Breakout

Somewhere in the logistics park, the Ninth Guardian, controlled by Shiraishi Wataru, slowly stepped out.

To minimize the chance of Nakai Hayato dying, he had even bestowed upon him the ability of [Regeneration]. Come to think of it, the man was quite a talent; he had managed to adapt to every mutation Shiraishi Wataru had thrown at him so far. Originally intended as mere cannon fodder, Shiraishi Wataru now found himself somewhat reluctant to let him meet his end so soon.

As he crept through the shadows, he gradually began to hear the screams of people.

A brief moment of sensing provided the answer: Nakai Hayato was using his Super Strength to hurl burning objects at the defensive line, creating chaos.

This was a perfect opportunity.

He drew two "purchased" katanas.

The abilities granted by parasitic symbiosis actually suffered a twenty to thirty percent loss in efficiency. Furthermore, because a host could not master these abilities instantly, the actual power displayed was even lower. However, a body directly possessed and controlled by a parasite suffered no such drawbacks and could unleash the full potential of every ability.

Yet, facing such an overwhelming defensive line, Shiraishi Wataru did not think that blindly charging in would yield any different result than what the previous two members had experienced.

His best approach was to strike with the force of a thunderbolt, breaking into the crowd from a point of weak defense to force them to hold their fire for fear of hitting their own.

As for the snipers who might be hiding in the surroundings, he truly couldn't pinpoint them, but he had managed to locate a commander, and he had already formulated a plan.

"Come, let's have a glorious battle!"

Like a fierce tiger descending from the mountains, a figure leaped from a rooftop into the crowd. Before most could even react, the katanas spun in a blur, leaving several people around him either wounded or dead.

"Enemy attack!"

A panicked officer opened fire, but ended up hitting more of his own men. The Ninth Guardian never stayed in one place; he spun and leaped, eyes wide, hacking wherever the crowd was thickest. It took only a few moments before the front-line officers, facing a monster they couldn't hit while suffering heavy friendly fire, finally broke under the pressure. Their morale collapsed.

"Snipers, do not fear hitting friendly forces! Fire based on your instincts! Notify the Self-Defense Force and have them enter the field," Kuroki Niizumi commanded coldly, fully embodying the style of the Iron Lady.

While the Ninth Guardian drew the fire, Nakai Hayato arrived to rendezvous with him, carrying two iron bars.

"To the seaside."

The two ran toward Tokyo Bay.

"Tokyo Bay? So that is the route." Kuroki Niizumi continued to coordinate the interception efforts.

But in the blink of an eye, the two changed direction, concentrated their strength to cut through a unit, and broke into a warehouse. A moment later, grim news arrived.

Major William had been taken hostage.

Even if Noguchi Yuji had been the one taken hostage, she would have chosen to attack without hesitation, but the person held captive was Major William.

She was forced to compromise.

The Ninth Guardian's demand was simple: withdraw the defensive line leading toward Tokyo.

Kuroki Niizumi stated that she needed to report and request authorization.

The Ninth Guardian gave her five minutes.

"I am truly curious: is the power you possess really yours? Could it be some form of overdraft, a way to squeeze your life force in a short time to obtain these incredible abilities?" Inside the warehouse, even while tied to a chair, Major William did not appear particularly panicked.

The Ninth Guardian had little interest in dealing with William for the moment; his eyes were fixed entirely on Nakai Hayato, to the point that it made the man nervous.

"Guardian? I am here. Is something wrong?" Nakai Hayato asked tentatively. Although the Holy Infant had told him not to worry about him, he had fled after leaving the Holy Infant's vessel behind, and he didn't know if he would be punished by the Ninth Guardian.

"Your heart has passed the test of the Holy Infant, and he has bestowed upon you a higher level of great power," the Ninth Guardian said leisurely.

This guy had actually undergone a mutation after taking a few sniper rounds.

And this mutation was no ordinary one.

[Super Strength Lv2] + [Steel Body Lv2] = [Offense-Defense Integration Lv1]

That was roughly the formula.

Although Shiraishi Wataru didn't actually know if there was a concept of ability leveling, the [Offense-Defense Integration] that Nakai Hayato had mutated and fused was a significant improvement to both [Super Strength] and [Steel Body]; it could be considered an upgrade.

As for Nakai Hayato himself, perhaps because [Regeneration] had consumed too much energy, he didn't feel much of a difference in his enhanced abilities.

"Is that so? That's wonderful." Nakai Hayato smiled.

William silently noted their conversation. Seeing that no one was paying him any mind, he continued, "Don't you want to know why you were tracked?"

"So? Are you going to tell us?" Nakai Hayato stared at him, carefully examining every piece of flesh on his body, as if preparing to carve it off later.

"You may have heard of Tracking Pheromone; it appears in movies quite often." William spoke directly, which caught Nakai Hayato off guard.

Nakai Hayato frowned. He had heard of the substance, but knew very little about it, let alone how to remove it.

"The method to break it is simple: just take a bath in the sea. The higher the salinity, the faster it breaks down," William continued.

The Ninth Guardian was curious. "What do you want? Telling us this is only going to cause trouble for your investigation team."

"I want answers." William suppressed his smile. "A real answer: what exactly is the Holy Infant Society? What does your arrival mean? Why bestow the Holy Son Pill upon people?"

The Ninth Guardian shook his head. "That information isn't worth these questions, but I can give you a ticket to understand the truth behind it all."

He took out a "Holy Son Pill." "Swallow it, and in the future, you might be qualified to know the truth behind everything."

William pondered for a few seconds. "As expected, there is a benefit for you or that Holy Infant when ordinary people consume the Holy Son Pill, isn't there? Is it an experiment, or are you poaching talent? Fine, I'll eat it."

The Ninth Guardian shoved the pill into his mouth, feeling a bit heavy inside. Sure enough, there were plenty of smart people in this world.

But as long as there were no supernatural organizations hidden beneath the mundane world, he was still confident in his ability to deceive it.

With such a massive commotion this time, if there really were any mysterious organizations, they should have surfaced by now.

There had been no movement since the subway incident, so it was the perfect time to turn up the intensity.

Symbiosis complete; this William before him was someone capable of adapting to all of his abilities.

Shiraishi Wataru thought for a moment and granted him the ability of Steel Body.

"So... this is what it feels like." William let out a long breath, seemingly savoring the sensation, though the questions in his mind had only multiplied rather than diminished.

"Let's go. That was just a warm-up. No need to wait for the defensive line to clear; we're charging straight through." Utilizing Offense-Defense Integration with this body, Shiraishi Wataru felt a power on an entirely different level.

Even if a tank were to appear before him now, he was confident he could shatter it with a single punch.