*Sokarian Plains, Adenien; May 26, 2019; 3:15 PM*

Alex and Yang skidded to a halt, weapons bared as both collapsed, Alex clutching his side.

"Good hit! You'll be ready for anything Star and that other lackey of Alpha's has planned, Yang! Alex as well!" Master Karos, the armored, near-elderly man smiled.

"Heh... Thanks.." Alex walked away, sitting next to Yang at the chairs in the side.

"Now, I've always been curious as to how strong the kids might turn out to be! I'll have you all fight at once!" Karos shrugged merrily.

Oreonna handed Yang the newborn Auburn as Cade, herself, and Future Auburn walked up to the three corners of the large arena-like structure and took their weapons out.

Cade wearily pointed his modified .454, Conductor, between Auburn and Oreonna. He heard Vanoss' report, they both managed to take out Cinder with only a few minor injuries, whereas even in his Enlightened form he couldn't stop her!

"Begin!" Karos yelled as all three leaped at one another.

Auburn quickly strummed the strings of her guitar, blowing both Oreonna and Cade away from her. Auburn sprinted towards Cade, brandishing her axe as Cade tried to duck and evade his sister's attacks.

Oreonna swept in from the side, playing a chord from Symphonic Discord V2, the sound waves enough to send Auburn skidding to the side. Leaving just her and Cade.

Cade jumped into the air to avoid Oreonna's next chord, slamming his boot mere inches off as Oreonna quickly moved onto bladework. Thinking fast, Cade brought up his sickle to block Oreonna's sword, pointing Conductor's barrel right at her.

Auburn swung the axe strings-first just before Cade could finish her, blowing him into the wall as the two girls attacked eachother, leaving him to pull himself from the wall.

"It looks like Auburn and Oreonna trained more with their weapons than Cade. The girls know their limitations well enough to take on even their Cinder." Alex noticed.

"I will say this about your son, Alexander. His learning style almost mirrors yours. Once he fights more, he'll be more than a match for them even without powering up." Karos smirked.

Cade leaped from the wall, shooting both repeatedly before sticking the landing, gripping Oreonna's sword with his hand.

Auburn noticed immediately and swung for his neck, only for Cade to pull Oreonna away from the blade and kick her directly into his sister.

Cade raised his hand, firing a pulse of lavender-colored electricity towards the two, only for their strings to completely absorb any of his lightning.

"What?!" Alex gaped.

"Ah, yes. Their weapons have iron-coated strings, along with Ms. Scratch's home-brewed power core. It'll absorb almost any amount of electricity and use it for an added power boost! Mighty ingenious if you ask me!" Karos smirked.

Cade stared on in horror as the two girls surrounded him, brandishing their weapons and generating innumerable amounts of noise.

Cade, by the end of the beat down, was lying on the ground with his eyes closed.

"He's tough, but I guess he isn't tough enough yet.." Auburn noticed.

"Do you think we'll have to go a bit easier on him?" Oreonna asked.

Cade's eyes shot wide open.

"I DON'T THINK SO!!" Cade roared.

The two backed away as Cade suddenly went Enlightened and glared directly at them.

The two girls moved to his sides, hacking away at Cade, with Cade managing to finally fight back.

Cade kicked Oreonna right in the arm, causing her to drop Symphonic Discord. Cade picked up the weapon, and forcing all of his power into the sword, played a single chord that blasted both girls away, Cade threw Symphonic Discord aside and leaped right at Oreonna, who swung right for his side. Cade blocked her attack with his sickle, and fired a charged shot right at her, blowing her through the wall and into where Alex, Yang, Present Auburn, and Karos were watching.

"Oreonna, you okay?" Yang asked.

"I'll... I'll be fine... Give Auburn a minute.." Oreonna smirked weakly.

Auburn charged directly at Cade as her hair suddenly stood on end. the second their weapons clashed, she had suddenly gained a bright orange aura. She reared the axe back, swinging it right into Cade's armored chest, and blew him through the two walls, and several feet into the concrete lining their underground training room.

Auburn eventually lost the orange-colored Aura as she placed the axe across her back again, running up to check on Oreonna.

"You okay?" Auburn asked with a mere indication of concern.

"I'm fine... Cade on the other hand..." Oreonna coughed as Alex and Yang pulled Cade out of the wall.

"Y-You're still an absolute monster.." Cade coughed encouragingly at his sister before doubling over in pain, "J-Just like when we were kids.."

Auburn stared at him with a look of sincerity, nodding back to him.

"You've improved." Auburn nodded.

"So... Cade is stronger than Oreonna, but not as strong as Auburn.." Alex tried to figure out the pecking order in his head.

"I got their Aura Levels right here! Oreonna's at Level 26, Cade's at 27 exactly, and Auburn is about 28." Yang exclaimed.

"Well, what's my Aura Level now? I haven't checked since our last battle." Alex asked.

Yang grabbed the Reader, pointing it right at him and reading his out loud.

"You're at Aura Level 28. 2850, to be exact.." Yang quickly pointed the reader at herself, "... And I'm at Aura Level 29, almost 30." Yang answered.

"Now, a few words of advice before you continue, Alex.." Karos stood up to shake Alex's hand.

"Yes?" Alex wondered.

"I wouldn't recommend using your Overcharge alongside your Enlightened Berserker. That combination can prove deadly because it puts what little of your body you have left under a lot of stress." Karos began sternly.

"I understand." Alex nodded.

"Also, the nearest Dimensional Gateway is 123 kilometers to the west. Though I will warn you, that is where the Crux family marks their home. Do not do anywhere near it. Hell, just go north 200 kilometers, and then move west before heading south." Karos noted.

