Release The Titans; Titanomachy

The Titans that were released from Tartarus, a portion of the Lawless Land that served as an 'Out Of Bounds' territory, had come to exact their will upon the Lawless Land of Valparaiso as Lawless Gods. One of them, a primordial Titan known as Coeus, who was a personification of Intelligence as a God, had come to invade Champion -- a well-known Fight Club based in Valparaiso whose founder is the Forgotten Hero, Koudo. The titanic-headed Titan would face off here for control over Champion, seizing its property and profit for itself and assuming ruling power over it.

A bolt of purple lightning hit the ground before Coeus, in the midst of the Insangels that were working Champion at the time. From the bolt appeared a girl with glittering ultraviolet hair wearing an indigo blouse and a black jacket of a certain refined material that obviously wasn't denim. She looked around with a puzzled look on her face, almost like she didn't realize how she got there.

The threat before her took her attention, and she spoke up to it. "... If you've come here to fight, you're going to have to wait your turn like everyone else." Unlike just a short time ago, Saphira spoke with decisiveness in her voice, as if she had a stronger sense of knowing. She did not speak very loudly, but her unwavering tone spoke volumes that her actual volume did not.

Plenty of Insangels backed up Saphira, their thoughts synchronizing with hers through her Psightning as a psychic conduit between them, but one in particular that stood out from many hovered before the primordial Titan and in between both it and Saphira. It was another female Insangel -- the Third Insangel, Theodora.

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When she was young, Theodora grew up in an orphanage where the slightest misdemeanor would get you the belt. Their motto was 'It's much better for a child to be seen, rather than heard.' Like most of the children there, under the watch of the cruel Madame LeGren, Theodora grew extremely quiet, often mumbling things to herself about how life wasn't fair, how this had to be stopped. An avid reader, the girl turned to some darker studies, like how to summon a demon and control it.

The girl had everything just right, the chalk drawn heavily and the incense just right; she didn't know that one line had been skipped, one that was far beyond her comprehension, but was essential to the spell - it was the one to keep the demon safely imprisoned until binding.

Not catching this near-fatal flaw until it was too late, the demon who she had summoned, Wyrrn, leapt forward for her chance.

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For several days the young girl felt the demon and Angel warring within her. That glowing light kept her company, making her feel warm and safe. At first, she was very distrusting of the feeling, for it was one that she hadn't felt in a very long time. While this would have earned her much pity to admit it, she didn't really care. Her eyes became mis-matched. One was all red and demonic, while the other was blue and angelic.
It was a terribly long time, but the golden light-stuff started to fade. Feeling even more alone, Theodora wandered off. She felt.. Different. Changed.

However, her demon and Angel lay dormant for a very long time, both having used up far too much energy in a battle that lasted nearly a year. Theodora was next to untouched, though nightmares plagued her, when she had to have front-row seats to the fighting.

She only came to understand her existence through Priere, the First Insangel, and also had a certain level of devotion to her, like the Second Insangel did. "Mistress Priere..." uttered Theodora with conviction, "Let me handle the Titan. He won't get past me." Of course, she meant that when it came down to the round where it was most important to fight, she was put in to face him and finish him off after the other rounds made him tired, but before he got to Saphira.

Naturally, other Insangels had to line up to fight this Titan as well, so they prepared themselves for battle in the arena. If there were any other beings that were going to get involved, the time came during the setup process. Otherworlders, Valparaiso Denizens, and any other odd beings could jump in and still do whatever they liked. That part hadn't stopped -- the challenger was just seeking glorification through victory and conquest, much like a Titan would. Therefore, the other challengers could work independently, for other side, as mercenaries, or any other odd job they might feel like -- no holds barred. Pretty much anything goes in the Lawless Land, so why wouldn't people put their own interests at heart here?

The Insangels had already caught on to this and were communicating with each other using Saphira's Psightning, but otherwise, they were also talking to the other beings that were in Champion at the time. Some extra participants could have taken to the arena for the sake of Champion and also a reward, or just to get a reward, or just for fun, or whatever reason they ended up having to do anything at all. Really didn't matter, and everyone already knew that from the beginning... Which was why they came here.

Any Otherworlders and Valparaiso Denizens or any other variable beings would be consulted by the Insangels, inspiring a reason to get involved, no matter the reason.

