23 Argus

Nearly an entire month had passed since Shen took over Kuchinashi City. News about how the White Fang and, more so Shen, had taken over had long broken through the city limits; however, nothing could be done. It seemed an invisible hand was keeping the government of Mistral from interfering.

Even without Shen directly handling things, his goal of Faunaus coming to Kuchinashi City had already begun. Kuchinashi City's population had grown by five percent, and that five percent consisted mostly of Faunus. Not only were they treated fairly out of fear of the White Fang, but no one dared to even approach them.

Of course, this made the praise Shen received rise even further. As for the militia he planned on forming, things were already begging to fall into place. People had already begun calling him The Devil Of Kuchinashi City due to the exposition of his Devil Trigger. While most normal people feared him for it, the Faunus felt the opposite way.

Having already been called monsters, freaks, and much worse, they took Shen's Devil Trigger form in stride. They felt he truly represented them in a being both like them and even more monstrous in some regards. It was a strange occurrence even for Shen considering he had prepared a bunch of methods to cover it up.

In the end, he realized if people wanted to believe in something, they would ignore all the flaws and focus purely on the good. It just went to show how desperate they really were for that kind of heroic figure. As for the man behind the madness? He was inside the very same warehouse he had reserved for himself all those days ago.

"Hmph!" Streaks of red and black filled the space between two people. The sound of vibrating metal, along with sparks spilling onto the surrounding floor, created a spectacle. Of course, these two people were Shen and Blake. Shen was attacking using Gae Bolg a lot more efficiently than before.

Although he could use it well at first, now he could fight with it at a speed that caused normal eyes to see a blur. As Blake attacked Shen from two different angles using her weapon and sheath, Shen countered by spinning Gae Bolg. Blake was knocked off guard as Shen aimed for her chest striking forward with a heavy kick.

Bringing both her weapon and sheath in front of her, the kick sent her skating over ten meters. Regaining her posture, she saw a ting of electricity flicker off of Shen's body. The next moment his entire body changed its form resembling lightning itself. Blake's eye couldn't track his next move as he appeared behind her.

"You almost managed to use your semblance in time." Instead of attacking, Shen patted Blake on her head. Her cat ears twitched as she looked back at Shen with a smile. "You're just too fast now. I couldn't keep up with you anymore after the first week we began training." Shen shrugged. "True, but you've gotten better. Compared to before, you're a lot faster, and you almost managed to react to me."

Every inch of the warehouse was basically damaged. Burn marks, debris, cuts, and slashes, even remnants of Dust being used like half-melted shattered ice was everywhere. 'My mastery of the Goro Goro No Mi really has improved. And although defeating Blake didn't lead to a Level Up, I'm pretty close.'

Overall the time he had spent training was more than fruitful. He had learned a lot about his abilities and how they could be used in succession. That also included his understanding of Mental Refitting. Shen had completely reread the description and observed Blake during their time together.

For the most part, he was right. Forcing your will onto another person would give you their loyalty. Depending on if you were harsh or soft during the process would determine if they would be dependent on your orders like L1, L2, and Taupher. However, if you were softer during the process like he was on Blake and Neo, it would still make them Loyal; however, it would hinge on their weaknesses.

For Blake, she had a fear of loneliness along with the guilt behind what the White Fang and Adam were becoming. As such, in a way, she grew an obsession when it came to Shen as her only 'Friend' and a desire to let him direct her decisions, avoiding the guilt they would cause her.

As for Neo, although he hadn't gotten a chance to observe her closely yet so he couldn't say. 'In any case, I have Blake under control. If anything, she's like an extremely emotionally dependent pet.' Surprisingly enough, that suited a dog's description more than a cats. As Shen was thinking to himself, he heard a knock on the door of the warehouse.

"What is it, L1?" Without even needing to look, L1 walked through the door. "Master, it's about time that you set out. We already have a ship prepared and ready to set out." Hearing that, Shen remembered today was the day. 'It almost slipped my mind after being in Kuchinashi City for so long. But finally, I'll be making my way to Argus.'

Turning to look at Blake, Shen spoke to her. "Are you sure you're coming with me?" Blake didn't hesitate and nodded with her eyes stuck on him. "Of course, the Branch Leader already authorized me to work with you as long as necessary." Hearing that, Shen shrugged lightly. "Alright, you go on ahead. I need to talk to him for a second."

Hearing Shen had no issues with her coming, Blake gleamed as she left, going ahead. Taking his eyes off her, Shen turned to L1 as his face turned serious. "Now that I'm going to Argus keep things here under control. Once I get what I need from Sanctum Academy, there won't be any second chances to get things right."

L1 nodded without a hint of worry. "We won't fail you. By the time that day comes, the Militia will be ready." Shen narrowed his eyes a bit and replied. "As long as you understand." Walking past L1, Shen began to walk in the direction Blake had gone. Sighing to himself, he thought something. 'If anything, meeting the so-called 'Invincible Girl' herself should be pretty fun.'

Making his way to the front of the Purple Lotus HQ, a transport airship had been landed. Its engines were still running, and its side doors were open. Blake spotted Shen as she was already waiting next to it. "So we're going to Argus now?" Shen nodded his head as he made his way to the ship. "Yup, no reason for us to waste any more time."

