283 270: A Plague of Phantoms: Covert Machinations VIII

Chase

"Transcended Evolution…" I breathed as I stared at Jiggles. According to the tests he underwent back at Moldworks he didn't have enough stored mana to undergo Transcended Evolution, while that had been true then, what overcame that fact was Jiggles anger at seeing me grabbed like that.

Jiggles stood up straight in front of me and stretched his arms. Flexing the muscles on his arms and back. He was much larger now but still had his signature chunky belly which made him look beefy. Jiggles took a deep breath then looked over his shoulder at me.

"Star Shaper, do you want me to destroy this insignificant ant?" Jiggles asked. I arched a brow at Jiggles, a little shocked by how intelligent Jiggles sounded after his evolution. I looked past him at the soldier that grabbed me: Second Lieutenant Alabaster Cross. I huffed and looked away then turned started walking towards Louie and his family.

"No, he's not important." I said then heard Jiggles huff and turn to follow me. "Iris, Louie, is everyone okay?"

"Yeah…" Iris said absent-mindedly, staring off at Jiggles.

"What happened?" I asked loudly then added through the manacite communication rings. [Everything going to plan so far?]

[Yeah. That Cross guy is dangerously stupid.] Iris said.

[Good…then this next part is going to go off without a hitch.] I replied.

While we had been talking through the manacite communication rings Iris and I had also been communicating verbally. Though Iris had just given me a brief summary of what had happened when she got there and then Louie added his report on what happened. All of this was spoken loudly so that both the Americans and the splicers from England and France could all hear it.

I looked down at KC who was being held by Angie now and ruffled his hair and smiled at the boy. Though I knew he was never in any danger because of how things really went down, knowing how he grew up till now and everything that he's been through at such a young age it was a little terrifying to think of him in any more danger. Using that fear as fuel I turned to face the Americans and my smile faded instantly. Replaced by a vicious glare that sent all of them even more on edge.

"LOGAN ABRAHAM KINGSTON!" I bellowed and stomped over to him. Logan glared back at me and jumped to his feet.

"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE USE MY MIDDLE NAME!" Logan snapped back. We got in each other's faces and he shoved his fingers in my face. "Who the fuck do you think you are, you useless piece of shit!"

"You are the last person who gets to call me that!" I huffed then slapped his hand away. "You fucking tried to have my people killed! Really! One of them was a child!"

"I didn't try to do shit, chuff-stain! And that child is a splicer, so who gives a shit!" Logan snapped then froze the moment the words left his mouth. I didn't give him a chance to regret those words and grabbed him by his throat, letting my fear from earlier turn into rage.

"I GIVE A SHIT!" I snarled and tightened my grip on his throat. Logan grabbed my hand and yanked it from his throat. His face was twisted by his rage, flashing me a look I hadn't seen in years. Rage at someone that he deemed below him daring to question him, that anger made him blind to his surroundings and the situation.

"NO ONE GIVES A FUCK ABOUT YOUR OPINION! YOU CRYSTAL CURSED FUCKWAD!" He growled and threw a punch at me but I was already anticipating this and clenched my jaw as I took the punch, barely flinching as he socked me across the jaw.

"STAR SHAPER!" Jiggles bellowed.

"STAR BOSS!" screamed Grimm-Guard. Both Grimm-Guard and Jiggles rushed towards Logan.

"Stop." I said calmly, channeling attributeless mana into my throat to add power to the order.

Grimm-Guard and Jiggles froze in place. Grimm-Guard stopping only a few feet above us and Jiggles was only a few inches away from killing Logan outright. His right arm was fully extended in a broad weeping motion similar to a slash, two thick and sharp crystalline claws were sticking almost a foot out of the holes in his bonelike arm bracers much like my own bone claws.

"I don't care if you kill any of the other soldiers…but Logan is my brother, half or otherwise." I said, looking between the both of them. Grimm-Guard and Jiggles both retreated a little, Grimm-Guard snapped his mandibles in a threatening manner.

Logan sobered up in that moment and realized that he nearly died. He was lucky his back was to the American soldiers or else they would have seen the stark terror reflected on it. His skin was nearly white as a ghost and I could see by the way he was gritting his teeth that it was taking everything he had to not shake, shiver, and shit himself.

"You think you're a big man now don't you!" Cross yelled from behind Logan. "All safe and protected behind your evos! Fucking cowards!"

