"Something's happening in the south. A strange army has appeared there."
With white rabbit ears, beautiful white hair, and the common attire of the snowy plains, a Cautus girl arrived in the city that was becoming a purgatory.
Before the Cautus girl stood a tall, imposing figure. His entire body was wrapped in armor, and even the sharp spear and scarred shield seemed small compared to his towering frame.
Yet aside from his extraordinary height, what was most startling was his face—or rather, his head. It was not the head of any ordinary race. More accurately, it resembled a deer's head, like a Wendigo from North American mythology.
At the figure's head, scarlet light flickered where his eyes should have been.
The towering figure's movements were so powerful, but beneath that seemingly strong body lay countless cracks.
"Talulah... what does she... think..."
The cracks within his body had become so numerous that they were nearly enough to bring even the battle-hardened Patriot down. Yet he still supported himself with his unyielding will and steadfast soul.
His hoarse, broken voice sounded as though his throat had been cut by blades, unable to form a complete sentence.
The white-haired Cautus girl lowered her head slightly and silently gazed at the ground.
"She said to deal with them."
"Is... that... so..."
The two figures stood amid ruins that had been utterly destroyed.
The burning high-rises in the distance and the shattered wreckage beneath their feet, set against the gray sky, made the city seem like a giant slowly losing its vitality.
"Their mobilization is getting faster and faster. Looks like they're serious this time."
Ash observed the chaos spreading toward them from the distant horizon and reported through the communicator.
"Can you determine their numbers?"
"Not clearly, but it looks like there's