The Universe Arrives

Daigo and Shinjoh returned to GUTS headquarters, both of them looking heavy-hearted.

The look of existential doubt on their faces, combined with the bruises, made it clear to Munakata and the others what had transpired.

"Are you two alright? That was a bit too brutal, wasn't it?" Hori asked with concern.

Shinjoh rubbed his aching cheek. "The injuries aren't bad, it's just a bit embarrassing."

Yazumi, who had been slacking off by playing games at his station, couldn't help but laugh out loud, though he quickly apologized: "Sorry, sorry."

"Are their combat skills really that strong? You two actually got beaten up like this?" Hori circled around them, observing and teasing.

"It's not a question of strength; that guy is just special." Shinjoh recalled those sharp, heavy punches in his mind.

Even though it was just boxing, it carried a piercing, razor-sharp sensation. He had to admit that the gap in strength between him and Zhou Hong was as wide as a three-story building.

"He's very strong. In terms of pure hand-to-hand combat, we were no match at all, and the difference in weight class is massive."

Daigo was still an honest kid; the guidance he had received made him want to bury himself in the training room all day.

He, too, wanted that sturdy physique, overflowing with pressure and power.

The battle with Gronge had left him somewhat addicted to the thrill of absolute strength.

How should he put it? The impact of those punches, the sense of security brought by absolute power—that pleasure felt as refreshing as putting on a new pair of underwear on New Year's Day.

"I never imagined that the new recruits would be this impressive."

Rena placed a cup of coffee in front of Daigo, sighing with a hint of emotion.

"But when it comes to shooting and flying, they would definitely be no match for me," declared Shinjoh, the ace pilot.

Megumi Iruma couldn't help but chuckle. An ace pilot who had fought countless battles comparing flight skills with a pilot who had just taken to the skies—just how badly had he been beaten in hand-to-hand combat to resort to this?

"Captain, if possible, I think we should try to recruit those individuals into GUTS."

Munakata, a fitness enthusiast, had also taken a look during a break, and he couldn't help but envy that man's seemingly perfect muscle groups.

If only I possessed such reassuring muscles...

He glanced at Megumi Iruma out of the corner of his eye, pretending it was casual, and felt there was great potential there.

"I have already forwarded a request regarding this matter, but that squad belongs to the Security Bureau under Director Yoshioka's direct command." Megumi Iruma's words made everything clear.

Although Director Sawai and Director Yoshioka were as close as glue, for the sake of certain people, they still had to maintain a clear line of demarcation.

It was impossible for personnel from the Security Bureau to join GUTS under the current circumstances.

"What a pity," Munakata lamented.

Megumi Iruma changed her tone. "Although they cannot join GUTS, there shouldn't be any problem with conducting joint training sessions."

"That's awesome," Yazumi smiled.

Shinjoh looked at Yazumi as if he had seen a ghost; he figured that with Yazumi's physique, he would be knocked flat every single time.

You're already drunk on a snack, and you still want to drink hard liquor?

"Alright, alright," Megumi Iruma ended the discussion. "Shinjoh, Daigo, it's time for your patrol."

Life is bitter, but the work must go on. The two could only pick up their helmets and head toward the hangar.

Just as the two were hoping for another dull day like any other, a massive object moving at Mach 4 plummeted straight down from space.

"Satellite detection: a monster has appeared ahead of your position. Please be advised," Yazumi immediately relayed the intelligence to the two on patrol.

Even with the lingering bruises on their faces, their reactions didn't falter in the slightest.

"The radar has indeed picked up an unidentified flying object. Do we need to initiate an attack immediately?" Shinjoh, still fuming, was ready to vent his frustration.

Megumi Iruma crossed her fingers and pondered for a moment. "GUTS Wing 1, initiate harassment fire. Yazumi, calculate its landing point based on the monster's flight trajectory immediately. Commander, prepare to provide support."

"Understood!"

Shinjoh slammed the throttle, pushing GUTS Wing 1's speed until it reached its limit of Mach 5.5.

Above the thick cloud layer, in the azure sky, the silver-gray monster was strikingly conspicuous.

"Headquarters, the monster has been sighted. GUTS Wing 1 is preparing to attack."

After Daigo reported the situation, he immediately pulled the trigger. The laser beams shot out and exploded instantly against the monster's body.

The sparks were extinguished by the gale, but the silver armor remained bright, showing no signs of damage to the monster at all.

The monster, falling vertically, had no intention of acknowledging the two. Its single eye on its head glanced at GUTS Wing 1 before shifting its gaze away.

The thrusters on its back spewed out even more white smoke, and its flight speed became even faster than the maximum speed of GUTS Wing 1.

After firing two lasers that felt like venting frustration, GUTS Wing 1 was left far behind.

"Headquarters, the monster has left the attack range. Its flight speed has exceeded that of GUTS Wing 1," Daigo reported the specific intelligence immediately.

This was terrible news. If a fighter jet was slower than the monster, it was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

If they charged head-on, a single laser would only cause a negligible scratch before the monster countered and blew them out of the sky.

This was a scenario everyone hoped to avoid, as it would make the losses completely uncontrollable.

And if the monster wanted to escape, there was simply no way to stop it.

"The flight speed of Guts Wing 2 doesn't even compare to Guts Wing 1."

The heavy firepower of Guts Wing 2 and the agility of Guts Wing 1 were meant to complement each other to deal effective damage to monsters; relying on Guts Wing 1 alone would be like merely scratching the surface.

At this moment, Yazumi suddenly spoke up, "The analysis results from the Space Development Bureau are in. For the monster to reach this flight speed, it requires a long period of acceleration."

"The calculated time is ten minutes."

"In other words, we cannot engage the monster in a protracted aerial battle," Munakata said, his eyes narrowing. "Captain, let us sortie in Guts Wing 2."

"We will use a barrage of firepower to pin the monster to the ground."

Given the firepower of Guts Wing 2, Megumi Iruma deemed it feasible and immediately ordered the sortie.

"The projected landing site is near Kashima Beach, where one of the Space Development Bureau's energy development centers is located," Yazumi said, his speed in checking the data exceptionally fast.

It was rare to see a monster with such a clear destination; its target was those high-purity energy sources.

"Notify the energy development center immediately to evacuate personnel, and strive to hold the monster back from the energy development center."