"Having my evos here is a kindness. I'd destroy you and leave nothing behind." I said dismissively then looked to Logan.

"Where is Beaufort?!" I demanded. That snapped Logan out of his fear.

"You mean President Justice!" Logan snapped, though his tone was softer and less convincing.

"No I mean Beaufort, someone with authority or some modicum of power. I want to know how America is going to make amends for attacking my people!" I snapped back.

"We're not doing shit!" Cross exclaimed.

"Oh really!" One of the English soldiers exclaimed. A woman and a Captain at that. "Your men attacked English soldiers, a declaration of war under most circumstances!"

"The same goes for the French soldiers your men attacked!" A French Captain exclaimed.

"So these Americans think they can just ambush us and get away with it!" Someone from the crowd I brought with me exclaimed.

"If that lieutenant will send men after his own brother's people then what are the chances they won't do that to us?" Another exclaimed.

"I'm advising the King we leave the island as soon as possible!" Another called out.

I looked to Logan and saw the realization of his situation spread across his face. He was trapped, they all were. How Logan handled this situation would determine the fate of the rest of Evo-cution. Beaufort was at the hotel still and I wasn't planning to let him stall enough to give the fat bastard time to get here.

"Where is Beaufort? Either he stands in front of me in fifteen seconds or you're going to have a very hard choice to make!" I exclaimed and pointed to Logan.

"A choice?" Logan muttered I leaned in close and smirked.

"Yes! You can give up on saving the two surviving men that attacked my people or you can sit back and watch Evo-cution get torn down before your eyes." I said in a softer, quieter voice. Logan glared at me and hissed.

"You honestly think I'm going to let you execute some of my men!" He hissed back.

"Honestly you don't really have a choice, how exactly did you an all these American soldiers get to this island? I know you didn't use a warlord or Zee-waro so that means another country shepherded you all here. That country is most likely England…given how tight Beaufort is with Simon Caldifax." I replied. The way his eyes widened told me I was right.

"So what? Why the fuck do you think I don't have a choice?" Logan growled.

"Because your soldiers fired at English soldiers and one of them being a captain. Simon Caldifax might be influential in England because of his noble title but even he can't protect America from the repercussions of that. It's paramount to declaring war." I said. Logan sneered.

"We've beaten splicers in a war before Chase! Don't forget that." Logan said proudly.

"You've beaten one country in a war before. One. Do you think America could survive an attack from three or even four?" I asked then turned around and motioned around me. "Tell me Logan, about how much of America's forces are on this island? Forty percent? Sixty percent? I'll bet it's a lot either way. Which means that right now America is at its weakest, with a vast majority of its military command structure here on Tsushima Island. Do you think America could survive losing that? Do you think the forces left at home could repel an assault by another country?"

Logan gritted his teeth and glared at me. I watched with a admittedly sick satisfaction at seeing him squirm and backed into a corner. Logan wasn't much of a lateral thinker, present him with a problem and hint a terrible outcome and he'll focus on it. And after years of being propped up as a national hero he was probably hardwired to make decisions that made him look better. While giving up on men that were under his command made him look weak being seen as the man that caused America go to war in such a weakened state would be disastrous. A little push was all he needed.

"If you need a little more persuading then maybe I should tell all these military officials about the surveillance that America has on all their hotels? Those corrupted thrads that Justice Technologies and other companies are selling to countries on purpose? How do you think they'll all react?" I asked narrowing my eyes at him. Logan glared at me with clenched teeth.

"I could kill you…before your evos had a chance to save you." Logan threatened in a low tone. I chuckled and shook my head.

"Logan…I'm not the little weakling you used to beat on. I let the last punch slide but if you ever raise your hand to me again…I will beat you to within a inch of your life, nurse you back to full health and do it over and over again until all the pain, embarrassment, and broken bones you caused me will seem like a vacation." I replied. As I spoke I let the most devilish smile I had curl across my lips and all the anger and malice I had reflect in my eyes as I looked at him.

"Y-you don't scare me Chase." Logan said. I turned and held my arms out leaving myself wide open.

"And you don't scare me Logan. Why would I be scared of a little bitch that all he could do while his fellow soldiers were getting killed and eaten alive was hide and cry." I said sternly, making sure my voice was low enough that only he could hear. Logan gritted his teeth again and clenched his fists. I shook my head again and turned my back to Logan, raisimg my voice as I spoke. "And your time is up Logan! Your answer!"

