Zarek found himself getting slowed again and again. The people weren't very powerful, but they didn't seem to care about stopping him entirely, so they didn't even bother to confront him directly, just doing whatever they could to slow him down.
The shadows on the buildings appeared every once in a while, sometimes flashing weapons, sometimes just standing there, sometimes firing out rounds that slowed his steps.
The distance between himself and them was too far for Zarek to rely on his Scouting Skill to map out the trajectory of their bullets ahead of time, so Zarek had no choice but to take their threats very seriously. If he was too casual, and got a sniper bullet to the chest…
Death would be the only path forward.
After he killed Van Hollen's clone, they only grew more cautious.
'Their goal is just to delay… That means their real aim here isn't to deal with GFI, they probably just want to deal them a small blow first that might boil over into something more in the future…'
Zarek could see through this, and the plans were quite meticulous and well thought out. By the time any elite group made it there, the damage would have already been done.
In truth, Zarek wasn't very familiar with Sakks and Dalton. He wasn't even 100% certain who was doing the attacking right now.
He hadn't grown in this city, so he only had vague information about them. The only things he knew solidly enough were things that happened years from now.
Van Hollen's face was also obstructed, and there were many with cloning-type abilities. So it would be hard to pinpoint exactly who he was until he battled the main body.
And that was only if Van Hollen had managed to make a name for himself in the future or not.
That said… the number that could use their clones to boost their stats temporarily were a very small number. And those that did manage to grow often became strong powerhouses.
If this Van Hollen was one of them…
Zarek's eyes remained a dark, smoldering fire. It seemed that a lot of people were testing his patience today.
His steps came to a pause again and he slipped behind a building as a rifle aimed at him from a distance. But once again, no bullet fired.
Zarek didn't get angry as he patiently waited, though. In fact, he was only becoming calmer and calmer, just silently adding whatever organization this was to his kill list.
**
The number of people in the lobby had grown substantially. After getting Gabe and Eumada to stop, the next few were easier, and the few after that even easier.
Zade began to organize them based on their Talents, and soon even the antsiest of them calmed as their numbers continued to grow.
From time to time, Priya would subtly hint at something and Zade found himself getting more and more impressed with the teenage girl. At some point, he stopped looking at her like a little girl at all.
His experience and hers in regards to dealing with battle and war was about the same, but she had insight that was rarely seen in people. At the very least, she had a meticulousness that couldn't be easily replicated.
'The sounds have stopped…' Priya thought to herself.
It had been quiet for a while now. Too quiet.
The chaos that had been in the wider building had chilled considerably.
Her grip on her gun tightened just the slightest bit. She checked the exit door one more time hoping to see a familiar figure burst through, but when she didn't see him… she took a breath and exhaled.
She wouldn't check again. Right now, they couldn't afford to be distracted.
He was coming.
The sound of heavy feet echoed. As though an army stomping their feet in unison, a two-file line of Van Hollen clones walked down the stairs of an opposing stairwell, filing out as though they were truly the soldiers of a platoon.
Everyone tensed.
The numbers were more overwhelming than they thought. It didn't take more than a few seconds for there to be double the number of clones as compared to them. Then triple, and they just seemed to still be streaming out.
"Do it." Priya said, speaking to Eumada.
"I…"
"Do it."
There was a hint of danger in Priya's voice that forced Eumada's back to straighten. The moment Priya sensed the stream of Godsfall enter her gun, she fired.
Her bullet streamed past a few heads, and then barreled into the chest of the first clone, then the second, and then the third, and fourth.
They had lined up all on their own. All Priya did was fire off a single gun, and suddenly a line of seven of them shattered into Godsfall.
The result left everyone stunned.
"They aren't strong. Every time he divides, it's weaker. The numbers are only there to scare you. They're nothing more than paper tigers."
Priya's voice didn't stop her from firing again, taking out another seven clones before they could scatter. But their scattering only seemed to confirm her words.
By the time the clones were three or even four streams down from the main body, they had so little substance to them that even a child could kill them.
Van Hollen was trying to play a psychological game with all of them, and their job was to not fall into it.
However, it was then another stairwell door opened. Rather than being head-on with the group, this one came from the side.
Priya's jaw set. She had thought about barricading the doors, but that would have been cruel to anyone still trying to get to safety. Her heart wasn't as cold as Zarek's just yet, and… she knew that doing so wouldn't have been enough to stop the likes of Van Hollen anyway. He would have been a hop out of a window away from coming through the front entrance again.
'They're more powerful!' Priya realized instantly. She could feel that these clones, while lesser in number, were far denser in Godsfall. They were likely only two streams down from Van Hollen at most.
She sent a glance over to Zade.
Zade understood without her saying a single word. This time, he would have to make up for his own mistake. With a step, he had already charged over to the side door, his polearm swinging.
Unfortunately, he had only just stepped out when yet another stairwell door opened, this time from the right.
All of a sudden, they had a stream of clones coming from the front, a powerful set of them coming from the left, and…
Priya's eyes narrowed.
It was just three of them.
'The main body.'
Van Hollen looked at Priya calmly, his gaze hard to read. But it was clear and obvious that he was suddenly very focused on her.
Priya felt her heart beating out of her chest. Her face looked calm, but she was having as difficult a time as anyone else.
Her promise echoed in her mind and her jaw set even harder. She grabbed Eumada's wrist with a hand and clasped three palms over the gun's hand, one from the middle-aged woman and two from her.
She had just over 30 bullets left. She would have to make them count.
BANG!
She didn't hesitate to fire.