says, looking around slowly.

[KRRR-CLANG!]

A straight kick by Zoya drops the door inward. The solitary confinement cells are even more austere, with no furnishings beyond a concrete slab for sleeping. They have no lighting, plunging their occupants into complete darkness.

Meanwhile, Asuma emerges from the prison sector above the underground cells where common criminals are kept. His mind races. "I need a clan leader," he thinks. "They're the only ones who can handle this—and the fake general is not alone."

[Sweep-Sweep]

A soft sweeping sound catches his ear. Nearby, a girl in a brown hakamashita works a broom, her black hair tied into a bun beneath a cloth. It's Hime, caretaker to Miku.

She turns, spotting him by the prison building's door. Pausing her work, she starts toward him as he closes the distance.

"Hey, Asu—" she begins.

"Hime," he cuts in, his voice urgent, "I need a favor. Where can I find a clan leader? You're caretaker to one—I know you can't say who, but I need to speak with them. Now."

Hime blinks, taken aback. His intensity is rare, almost unnerving. "I've never seen him like this," she thinks. "That look in his eyes... it's serious... so serious it's almost scary."

Then his words sink in. "Wait—you want to talk to a clan leader?"

After a moment's hesitation, she frowned. "Did you hit your head or something, Asuma?"

"No, Hime, it's not that," he pressed, desperation creeping into his tone. "I need help. The whole town could be in danger!"

Hime studied him, unconvinced. "Okay, then tell me one thing only I'd know."

He groaned. "I don't have time for this, Hime... fine, let me think. Your lunches—they're damn tasty. And you're terrified of the darkne—"

"Okay, okay!" she yelped, cutting him off with a flush of embarrassment. "You don't have to go that far!"

"Come with me!" she shouted and started running towards the main castle building.

Back at the prison cell where Lewi was, Zoya stood at the confinement cell's door, refusing to enter. "Lewi, you silly stupid preposterously ridiculous capybara," she said, her voice dripping with exasperation.

"Zoya... HIC... is that you?" a voice called from the darkness, eyes blinking at her.

"Yes... sigh... it's me," she replied wearily.

"HIC... ZOYAAAAAAA!" Lewi leapt up in joy.

[THWACK!-CRUNCH!]

Without hesitation, Zoya smashed her heel into Lewi's face.

"HIC! ERKK..." Lewi's eyes rolled inward toward his nose.

Lewi was a small capybara, his fluffy head and body adorned with a bowtie-shaped neck fluff. He wore suspenders over his plush chest, paired with boots—one lace dangling loose—and black pants that sat slightly above his waist, complete with a "LOVER" buckle on his belt.

"Don't waste my time—let's go!" Zoya barked, turning to leave.

Above ground in the castle, Asuma and Hime stood before a door.

[Tap-Tap]

"M'lady, please open the door!" Hime pleaded, dropping into a Seiza position and bowing until her forehead grazed the ground beside Asuma.

Inside, a woman rose from her bed and approached the door.

[Slide]

"M'LADY!" Asuma shouted, urgency lacing his voice. "We're in great danger—please lend us your assistance!" He pleaded with the woman, her black hair cascading over a white kimono beneath a haori, the fine fabric and silky strands shimmering with each subtle motion.

[Whoosh]

"Finally here—now let's leave, come on!" Zoya urged Lewi, who trailed just behind her.

"I will go HIC wherever you want HIC me to if you become HIC my darling!" Lewi replied, his eyes morphing into heart shapes.

"Ugh... again with that, you stupid capybara!" Zoya snapped, clenching her fists. "Who in their right mind would want to be your girlfriend? And when will you learn to tie your shoes? On our way here, you've fallen fifty times already!"

"You know HIC you can do HIC it for me," Lewi said, pointing at his boots with a warm, oblivious smile.

[Smack]

A red bump swelled on Lewi's head as Zoya's hand crashed down.

"We just go upstairs from here," Zoya explained, standing before the stairs.

[Zwshh]

She shifted back into Katsuhiro, the army general. "Here," she said, touching Lewi's head.