Many of the strongest of the defenders of Champion were regulars, which were commonly Otherworlders and Valparaiso Denizens, so it was right of the Insangels to seek them out first. They may not have had loyalty to Champion, but they were dedicated to the usefulness it had for them, and that was pretty much the same, in their standards. So to contend with Coeus, a handful of Otherworlders in the building decided to join the challenge, teaming up with the Insangels.

Plenty of Valparaiso Denizens that were in Champion couldn't care less about what happened to it, as it barely even applied to their lives at all except an easy way to some quick cash or a good fight. Otherwise, it was good for nothing to them, and they could take it or leave it. A good number of them never warmed up to that Koudo fella that established this place, but were happy to take him up on his services for their own benefit. Whether or not he was liked was not the issue when it came to their own personal benefit.

That said, they were going to all do their own thing, some to join on their own, by their lonesome, and others to take sides based on their interests. Others even would become mercenaries-for-hire specifically for the occasion. There were bound to be a number of Valparaiso Denizens fighting, but they didn't really count on the fact that even if they all independently worked different angles, they'd eventually have to confront each other at some point, and they would take a loss regardless.

Either they didn't think that far ahead or they didn't care, or perhaps the long-term rewards were simply greater than a sacrifice that could be made. Who really knows?

The Titan Coeus was in no way fazed by any number of them standing up to it, for as soon as they made themselves known to him, it would immediately know everything about them. It would go into the battles with preemptive knowledge about all other parties, including strengths and weaknesses, which potentially put them all at a grave disadvantage just from that alone. To the great Titan of Intelligence, this was all folly.

"So Be It!" Coeus agreed, immediately assuring himself of his victory. It was a very absolute Titan, as many of them were, and therefore left no room of opportunity for the opposition to be able to win. With that type of domineering straightforwardness to its own capabilities with no variation, there was no way that it would believe that it would fall to anything less than a God, which none of the beings here seemed to be. There was no chance for all of them, even if they ganged up. Therefore, it didn't care which or whomever would face it first in combat -- only that they began so that it could end it.

Saphira, who was the new de facto leader of Champion, bore the responsibility of setting up the event. Somehow, she knew that if she didn't, then things in the Lawless Land would get out of hand very quickly, and something of any type of guideline for this was going to at least give the illusion of order. No one really had to follow anything organized, but at least if it was present, they might decide to, and that was better than the possibility being completely closed off because there was never a setup established.

Thinking fast, Saphira called forth the firstborn Insangels which came after Priere. She said to them collectively, "Take care of the ranks and keep everyone in order. Try to drag this out for as long as possible so that I can analyze his power. Maybe by the time he reaches me, I will have gained enough intel to fight him and finish him off, and everyone else will have made him tired." This was the intent of her plan, and she was going to organize it as such.

Bolts of purple lightning shot from her head like strands of hair and immediately penetrated the skulls of the Insangels, linking their thoughts, yet providing a feedback resonance which would potentially be capable of blocking outer thoughts from deciphering the interior thoughts, like a jammer scrambling a signal. She was unsure if this would work, but it couldn't hurt to start ruling out what kinds of powers she could use against him long before she started fighting him. The Insangels would be informed and remain informed as if Saphira was thinking for them, and they were the parts of her body that performed normal tasks when thought.

The order in which the Insangels would be up against the Titan Coeus would be established mentally, and each of them knew their place and their turn. However it was the Otherworlders and Valparaiso Denizens that were not informed, and that may be problematic. The Insangels agreed to let Saphira handle the final battle to finish off Coeus and they would spend all of their time weakening him.

It came to pass that the Insangels all agreed that the Valparaiso Denizens were more untrustworthy than the Otherworlders, so thinning out their numbers first could serve useful to them later, in case they turned for any reason. Then, sending in any rogue Otherworlders would be able to fit the bill just the same, leaving only those who would more likely stay true to their position protecting the establishment. Whereas Saphira handled the order of everything, the thoughts that came from her order were sent mentally to the Insangels, who would then proceed with the organization based on the design of Saphira's mental order.

So the Valparaiso Denizens that seemed like they were the most shifty, or likely to betray, were sent in first, with an Insangel as their escort to watch over them as they fought, and potentially help them or keep the battle on track, with the hidden motive to ensure they didn't get out of hand at all. The Otherworlders who would participate were taken to a more private area to be spoken to by some of the Insangels, as well, during all of the commotion. Hopefully they were not noticed to have dipped off.