"Wait... Do you know where we can find a Class IV Freighter..?" Alex asked.

"110 Kilometers east in Ochiros. It's a Ryder Surplus shop. I recall you're familiar with the area." Karos nodded.

"Okay, thanks for everything, Master Karos." Alex nodded respectfully.

"Anytime!" Karos replied as the five walked out the door.

"Okay, here's the plan.. Since Cade here left the old freighter with Vanoss of all people, we're going into Ochiros and getting another one. We'll pool our resources and try to get what we can and fly right over Ultimus' little shithole and get where we need to go." Alex explained.

"Did you guys gas up the car?" Yang asked.

"Yeah.. Just yesterday." Auburn replied.

"Well, what're we waiting for, let's pack up and move." Alex ordered as everyone stepped out.

*Gorod Krovi; Stalingrad, USSR; May 22, 1944; 4:15 PM*

"OH DEAR GOD SCOTT!! COVER ME!!" Moo shrieked as he was inevitably surrounded by zombies and downed within seconds.

"I got him!" Ohmwrecker yelled, firing a Pack-A-Punched Death Machine into the massive horde of undead in their midst.

"Hey, where are the others again?" Droidd yelled to Ohm as him and FourZer0 ran and helped him up.

"Vanoss and his group are at Revelations doing f**k-all while Terroriser and his group are screwing around in Buried." Ohm answered.

Vanoss had called in a favor to Mako asking her to send Ohmwrecker and FourZer0 over to help them with their Easter eggs in exchange for Wonder Weapons that her group could use to help them later.

"THREAT DETECTED." An echoing mass of zombies, along with two Manglers roared as they surrounded all of them.

"Oh f**k me!!" Moo yelled as he was downed again, along with everyone but Ohm fell to the ground.

"You got this!" Droids added in encouragement to Ohm as he helplessly gunned down most of the zombies before being shoved onto the ground by a Mangler's shockwave cannon.

The particular Mangler staggered up to him, raised his sickle-arm, and glared down at him.

"FASCISTS MUST DIE!" The Mangler yelled as his arm cannon was completely blown off.

Ohm turned around to find a young huntress wearing a dark robe along with a signature red cloak, hands and face splattered in what seemed to be blood as she pulled back the bolt on her weapon, a large, Pack-A-Punched Scythe with a sniper barrel.

Quickly, The huntress swept in, bisecting the zombies in groups as she got to work reviving everyone.

"Ruby?!" Moo gasped, using his pack-a-punched M1927 Thompson to shoot the last zombie, ending the round.

"I'm glad to see you, Brock! Who are these guys?" Ruby greeted, turning towards Ohm and FourZer0.

"This is Ryan and Scott. You can just call them Ohm and FourZer0, though." Moo pointed.

"And you're Ruby, right? The one Evan invited to that one Infinite Warfare video?" Ohm asked, referring to the literal one video they made for the entire game.

"Yep! Listen, Twilight says it's time for that meeting. Vanoss and the others are already in Ponyville!" Ruby noted.

"Nice, and how did you get here?" Droid asked.

"Through the.. Pod that the zombies... Destroyed..." Ruby's voice trailed off as the next round started.

"Oh, shit." Everyone muttered under their breath.

*Location Unknown; May 27, 2019; 2:34 AM*

"I apologize for my lack of contact these past months, M'Lady.. I have been busy." Cinder began.

A tall woman wearing a thick, black cloak and what appeared to be a white headdress merely stood outwards, facing the crystalline scarlet fields before her.

"Speak, Cinder." The woman demanded calmly.

"The Unity Squadron is arming our enemies in Cairo, and they're meeting up shortly. The Silver-Eyed Huntress is among them." Cinder explained.

"It has been a long time since I've contacted you, my perfect assassin. Tell me, how do you feel having gained what you've desired for so long..?" The woman asked evenly.

Cinder raised a hand, letting the raw power form a ball in her hands.

"Everything you promised." Cinder replied with a wicked smile.

"I'm glad you're enjoying what I have provided you with. Another task lies ahead." The woman slowly turned around, revealing black and red eyes that glowed sinisterly.

"I will do anything as a favor to you, Lady Salem." Cinder bowed.

"Keep gaining followers. Do not intrude Unity's encounter with the Nexus Divisa. If all goes as planned, they won't recognize the folly of their actions until it is too late.." Salem grinned devilishly.

"Yes, Salem." Cinder continued.

"Also, be wary of my other agents. Lately, they have been proving to be more cunning than even you, my perfect weapon." Salem warned.

"I understand.." Cinder stood and left the room, leaving Salem to turn and face the moon.

"Salem..? This Alexander is... Stronger than my own. I cannot destroy him as easily as I did before." Cinder suddenly said.

Salem grinned.

"Alexander Walker is still young, unruly, and blissfully unaware of how close he is to falling apart. The only solace he has are his loved ones. The moment they lose their trust in him is the moment he breaks. I will warn you, he is still headstrong, even then. But just like before, he will thirst for revenge, be cautious." Salem advised.

"Thank you, Salem.." Cinder exited the room, pulling up her own scroll and typing.

Sigma:

Prepare your Armageddon. If Arabus couldn't stop them, it will.

Upsilon:

Armageddon is supposed to be my last resort, Sigma. I can't afford to waste it now.

Sigma:

I suppose it's not my place anyways. Do as you wish.

Author's Notes:

Edits:

Turns out those edits I have to make aren't as severe as I thought, on account that babies can survive being born a month or so early. I'm still thinking about how I'm going to handle battle scenes.