Chapter 308

Of course, Nian wasn't the only one who noticed this; Sora and Croissant, who were also not combat personnel, naturally saw it as well.

After trying to smash it with a hammer, Croissant could only admit that, not only magic or other forms of cutting, but even the impact of a power hammer, whether the Seaborn thing was shattered or not had little to do with its regenerative ability; it treated all attacks equally.

"I feel like we need to find a few robot vacuums, modify them to have built-in meat grinders, and put them here to clean automatically."

As they said this, everyone belatedly turned their attention back to the front line... Nana, who had been paying attention to the whole scene, naturally noticed the problem as well. The place where the sea monster's corpse, which had died from the bullet, had come into contact with the Nethermark was bubbling, and now it was visibly missing a section.

"It's been retrieved by Nethermark... All units, confirm defensive gear isolation level, shockproof stance! Miss Jingzhe, please attack with me!"

"Intensity level?"

"Anti-armor vehicle class."

Taking advantage of the Jingzhe, Nana slowly floated up, her magic charging, electricity crackling around her. She put away her compound bow and took out her now-cooled Guardian Gun. The silver revolver sprang from its magazine, and as a magnetic chain-like rapid-load device was pulled from her pocket, accompanied by intense spellcasting and an impromptu Sankta- style prayer enchantment, the previously faint silver Halo of the black- Feline girl now illuminated the entire area like an incandescent bulb.

Only Exusiai, the only one who understood the meaning of the light flowing into the six bullets as if they were physical objects, reacted and tried to stop it, but Nana's movements were too fast.

The bullet, radiating holy light, was instantly loaded into the magazine. As the girl ripped off the chain of the quick-loading device, the magazine spun, and the gunner flicked his wrist to reset and aim. The Thunder spreading behind was also poised to strike!

The two simultaneously aimed at the pile of corpses slowly 'melting' in the distance, and then, with the tacit understanding of seasoned spellcasters, activated their abilities at the same time:

"Light--!"

"The Fivefold Thunder Might, rise!"

Thunder and the light of Judgment illuminated the city, the heat rose, flesh shattered, blood and steam exploded and expanded, shockwaves carrying carbon fragments swept across... In short, this was an explosion triggered by two magical attacks.

To describe it more accurately, this was a large-scale explosion caused by two high-ranking warlocks casting spells in a confined space.

Thanks to the tactical noise-canceling headphones, thanks to the SHD Survivor Protocol defense spell, thanks to Texas for the timely prone warning in the center... Although several non-combatants, including Kong, were stunned and disoriented by the explosion, after the smoke and dust cleared in the distance, a large hole was visibly visible in the black Nethermark Link on the ground.

That was the destructive effect caused by the shockwave of the magical explosion, and after losing the physical connection, the Nethermark behind, which had been constantly repairing itself, suddenly surged violently.

"It's disconnected? Its physical thickness is decreasing rapidly! It's still trying to reconnect!?"

Hearing about the size of Exusiai the best eyesight, without even considering why this thing could survive being cut in half... Ch'en Hui-chieh had been the first to lie down and was now the first to get up, gripped Chi Xiao and stepped forward to slash:

"Don't even think about it! Chi Xiao--!!"

Charging forward and drawing her sword, the blue-haired police superintendent, with her back to the direction of the enemy's attack, thwarted Nethermark's attempt to reconnect... Nana admits that her charge and slash was cool, but her subsequent scramble back to the team amidst a hail of bullets from Jessica and herself was rather pathetic.

After all, the suspected nesting site for the Seaborn is right ahead; how can you turn your back on them?

"Tsk... Their corpses have reconnected to the Nethermark, and the healing in the area beneath our feet is still increasing... Even if the link is severed, they won't 'die'?!"

"Well, the protagonist discovers the location of the monster's lair, but is at a loss as to how to get in; many movies have similar plots."

"At a time like this, let's not talk about anything else! Don't you have any serious advice for me?"

Seeing Jingzhe's gasping plea, the Dragon Lady scratched the positive pressure breathing mask on her face, then shrugged:

"My most serious advice is that you use the maximum power of that lightning magic to blow the monster and its nest into the sky, otherwise this will never end."

"Everyone can see that, but isn't this operating without authorization for annihilation firepower?!"

