West Asia War Zone.
"Roar!!"
"Go! Get in there! You little bastard! Go kill that monster!"
Foul, reeking roars mingled with the furious curses of a crowd of Awakened.
Over a hundred Awakened huddled behind cover like spectators beside a boxing ring, spittle flying as they cursed at a boy standing in the distance.
No equipment. No weapons.
Though he looked sturdy, the boy's tiny figure was no more than a pebble before the towering, peak-level giant.
"Scared... Aqua's scared."
"Aqua doesn't want to fight."
The boy's voice trembled. He clutched his head in fear, not daring to look at the enormous mutant in the distance, a full hundred meters tall.
He feared those sharp claws, those massive teeth that could crunch through city walls, and, most of all, the lightning the monster spat from its mouth. As far as he knew, all those things were dangerous. They could hurt him.
His body was covered in wounds, layers of freshly healed scars crisscrossing his skin like tiny infant mouths.
But faced with Aqua's pleas, the Awakened hiding far away only grew angrier, openly hurling abuse at him.
"Damn moron! It can't kill you!"
"At worst, getting bitten will hurt a little! If you don't get moving, I'll throw this old man into the monster's mouth!"
"You've seen it before, haven't you? Monsters can eat these old bastards! If he gets even a little closer, the shock waves alone will kill him!"
As he spoke, the Brahma Awakened leading them roughly hoisted an old man into the air like a human shield. The others followed suit, pressing knives against several children dressed much like Aqua.
"If you don't get moving, we'll skin your people alive!"
"See the gun in my hand?! If you don't go, I'll fucking shoot you dead!"
**"Shut