He understood the situation. Charging into the fight would accomplish nothing. Preserving their strength and holding what remained of the battlefield was their only choice.
"All forces, listen up!" Sengoku's deep shout cut through the howling wind, his command passing from rank to rank until every Marine heard it. "Build multiple temporary defensive lines right where you stand!
"Mark out safe zones and move the wounded and surviving civilians into them!
"All warships are to remain battle-ready. Keep your main guns trained on the battlefield overhead and be ready to repel any shockwaves that spread our way!
"No one is to approach the heart of the battlefield without orders. No one is to interfere with the fight on his own!"
Tens of thousands of elite Marines sprang into action. Each knew his task, and the work proceeded in orderly fashion.
Some hauled the hard stone still left on the island, metal wreckage, and warship armor into place, quickly building layer upon layer of heavy barricades against any further shockwaves;
Others combed the battlefield for the gravely wounded and moved surviving civilians to the safe zone at the rear;
The warships at sea held formation at anchor, their guns primed as they kept watch on every movement overhead.
Below, the Marines worked to secure their defenses and stabilize the battlefield. Above them, the deadly standoff had never paused for a moment, and the tension grew harder to bear.
One black and one blue, the two colossal figures faced each other across the shattered sky.
Absolute dominion over darkness strained against overwhelming destructive power. Their unseen auras clashed, driving the wind across the entire battlefield to ever greater force.
Tens of thousands of Marines stared upward in silence. Across the ruined battlefield, only the wind, the surging waves, and the heavy thud