The Otherworlders who would work with the Insangels did indeed let them guide them away for the time being, whilst others of them that were independently working would assemble near the fighting ground. They seemed to want to go before the Valparaiso Denizens, as they wanted to test their power against this Titan, but they also eventually decided that they'd wait and let a Valparaiso Denizen be like a scapegoat in order to learn more about the Titan and his power. So the independent Otherworlders would rest in the crowd of other contenders as the battle between Coeus and a Valparaiso Denizen went under way.

The Valparaiso Denizens didn't think too much of the situation, figuring that no one would be up to anything except for them and perhaps this Titan, so they kept their attention on the Titan. However, some of them would also dip off and do their own things, and others still would side with the Titan, whom they believed would be victorious, and they wanted to be sure they were on good terms even before then -- planning for the future, is what they called it. They either had no faith in the others or they had that much faith in the Titan, but they were going to start their merc work voluntarily, in order to build a good rapport with this Titan. Better to be on the winning team if not being the winner.

All of the information that Coeus needed was before him, and he could understand the intentions of every being here all at once, including in how they moved. The great-sized Titan waited patiently in the arena, even allowing the Valparaiso Denizens that defected to his side to face-off against each other, allowing Coeus to conserve energy and further analyze the situation. He had no doubt that his intellect and powers regarding it would allow him to prevail victorious no matter the circumstances, so he did not worry, but he also plotted for contigencies. He was very vain and proud, but he was still intelligent enough to know not to underestimate this situation too much. It took a level of intelligence to know when not to do that.

Unbeknownst to plenty was that Coeus also was able to control the intelligence of others, and being in his presence allowed for him to decrease the intellect of his opponents whilst increasing that of his comrades. So those against Coeus would gradually become less intelligent, whilst the Valparaiso Denizens became more intelligent. "I Hope That You Have Not Thought That Your Puny Thoughts Could Outthink The Thoughts Of The God Of Intelligence. See If You Can At All Think That Again," the Titan insisted with emotionless haught.

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"Lawless :: Field : Mind Control."
-Chance-

The card was sent through the Argus Card System and distributed by the Distribution System automatically from within the Clock Tower Of The Dawn, which served as a distribution hub, by design. This was a primary location for distributions to occur throughout the Veritas using the systems. It would be used to give an advantage to the other version of herself which was in a dire situation.

Amidst all that was starting to come into motion now at the fight club of the Lawless Land, from beyond, a single Forbidden Card from on high struck down beside Saphira, giving her strength from a higher power. The Psighting gave her the information on what this was and how to use it as well as kept the Titan from being able to decipher by actively negating his abilities without nullifying her own.

A powerful bolt of Psightning shot from her eyes like a piercing arrow set to skewer its mark with silence and swiftness, as if to penetrate Coeus' mind through his eyes, a flickering lavender glimmer flashing from the irises. Whatever Saphira was projecting psychically would penetrate the mind and implant itself, and she used the power of the card that was sent to her to do so.


Saphira also thought that she could use this technique again, since such a piercing gaze like lightning to project psionic energies and implant them deep into the minds of others whilst penetrating mental barriers was something she could not simply not try again. She'd dub it the 'Glimmer Beam', but wondered where the name came from, since it sounded familiar to her, despite her literally never hearing it before... Maybe the Veritas gave her that type of knowledge from beyond, as well?

Either way, the energies of the Forbidden Card would adapt to all facets of the situation, boosting the efficacy of the card that was sent on the being. That way, his mental abilities would only end up backfiring on himself, even at the expense of his perception. If Saphira had this analyzed properly, something like that could be a game-changer, and she intended to use it to her advantage here and now. "Look carefully at what you're doing, Coeus. I can tell what it is that you're doing... But it is only working against you."

A simple 'Mind Trick'. She said nothing more, but would let the 'Mind Trick' and the 'Forbidden Card' do their work.

With Saphira dealing with the Titan, the Insangels could continue to keep tabs on the Otherworlders and Valparaiso Denizens that were either against the establishment or on the side of Coeus. Since the Valparaiso Denizens were volunteered first, no Insangels had to necessarily involve themselves in combat, giving them all the more time and opportunity to handle any such background activity which would ultimately come to the forefront in the future. It was best to make use of Coeus' distraction at the mind of Saphira, for it was unknown just how much he could conceive in his mind once he was paying attention... Or even when he wasn't, being the Titan of Intelligence, and all.