As he spoke, he struck another Thunder into the Nethermark beneath his feet. The marks changed from churning to convulsing, and the half-formed tentacles bristled and turned into sharp spikes... Watching Sora disdainfully step on a newly grown tentacle with his boot not far away, only to have it smashed to pieces by Croissant, and seeing Takina at the forefront frown and retreat while speaking in as calm a tone as possible, everyone involuntarily tensed up.

"Machine gun ammunition is exhausted."

Seeing the girl switch to a pistol and begin attacking, Franka and Liskarm stepped forward, while Nana frowned and looked at Jessica, another main Firearms Operator.

"Jessica, what about you?"

I have two magazines left.

Glancing at the empty Feline hanging from the girl's chest, Nana also touched her equipment, which already contained two empty quivers. The black-haired girl frowned.

They should have dealt with the identified hideout immediately, but if they couldn't even get through the gate... it's hard to say whether they could handle the aftermath.

Perhaps this is the tragedy of Firearms Operator: once you find that there are more enemies than you have ammunition, the situation will quickly deteriorate... Fortunately, Nana is not the type who is helpless except with Firearms Arts.

"We at least need to figure out the 'incubation' status of Seaborn."

Seemingly trying to persuade her entourage, or perhaps trying to persuade herself, the Black-footed Cat girl murmured to herself:

"Even just breaking through the flesh and blood barrier ahead to take a look would be enough..."

"Then let's go check it out. The Guard Bureau has promised to cooperate with all actions related to Seaborn."

Even though her body was covered in dried tissue fluid from the Seaborn Nethermark, Ch'en Hui-chieh's eyes remained righteous and awe-inspiring through her breathing mask:

"Just like when we first met, when we first broke through the blockade of that Porcelain Monster. This time it's just a different kind of monster, but what we need to do has never changed, especially since we have so many of us this time."

As Hoshiguma, carrying her shield and smiling, arrived at the front of the formation, Nana really wanted to ask everyone if they understood what it meant to charge into the deepest part of a passage that could be teeming with monsters at any moment... But everyone's attitude was just too self-evident, so Nana could only sigh and directly enter planning mode.

"In short, we must prevent things from becoming a one-way street; having a backup plan is essential..."

"Then the heavy-armored operators will maintain the passage, everyone else will increase firepower to clear the way, and then the most capable Medic will go in and take a look. Once that's done, we'll withdraw immediately... The ground-based Guard Bureau members will provide cover for us under Swire's command. Char Siu Cat isn't very good at head-on combat, but he can be trusted with command in normal ground battles."

[... What do you mean by "normal command can be trusted"? You need to explain yourself clearly, Medic. You can trust me even more... Also, you might not have received the message underground, but Rhodes Island just relayed the news from me about the fierce fighting below. The Doctor said reinforcements have arrived and that you can go all out with Medic!]

"Did the Doctor say that?"

I don't know why, even though Nana has always fought alone in the past and has almost never participated in operations commanded by the Doctor... when she hears that the Doctor arranged the operation, a sense of trust from the bottom of her heart will unconsciously emerge.

In this way, even though she feels pressured about what she's going to do next, Nana doesn't feel like she's some kind of unlucky guy in a disaster movie who foolishly rushes into a deadly situation.

"Then, the members of the Guards will clear the way with me, and I will advance as far as I can... At this point, this operation can only be reconnaissance with firepower... Before leaving, don't be stingy with ammunition; trust your backup and the ground defenses."

After transcribing Nana's calm narration, Nian licked his lips as he watched the crowd change formation. Then, seemingly unintentionally, he leaned against the massive Mica Sword on the outermost edge... or rather, the 'sword' at this moment had become a huge lava block formed by the melting of numerous Mobile City construction debris. Nana used it to reinforce and seal the outermost internal gate of this place.

Although the sword had been in Nana's hands for several days, and as expected, the little Feline hadn't drawn it, Nian was increasingly looking forward to its final appearance.

With a mix of enthusiasm, seriousness, and delight, Nian watched as the group on the screen shifted their formation, with those wielding melee weapons becoming the vanguard. After a brief regrouping, they completed the formation change. Then, Ch'en Hui-chieh took the lead, drawing her Chi Xiao and charging forward with great momentum.

When someone else takes the lead, Nana's presence becomes very weak.