"Are you HIC patting my HIC head? So cuteeeeee," Lewi cooed.

[Zwshh]

"Just shut up!" Zoya snapped.

She transformed Lewi into the fish-eyed samurai from earlier.

"Now let's move."

[Fwoosh]

Zoya and Lewi reached a giant door. Someone stood there, arms crossed, back leaning against the frame. A Sugegasa straw hat shadowed her face, and she wore a soft white kimono with a translucent haori draped over it.

Disguised as Katsuhiro, Zoya bent slightly, as she caught off guard. "Who is that, and what's that presence?" she thought, gritting her teeth.

The woman lifted a hand to her hat. "I am Miku Yotsuba, leader of the Yotsuba clan," she said in a mature, steady voice. "It's nice to meet you. I hope you've had a nice life."

"So it's you?" Zoya straightened, recognition dawning.

"She is HIC so HIC beautifullllllll!!!!" Lewi shouted, spinning on one foot.

[Shiiing-Ssskt]

"Okay, so this is what you want, eh? Picking a fight with me?" Zoya smirked.

[Zshhh]

She reverted to her true form.

[Fwoosh]

Suddenly, a massive figure appeared before Zoya with lightning speed. "Zoya, you go. I'll handle this," he declared.

"But Igor, are you going to win against her?" she asked, doubt flickering in her voice.

"Heeh... who do you think I am?" Igor shot back with a grin.

Now everything was clear: that was why there were no guards at the gate and why there was no alert in the castle for intruders.

[Ssskt-Shiiing]

Igor unsheathed his large, curved blades from his back, their intricate designs and runes glinting faintly. A smoky, glowing purple aura flared around him, his eyes glowing with intent, meaning that he is using his Zor releases.

"He's serious," Zoya thought, sweat beading on her temple. "What's so special about her, other than her beauty? Is she really that strong?" she wondered.

"Are you stronger than the girl?" Miku asked without losing her composure.

"Who is she calling a girl!" Zoya gritted her teeth.

Igor took a step forward, the ground beneath his feet cracking slightly under the pressure of his power. "You'll find out soon enough," he said, his voice low and menacing, as the air thickened with tension.

Although Miku was 184 cm tall, she still couldn't reach Igor's height as he was much taller even a bit taller than Felix.

"Go now Zoya!" Igor shouted at her.

[Whoosh]

At Igor's command, Zoya ran toward the door. But in that very flash of a moment, Miku's eyes flicked to the left, piercing through the chaos with predatory precision, while her face remained turned towards Igor.

A shiver raced through Zoya's body—she felt it before she saw it. Time seemed to slow, and the world around her faded to black and white.

Miku's hand flicked upward, sending a gust of wind slicing through the air. A shimmering thread of red Zor energy lashed out from her fingertip. Zoya could see it all but couldn't react; the thing she saw was the red beam of Zor energy in the black and white vision.

It struck true, coiling around Zoya's ankle mid-stride, yanking her back with merciless force.

She crashed to the ground, the breath ripped from her lungs, her amber eyes wide with shock. Miku hadn't moved an inch, her serene stance unbroken, a testament to her speed and precision that turned the tide in an instant.

"Foolish, girl," Igor gritted his teeth.

[Whiiiiiish-FZSHHHH-ZZZZT!]

A red, smoky aura enveloped Miku as her eyes shifted back to Igor. "Your face pisses me off," she said coldly, settling into a fighting stance—left katana and foot forward, right katana and foot back. Both blades shimmered with red Zor energy.

"So bad," Igor smirked, though sweat glistened on his forehead. "Maybe it'll be the last face you see before you die!"

"Big talk from someone using both his Zor releases," she retorted icily. "Don't play around—use your Shakti already."

"Arghh..." Igor hesitated, his grip tightening on his blades' hilts.

"Igor..." Zoya murmured as she struggled to her feet. "Where's that creep?" She scanned for Lewi.

Lewi lay sprawled on the floor, already felled by Miku's charm. "That jerk—all this trouble for him," she fumed, her anger flaring.

Determined to aid Igor, Zoya steeled herself. "Second Nexus..."