Sitting down, Shen saw the pilot turn around to signal to him. "We're ready to go, sir." Blake quickly followed behind him, getting onto the ship as well before sitting down next to Shen. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you going to Argus?" Unlike Kuchinashi City, Argus was an extremely well-defended city and had constant Atlas and Mistral Military Protection.

Hearing her question just casually leaned back. "You'll see. But tell me something, Blake, have you ever wanted to become a Huntsman?" Hearing the cryptic answer and then the out-of-the-blue question, Blake looked down for a second, thinking. "Well… I did think about going to Beacon Academy a few times. But I doubt I would be able to pass."

Shen smiled a bit after hearing her answer. "Well, you might be getting a chance to do just that." Blake looked at Shen, confused by what he meant. At the same time, the airship began to move as its engines kicked into full throttle. Taking off into the sky, it began to make its way out of Kuchinashi City and towards their new destination Argus.

Meanwhile, hours away from Shen and Blake were two people waiting for their arrival. "Seems our valiant boss is finally making his way here. About time as well, he has no idea how difficult it was to secure ourselves in this place. I had to do so much networking that my tongue was falling off."

Torchwick's words made Neo, who was beside him, roll her eyes. "Don't tell me your still mad I made you work with him? You looked like you were having fun." Crossing her arms, Neo didn't look at Torchwick as he shook his head. "Well, no matter, I'm still interested in seeing exactly what he has planned for Argus. He's made it this far, so I doubt he'll disappoint."

Just as Torchwick said that someone opened the doors of the room they were in. It was a member of the White Fang, part of the group Torchwick was sent to Argus with. "We have received word that Shen will be arriving within the day. However, we have a slight issue regarding 'Him'." Torchwick groaned as he covered his face with his hand.

"I swear he's been breathing down my neck since I got here." Taking a deep breath, Tochwick began making his way to the door. "I'll deal with this myself Neo, make your way to the Airship Port." Neo nodded as Torchwick left the room, making his way down the left hall. After he left, Neo began making her way out of the building heading towards the Airship Port.

Hours passed as the sun had begun to set. Looking out of the window of the Airship, Shen's eyes lit up. "Finally." In the distance, just a few miles away, he could see a large city walled off between two massive mountains. It was right by the sea and was extremely grand from afar. "That's Argus? It's so much bigger than I thought it would be."

Blake looked out of her window just like Shen and was amazed. Kuchinashi City was in no way small, but Argus dwarfed it in comparison. As their Airship approached the city, it made its way to a large flat area. Multiple airships of different sizes were landed in designated spots marked on the ground.

Even now, all kinds of ships were making their way too and away from the city. In the place they were landing, there were already figures waiting. Looking down, Shen spotted Neo along with members of the White Fang in disguise. Soon the airship stopped in the air and began to lower itself as it landed.

Opening the door on his side, Shen stepped out of the ship. "Sir, we have been expecting you. Please follow us to the base we have set up in the city" The voices of the White Fang were filled with reverence and excitement upon seeing Shen. Nodding, Shen saw Neo had a slight smile on her face when she saw him; however, it disappeared as soon as Blake exited the ship.

'Going to have to make sure they get along enough to work together.' With Blake following behind him on his left and Neo walking on his right, Shen looked around for a second. "Where's Torchwick?" Neo looked up to him as she answered his question. "He's dealing with someone who's been causing us issues since our arrival."

Of course, no one else could hear Neo's voice, so one of the White Fang Members in front of Shen answered his question a second time. "I see." It seemed there were a few things he might have to deal with. After arriving, Shen, Blake, and Neo all made their way to a fairly large building near the center of Argus.

Using the Lien Shen provided him, Torchwick bought the entire building to use as their base of operations in Argus. Although it looked inconspicuous on the outside, the moment one walked in, it was crawling with members of the White Fang. Walking towards the main lobby of the building, however, Shen heard voices.

"Torchwick, I don't think you understand what will happen If I report what you're doing here to my Chief. I've already let you off twice but don't think that I'm so gracious. You either pay me, or else you and everyone else here can go down in smoke." Shen spotted Torckwick lightly glaring at the man standing in front of him.

The man himself had a grin on his face as he was accompanied by two men at his side. From their clothes, Shen could already assume they were a part of the Argus Police Force. However, just from what he had heard clearly, they weren't on the side of 'Justice'. Torchwick spotted Shen in the corner of his eye as he cut the man off. "Oh, finally, you're here."

Torchwick walked over to Shen calmly as the man who was talking to him looked over at Shen. Just seeing how Shen was being treated, it was easy to see he was in charge. "Hmph. My name is Raldo. I'm a Captain of the Police Force here in Argus. You look like a man of wits, so perhaps you can get your subordinate here to comply."

Shen had a calm smirk on his face as he looked towards Raldo. "I see, so you want us to pay you, and in return, you keep our workings out of the Chief's mouth?" Raldo nodded happily at Shen's understanding. "Yes, of course, I'm not trying to force your hands. I have already given Torchwick here plenty of warnings, but he has still refused to pay up."

Shen's eyes narrowed as the smoke on his face grew. "I see. I must apologize for wasting your time then. Allow me to… Set the record straight."