As Ch'en, Franka, and Texas advanced, providing cover for each other, Black Cat, stepping on the smooth, dark Nethermark fluid on the wall, began to surge forward. To minimize the noise, they had switched from boots to bare feet, and Nana, carrying her longbow, tiptoed like a 'rogue' from an old story... The girl, wearing footed socks, silently crossed the center line of the field.

[Since Seaborn might be able to understand human language, during the advance, everyone should focus solely on the retreat route... I'll handle the rest.]

Nana's reminder before the operation was still fresh in his mind. Ch'en, who replaced Nana as the commander, simply organized a few people who were good at using swords. In the narrow maintenance passage, the guards began their charge.

Even disregarding the consequences and entrusting the lives of the three to the Shieldguards to maintain the retreat route, whether it was the Chi Xiao Sword Qi, the Thermite Sword with its blazing flames, or even the 'high-tech' composed entirely of beams, the momentum of everyone was equally matched... Even Texas, who used non-traditional swords, was in no way inferior to the other two, who came from military and police backgrounds and mercenaries, in terms of killing efficiency with her Originium Sword.

'Perhaps our feint attack can also break through this Seaborn Nest?'

Orange and crimson light intertwined, and silver flashes emerged from the cold light... Just as Ch'en and his group were making steady progress and felt that things were going unexpectedly smoothly, they suddenly felt a bloody gust of wind rushing towards them.

Ch'en Hui-chieh could not yet reach the state of perfect stillness, but as a swordswoman who diligently practiced every day, her concentration and adaptability allowed her to successfully deflect the opponent's powerful thrust.

But seeing Ch'en being thrown back at thirteen times the speed of his charge, Hoshiguma, who was cleaning up the dog-like sea Hoshiguma, couldn't help but shrink her pupils. She even ignored the Seaborn biting her and directly pounced to catch her partner who was thrown back.

"What is that!?"

While others were still wondering, Franka, at the forefront, had already activated the thermite module to its maximum and charged forward, brandishing her rapier that emitted a dazzling white light. Franka had abandoned her usual unreliable style; her warrior eyes reflected the humanoid monster that incorporated a large number of marine elements. Taking advantage of the opening created by Ch'en being knocked away, the Vulpo swordsman launched a thrust that could be described as a suicide attack!

There is no doubt that this is a strike powerful enough to pierce through steel, but no matter how powerful it is, it is meaningless if it misses.

The monster, its face covered in tentacles, wielded a chitinous weapon that had become one with its arms. It first parried with a backhand, then used the tentacle linked to its tailbone, with a chitinous warhammer at the end of its tail, to spin and send Franka flying. If it weren't for the Originium Lightsaber that followed, forcing the chitinous scimitar, covered in grayish-white burn marks, to retreat and defend, it's hard to say whether Franka would have survived.

"Withdraw!"

Although Texas instantly assessed the situation and told her companions what to do, and did the same after confirming Franka's footing... even retreating at top speed, the monster still charged towards her. The Lupo girl's pupils constricted to pinpoints as she desperately swung her lightsaber, trying to drive the monster away.

Logically, a lightsaber should be able to carbonize flesh upon contact and inflict fatal wounds with just a touch—this is the advantage of a lightsaber. However, the opponent showed no fear of the high temperature.

Even though Texas's sword dance repeatedly struck vital areas like the chest, and the carbonization marks on the monster's body visibly increased rapidly, its monstrous blue-purple body showed no sign of being pierced by the high-temperature Originium Steam beams.

The opponent paid no heed to the lightsabers, but Texas couldn't ignore their attacks... Under the pressure of the opponent's almost reckless fighting style, Texas began to fall into a disadvantageous position from the twelfth move onwards, and was officially defeated on the fifty-first move. More than ten lightsabers were either destroyed or knocked away. Fortunately, Texas was supported by Liskarm, Croissant, and later Exusiai along the way, which allowed her to maintain her mobility and return to the position built by the Firearms Operator.

As for Hoshiguma... she carried Ch'en in one hand and used her shield in the other to smash through the monster's obstruction and return.

"What's going on all of a sudden... that thing..."

Although Jingzhe didn't explicitly say so, everyone knew what they were wavering about... This monster looks way too much like a human!