The Insangels moved quickly, but sneakily.

The Otherworlders managed to be filtered through between the independent combatants and those who would fight for Champion, with neither side speaking to one another and revealing their intentions or motives. They kept themselves closely guarded from one another, but those of them working with the Insangels had a hidden support in them that the other Otherworlders didn't have nor know about. It was likely then that the Valparaiso Denizens would also not have any idea, and would be totally unexpecting of such camaraderie.

The conflicting powers all throughout the air would have strange effects on the battle going on between the two Valparaiso Denizens fighting for their own causes. One was fighting for Champion for his own reasons and the other one was fighting for the Titan for his own reasons. They felt strange fluctuations in their intelligence every now and then, with one or both of them becoming smarter or dumber on a whim. In their spikes. where they reached intellectual highs, they both agreed that their people would come first, even in such times of adversity, and that they should stage the fight.

In their intellectual lows, they secured their bonds through emotional ties to each other that their brains picked up on, but the two of them only understood emotionally, and not mentally. So once they started leveling out, they already knew what to think and feel, and would actively work together in secret whilst pretending to fight against each other in public.

And so they did; they put on a spectacular show, some which would call it much too theatrical, and others whom would call it a marvelous show of passion.

Trying to perceive what Saphira was referencing caused Coeus to lose track of his own powers, which scaled upward against him based on his own intelligence. Therefore, by his own intelligence would he be damaged based on the scale of his intelligence. He recognized this sort of 'Mind Trick', and though it was clever and very much lethal to Coeus, his intellect still did not betray him. "Foolish Girl," the analytical Titan bellowed, "I Am Aware Of The Flow Of My Thoughts. Whatever It Is That You Are Doing Is Different From What I Know Comes From My Own Head." Such consciousness of itself seemed to be beneficial, as long as it had the intelligence to process the recognition to such an extent -- which, obviously, Coeus could. "You Are Obviously Doing Something, Trying To Subvert My Power And Make Me Doubt My Own Strength. The Typical Trait To Handle A Mere Psychic, But I Am Greater Than Just Those Entities."

Coeus also did not miss that the Valparaiso Denizens in the ring had conspired now, but believed themselves as clever as this Saphira and her Insangels, which all believed Coeus, a Titan that ruled over Intelligence, would not be able to decipher such a facade. It was almost insulting, if it wasn't advantageous. They either deemed Coeus dumber than they knew or themselves smarter than they were, and both meant that he could play the underdog. So, with keen intellect, Coeus decided to play along suddenly.

"... And Though It May Be So That You Cannot Use Such A Tactic Against Me, It Seems That A Residual Effect Is Being Had On The Combatants. See How Strangely They Act Toward Each Other?" Averting attention from the previous subject would allow for Coeus to continue to analyze the new situation based on the timeframe of their distraction. It was speculated that if the Valparaiso Denizens continued to stage the fight poorly, then it would be noticed and honed in on, with Coeus being left on the back burner for a short period of time, albeit extended as long as it took for them to resolve it. This was not a time for reckless attack, but of intellectual strategy, and even the Titan, who did still have the brute force to deal with these smaller creatures, knew it to be so.

Carefully keeping its mind open to all of the thoughts and feelings of all of the parties, Coeus simply pretended to pay attention to the foolish Valparaiso Denizens so that it wouldn't be discovered calculating a plan as they spoke.

Saphira narrowed her eyes as she gazed at Coeus, who seemed to be intellectually invested. "... Is that so...?" she inquired curiously, but with an inflection as if denoting a threat. "... Well, it seems you really are of an intellect most keen." Yet, for whatever reason, Saphira did not at all seem worried. Serious, yes, but worried? Not in the slightest. "Tell me, why are you so focused on me and not the present matters before you?" A bolt of Psightning shot out to one of the Insangels, who was bid to do Saphira's will. "... Why are you not so concerned about everyone else, especially the fight going on before you?" He did determine that the Valparaiso Denizens were putting on a facade, and yes, it was very astute an observation that most wouldn't recognize, but something even less would realize is the deep undertones of when two intellectuals had it out.

