Chapter 12.2

The other assassins nodded and were about to follow her instructions when the sound of metal clanging echoed out from above them. All eyes looked up to see a figure holding a chain and swinging down from it, his target their location. Before anyone could respond, Jason kicked the lead assassin away as he landed between the three other assassins who promptly discarded Raphael and prepared to fight the newcomer.

Jason shaped his hand into a knife-palm and struck the one at his right in the throat, crushing his larynx while turning and elbowing the second assassin on his left side in the face. The third, who had to move to dodge the flying assassin leader, raised a sword to slash at Jason but the latter closed in on him and blocked the raised arm before the third could swing, then spun the sword arm around to deflect a slash the second assassin performed after recovering from the elbow strike. Jason then proceeded to kick at the second assassin's leg, breaking his kneecap, while dislocating the shoulder of the third assassin he was clutching.

Jason moved to the back of the third assassin and kicked him into a chokehold before snapping his neck. Before the body could fall, Jason grabbed and used the falling body as a hammer, slamming it into the assassin with the broken leg, knocking the latter out. The first assassin, still clutching onto his crushed larynx, tried to punch Jason but he parried the punch effortlessly before grabbing the assassin by the throat and lifting him up into the air with one arm. He turned to look at the fallen leader who stood up before crushing the throat of the one he held, a threat as to what he intended to do her.

"You okay?" Jason with his gravel voice asked Raphael who picked himself off the ground.

"No," Raphael answered. "Be careful, she's a Practitioner. A strong one at that."

As if to prove his point, the female assassin threw a kukri at Jason who tried grabbing the knife in mid-air before it reached him. Unfortunately, the force of the throw was so strong that Jason wasn't able to fully negate the force behind it and the kukri continued moving forward, causing the blade to sink an inch into his shoulders. Jason, with grunt, narrowed his eyes and pulled the blade out before he threw it at the unconscious assassin that he knocked out earlier killing the assassin, with a broken knee, instantly.

"Call for an airlift and stabilize the girls," Jason told Raphael, his eyes never leaving the female assassin. "I'll deal with her."

"Fine. But after this, we're going to talk," Raphael jogged to the girls who were slowly moving, clearly awake after being knocked unconscious from the explosion.

"Alright," Jason's eyes flashed with guilt when he heard what Raphael said. He knew that this was all his fault and he understood that the girls and their guardians would hate him after this.

Focusing the guilt he felt into rage, Jason started to walk towards the remaining assassin who pulled her last Kukri from her hip. The two engaged in a fierce fight, Jason using his assault gloves, and the assassin her Kukri.

Jason deflected an attack with his armored hand before rotating his body and elbowing her from the side. The assassin responded by trying to slash at Jason and he dodged it by moving his upper body away while locking her wrist with his hand. She dropped the Kukri into her other hand and stabbed at his chest, forcing Jason to release her and pull back.

As the two continued their fierce battle, Jason began losing the initiative as blood dripped from the double wound on the shoulder. And despite being a woman, the assassin nearly had the same strength as Jason due to being a Practitioner.

Need to end this now, Jason thought as he growled and finally took a step back, the first time he retreated since the fight started. Strange, why is she so familiar with my moves?

"Hey, did we ever … ?" Jason asked the assassin. "I'm only asking cause this fight is quite … intimate. That, and your ass is … I've grabbed that ass before, haven't I?"

The assassin twitched ever so slightly in a manner that most would fail to detect but Jason picked it up. He smiled as he realized that this could be used to his advantage. He added the last line to shock the assassin and succeeded as he lunged forward towards her.

The assassin's shock slowed her reaction time allowing Jason to press a continuous slew of punches that she needed to fend from. As he controlled the tempo of the battle, Jason closed in and pulled the cloth covering her face and threw it at her face, blocking her view with her very own scarf.

At the same time, he performed a half-spin in the air with a leg pulled back like a taut arrow fixed in a bow. As his spinning reached its apex, Jason released his leg into a powerful kick that was aimed at the assassin's chest. The latter, despite being blinded, used get battle instinct to realize that an attack was coming. She crossed her arms in front of her as the kick collided with her.

A faint cracking was heard as she flew backwards and landed onto the ground. Both her arms had fractured from the force of the kick and she couldn't lift herself up as pain coursed through her entire body causing her to cry out in pain.

"Who are you?" Jason looked at her with narrowed eyes. That voice …

The assassin refused to answer as she lowered her head, allowing the hood she was wearing to shield her face from his glaring eyes. Jason walked up to her and grabbed her with his arm. He was attempting to try and lift her up when she pulled a hidden knife and stabbed his thigh. Jason grunted with pain as he kneeled and the assassin kicked him in the face as she backflipped away from him.

Stars flashed through Jason's eyes as the pain from his injuries bit him and a dull noise flitted through his ears. Jason fell on his back as the assassin got up and ran away at a speed that contradicted her previous act of injury.

"Ah, she got me," Jason muttered as a Dragonfly hovered above them, escorting two first-aid air transports. He groggily stood up and staggered to the girls whom Raphael was looking after.

"How are they?" Jason asked.

"Not good," Raphael replied, his voice was cold signifying his unhappiness with Jason. "Michelle was lucky, only her prosthetic arm was damaged. But the others …"

Jason stopped breathing when he saw Emily, Alice, and Nikki. Emily had the worst, several shrapnel shards had pierced her lungs, and one larger piece cleanly pierced through her body and struck Alice's body. Worse, it struck her brachial artery. Nikki, fortunately, had some scratches and a possible head concussion.

"Nikki!" Ken came running to Nikki and slid next to her, his voice panicking. "She is hurt? What do we do?"

"Take a deep breath, kid. Now let it out," Jason instructed him as he waved his hand over the girls, an invisible force of energy enveloped them. He was supplying the injured with life energy in order to keep their lives from falling into a dangerous state. "Nikki's suffered a concussion, we need to take her to the hospital. That's what they're here for."

Jason gestured to the two ambulance aircraft that had just landed and from the exit came a team of paramedics along with their bots, each pair was holding a stretcher. As they placed the injured into stretchers and treated the severely injured on the spot, Alina came running along with Asami; the two met up as they ran for the carousel.

"We'll discuss this later, follow them to the hospital," Jason saw Alina wanting to speak to him and he stopped her. As he stood up, his vision darkened and vertigo crept onto him. Jason stumbled and nearly fell back down.

"Jason?" Alina asked in a concerned voice as she grabbed his shoulder to help him stay steady.

"I'm alright, just took a lot outta me," Jason muttered, shaking his head to clear his mind. "Let's go."