"As the currently highest ranking American soldier…I am forced to announce that the Zeonic States of America doesn't condone the actions of the soldiers that attacked the members of Sho'lajah Artifact Company nor share any responsibility." Logan said through gritted teeth after a moment.

"WHAT?!" Cross and several other American soldiers exclaimed. Logan clenched his fists and flinched slightly at the sound of their voices.

"LIEUTENANT KINGSTON! LIEUTENANT KINGSTON! YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Private Oliver exclaimed.

"QUIET!" Logan barked then finally turned to all the American soldiers.

"KINGSTON! YOU COWARDLY SON OF A BITCH!" Reagan bellowed. I turned and saw him struggling to stand but he was tied up pretty well and the evos at his sides were keeping him down.

I stepped closer to Reagan and Anders then looked at the captains of the French and English soldiers as well as Hideyoshi.

"Since my people were the ones that were mostly in danger I think its appropriate that I chose the sentence for them attacking us. Don't you?" I asked.

"As you wish, Master Kingston." The English Captain said with a nod.

"No objections here." Hideyoshi said.

"Same here." Added the French Captain said.

"In that case lets set the stage…" I said with a smirk then bit my thumb and started writing a couple runes in my hand and wrists then channeled mana into that hand and started casting a axiom spell sigil.

Bars made of purple energy erupted from the ground around Reagan and Anders, connecting and creating a cage. Chains of light shot down from the ceiling and encircled both Reagan and Anders arms then yanked them up in the air.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!" Reagan and Anders screamed.

"A new spell I created just for you two. I call it executioners cage." I said then shot the both of them glares. "You attacked my employees, people who I think of as close as my family. For that…I sentence you to death."

"Death! The only ones who died were our people! Your fucking monsters massacred us!" Anders snapped.

"You haven't seen a monster yet…" I said ominously then pulled a ring off my thumb on my right hand then turned and held it out to Jiggles. "…Jiggles carry out the execution. Use this item."

"As you wish Star Shaper." Jiggles said. He walked over to me and I dropped the ring on his hand.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD! I SAVED YOU IN ST. LOUIS!" Reagan bellowed and struggled against his chains.

"I remember. That is why your death will be quick." I said then added to Jiggles. "That has a chant. You know the one."

"I do." Jiggles said then turned and approached the executioners cage.

The area erupted into a volley of screams and shouting coming from the Americans. All protesting and shouting at Logan, demanding he do something. Logan could only hold many of them back or use his rank to keep the soldiers in line. One thing that surprised me was the one I was expecting to be among those shoving was Cross and he was stating directly at me. Well glaring more like. He stood perfectly still and glared at me with clenched teeth, looking similar to a rabid pit bull.

Jiggles channeled mana into his closed fist and started casting a axiom spell sigil. The edges of his forearm bracers glowed with a purple light that spread to his arms and legs as well. The crystal laced in his tusks glowed with that light as well.

"Burn to obscurity, flashed in the flames. Let my onyx flames burn away all who sully the eyes of law…." Jiggles started to chant. Black flames erupted from Jiggles hands and swirled up his arms. "…begotten of pain, assured to oblivion, in the name of the Star Shaper, disappear!"

"NO DON'T!" Reagan bellowed.

The black flames on his arms collected and condensed into a ball of flames over Jiggles open palm. He held his hand out and fired the ball of flames at the executioners cage. It was enveloped in a whirlpool of black flames that devoured everything. Sight, sound, smell, all were canceled out by the effects of the spell.

Jiggles snapped his fingers and the flame whirlpool dispersed revealing that the spell burned away everything, leaving nothing but a patch of scorched earth.

"SARGENT REAGAN!" I heard Private Oliver scream. "YOU BLACK HEARTED BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

I turned and saw Logan holding back private Oliver who was trying his best to get to me. He growled and screamed and clawed, trying to get free of Logan's grip. I was about to say something when a familiar voice suddenly bellowed and silenced all the screaming and yelling.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"

I turned towards the sound and saw Beaufort T. Justice quickly approaching the scene, flanked by more than two dozen armed officers, all of which were very cautious of Grimm-Guard.

"President Justice! How good of you to make it. I'm sorry to inform you but you missed the execution." I said then motioned towards the patch of burnt earth. "I'm sure my brother will inform you everything that's happened. But now...I suggest you command all your soldiers to calm down and return to your hotel. Things have gotten a little too emotionally charged. We all need to calm down."