Now Saphira was in no way skilled with her power of Psightning, but she was still a version of Triere, who was already quite the strategic tactical genius as it was. With what just happened with Saphira mentally linking herself to the other parts of herself, she had a collective consciousness amongst them that she could tap into. In doing so, she pulled the information of 'Blue', the Demon that was affixed to Triere, whom Saphira was in entirety. The information surged through Saphira, drawing down all of the knowledge of Blue and appropriating it in Saphira's mind and into her being. Her body became pitch black, like Blue's before her, and her eyes a deep blue, like Blue's before her. However, the only difference between Saphira and the Blue of olde was that her hair was no longer pitch black, like a void, but the same shade of lavender as when she was normal. Blue was once again one with herself, but she was no longer only who she was -- she and Triere were now a unified being independent of Signis, but also independent of each others' past existences, existing now as only the merging of them both.

This being was known as the Black Iris, and as she continued to draw in the power of Blue, she would become more and more quiet.

It was clear to the Insangels that whilst Saphira was focused on Coeus directly, the fight being staged by the Valparaiso Denizens should be monitored, as well as anything else more minor or requiring constant maintenance in order to avoid escalation. They were in service to both Saphira and this establishment, so they acted as such, keeping tabs and treading carefully, as though to protect it and the locals or bystanders.

Some of the Otherworlders that were in alliance with the Insangels would passively use their powers to support them in various ways suited toward their capabilities, but none of them so upfront where they would expose that they were doing so, in order to remain inconspicuous amongst the crowd.

The other Otherworlders didn't seem to be any the wiser, and were still being rather orderly so far, since they didn't expect any foul play happening from anyone.

As things were, the Valparaiso Denizens, smart or dumb as they became at any given moment, were not consistent enough in their own thoughts and feelings to actually perform anything cooperatively outside of the basic things, let alone conduct or entertain too many thoughts for too long. It would cause them to become dysfunctional with themselves, because when they dipped into their unintelligence again, they could not complete or even remember what they were trying to do, and ended up fighting again.

It was miraculous that they were able to establish a coherent camaradarie at all.

They just went back and forth, and back and forth. So clearly, the other Valparaiso Denizens started to get testy. They could see something was going on now behind the scenes that either Coeus was doing or that the owner of Champion was doing, or even anyone else. All that mattered to them was that someone somewhere was doing something to them that made them act fucking stupid, and kept them from acting properly. They knew because the Valparaiso Denizens tended to be very tight-knit, so they knew each other. But these two were acting out of character, even for them, and that meant that someone was tampering with them.

Now, the Valparaiso Denizens were crafty, but no one was really aware of how clever their chaos was, most of the time not even to their own conscious accord, but to a more subconscious or even unconscious or preconscious understanding that unified them in the very furthest parts of their minds as a hive mind or collective. Something that gave them a certain common sense that secured them when they all recognized it. Not unlike normal humans' 'common knowledge' or 'common sense'... Though somehow, far more advanced.

That was all said to say, the orderly chaos that unfurled from the Lawless Ones' disorder came all too quickly, despite seeming unchoreographed by them. First, the most fiery of them would jeer and become roused, stirring up commotion. The quieter and sneakier of them would phase out using the power of darkness, to do things unbeknownst to any but themselves. The impulsive ones got into the arena and also started causing a ruckus between the Otherworlders and the Titan and the Insangels and whomever else. Others still were probably doing something else or other.

But the most interesting facet of what sparked all of this was that the two fighting combatants that were being tampered with, they had actually conspired to alert the other Valparaiso Denizens by doing exactly as they did, which worked exactly as planned, and relieved them of Coeus' grip on their intelligence once the other Lawless Ones got riled up. At some point, they had to be smart enough to realize they'd once again become stupid, and needed to reliably do something that worked with the fluctuating intelligence. And the only thing was the reliance on the people who knew them. They may not have always liked them, or sided with them, or been friends, or even enemies... But they would always know each other. They would always know.

So all hell broke loose rather quickly and the competition was thrown to the wind. The Valparaiso Denizens would do whatever they pleased now.

The Titan was very much displaced by the sporadic disrupt of the Valparaiso Denizens. They were at first so enchanted with the goings-on of the battle, yet now they were anarchic, but also somehow still organized. Coeus could feel their minds, and though geared toward more cutthroat things, they were still rather quick-witted and intellectual, albeit only for this level of interaction. It was an astounding sight to the Titan to see any type of being that wasn't a God or Titan be capable of such coordination so spontaneously. "... Fascinating..." Coeus cooed, assessing the rampaging Valparaiso Denizens as it also fought them off by outsmarting them. "... Yes, This Will Do Just Nicely." At that moment Coeus would go out of reach of the Valparaiso Denizens in order to speak to them without interruption. "Vagrants Of The Lawless Land. I Am Interested In Your Livelihood, For Though It Is As Lowly As The Filthiest Street Rat, It Is Still Very Intelligent, And It Is Something I Can Respect. Therefore, I Offer You A Proposition: Serve Me Here In This World And I Will Help You Hone And Refine Your Intellect So That You May Better Operate In Your Variable Cutthroat Manners."

'There it is!' Saphira suddenly thought, a sparkle of Psightning crackling across her skull, simulating what happened in her brain when the connections to her plans were made and she perceived them. Her eyes glimmered with a lavender glitter, and each sparkle was connected by the stream of Psightning that had just been conducted through her head. "Hyper Perception!!" she exclaimed sharply as her eyes fixated on her goal. "Now! Launch The Assault!" she commanded the Insangels once the Valparaiso Denizens became unruly, as she planned for them to do eventually for whatever reason suited. That was surely what they were waiting for, and Saphira was waiting for them.

"If we do enough things in random discord around him, he cannot think of a proper way to handle everything, and it will overwork his mind, causing him to tire himself out. If we can get him drained, we can gauge the damage and scale that up for a super-intricate plan that will keep his mind working until he is weak enough to take down or until he expires -- whichever is suitable. The time for us to strike the Titan Of Intelligence is now. But be sure that you are as discordant as possible, and try not to plan anything, but to move only in reflexive response to your neighbor and surroundings. Whatever you plan, he can then figure out and plan accordingly, but if he cannot predict you or anyone or anything else, and there are too many uncertain variables, he won't be able to deal with them all, and will be vulnerably." That was the conclusion that Saphira came to.

"Cool Story, Bro," spake a disembodied voice, which came from a soon-after forming cheshire grin, followed by a divided black-and-white mask with a catty smirk on it. "Seems Like A Good Plan To Me." This being spoke out of the shadows, but was no one unfriendly. In fact, it was Saphira's older sister, Chroma, having to come as cavalry; reinforcements for her cause by happenstance of causality. "Just So Happens That I Was In The Neighborhood, Sis, And Was Told That You Might Need Some Backup." Chroma, the Cheshire Phantom, leader of the Phantoms underneath The Phantom, would step forth to the side of her sister in her First Restriction form, then snap her fingers.

Secretly, in the shadows, the Phantoms would start to congregate, and then begin to engage all of the other parties, be they friend, foe, neutral, or wholly uninvolved. The Phantoms were to be on every single last person that was in the building, and all around the building, and they knew what Chroma expected by default. "Mind If Me And My Boys Give Ya A Hand With That Distortion? You Know I Love To Make Distortions."

As previously stated, the Phantoms were already on the job in secret, as they worked best. Between them, in this short time, they'd already taken on different appearances amongst all of the groups, and also retained their own appearance as the faction that had come in for support. Having being taught in the ways of illusory movement, they made it seem like they were few on the foreground, in order to draw attention on purpose, and allow those of them in the shadows to work more effectively -- as well as those of them who were now blended amongst each of the other parties involved: Otherworlders, Lawless Ones, and even Insangels, if possible.

They were completely coordinated in everything that they did, but it looked like a bunch of chaos simply because there were too many layers of them acting at once, alongside whomever was already in action as they appeared. That only made the discord look worse, but in actuality, they were the ones ordering everything quietly in secret or in disguise. None would be able to tell the difference at all, because they blended in so well with the mess, but by retaining independent missions and not trying to coordinate, that is how they fell into order via that independence as a system. This is what kept them together and made the task complete.

Even so, it was also well-within calculations that they would need to also appear to be discordant, as to prevent anyone -- most ANYONE -- from being able to completely follow their discordant order in depths. Therefore, another layer of them covered the others in between layers by doing completely misleading, random, or off-subject things so that it was thereby virtually impossible to tell order from disorder, even when assessing anyone who was at all orderly amongst the crowd. It was unclear how many in number the Phantoms were, but that was likely also part of their camouflage.

Clearly, both The Phantom and his daughter, Chroma, had taught them well -- they were elites, and always had been, since their very inception. They didn't come out or move for just any reason, but once they did... The mission was complete, for sure.