The monster waited patiently for everyone to change formation. It watched as the Shieldguards bearers stepped forward to form a shield wall, Firearms Operator pointed their guns at it. The monster, whose life should have been entirely at Jessica and the others' mercy, let out a surprisingly human-like snort... At that moment, watching it disappear silently and reappear in the very center of the formation with a stench... Jessica, whose neck was being stung by a chitinous scimitar and whose gun was still pointed forward, seemed to have forgotten to breathe.

The girl, who had never considered herself brave, often had tears in her eyes, but she never imagined that she would look like this when she died... Jessica instinctively reached for her pistol in her mind's eye, and at that moment she only hated herself for not being faster.

Even if it's just to injure the opponent, or even just to restrain their unpredictable movements... is there anything I can do, even just a little bit within my power?

The answer is no—reality is materialistic, and this materialistic reality is that, in the face of truly powerful individuals, the girl named Jessica can do nothing.

At this moment, she could only watch as the white scimitar slowly approached her neck, and in the seemingly slowed-down time, she called out the name that had become deeply connected to her.

"Nana -senpai--!"

"--I am here."

Her left eye glowed with a white- Blacklight, like a black hole. The black-haired girl appeared between the enemy and Jessica in an even more bizarre and inexplicable way, almost face to face.

The Angel who nearly lost the attention of those who had twice in one day... now shone with Halo like a cross. Even her hair seemed to turn incandescent. Nana expressionlessly let the black hole's left eye erode half of her face... At this moment, those around her even found it hard to say who looked more like a monster.

Halo at 100% output, Tactical Armor [Strength Mode], Assaulter Protocol fully activated -- Uppercut!!

"Don't touch other people's things... you idiot."

A punch pierced the heart, then he swung his arm, tossing the corpse aside, and stomped the mutated head to pieces... The girl, whose left eye had turned into a black hole, then turned her head and stared blankly into the depths of the passage... A white-haired, red-eyed figure paused for a moment, then left along with the many fleeing footsteps.

Nana, who had just made eye contact with Gladiia, closed her eyes to restore her heterochromatic eyes to normal.

When Jessica hugged her, crying, Nana didn't refuse. The black-haired girl patted the crying girl's back to comfort her while answering Nian's machine-gun-like questions.

But anyway... the plan has finally started to move forward... probably.

PS: Waaaaaaah!

PSS: This chapter is 5k5 words. If it's not this number, please refresh the page... (bows)

PSSSS: This chapter has undergone a major revision for improved fluency. The new word count is around 6,000. If it's different, please refresh immediately. (bows again)

9th Lungmen Seafood: 354 I will... kill the sea!

If a conspiracy is very conspicuous, it's either because it's genuinely difficult to thwart, or because the mastermind isn't very clever.

At the end of the passage filled with Seaborn, the hurried footsteps seemed to say that the humanoid monster they had just seen was their last resort.

Everyone, including Jessica, was an experienced Mercenaries and warrior. Although they were temporarily panicked by the sudden breach in their defenses, with Nana's equally swift return to reinforce them, the only remaining question seemed to be whether or not to pursue them.

With everyone's eyes on her, Nana recalled her fleeting encounter with the Gladiia, and then looked at the others.

"Ahem... Medic? Aren't you going to pursue it?"

Seeing Ch'en Hui-chieh being helped by Hoshiguma, clutching her shoulder and questioning her with blood at the corner of her mouth, Nana briefly assessed the team's current situation. She felt that with the Starlight Squad having lost its machine gunner, the Thunder Squad's main damage dealer still unsettled, and only having two magazines left, pursuing them was truly difficult to decide.

In order to give Ch'en Hui-chieh seemed a bit anxious, a more convincing reason, Nana, who was already rather conservative in her actions, chose to let everyone report the situation first... This was also the most effective way to let everyone understand their situation.

"The entire squad, conduct individual assessments of their ammunition and weaponry, as well as their physical condition."

"Hey hey~ Starlight Team 'Mika can continue..."

"Mika- senpai, wait a minute. What we're talking about here isn't who can, but who can't continue... Sorry, although we can continue fighting with the team using pistols, without machine guns, the Starlight Team's heavy firepower is reduced to Typhon's anti-materiel rifle."

Takina nodded in confirmation, and then Liskarm reported:

"Franka's thermite module is destroyed, and my reserve batteries are all used up... Jessica still has two magazines left, but given what just happened, I don't think her mental state is suitable for continuing to fight."

As the cat-headed girl with a ponytail beside her made a crying face, Nana gently patted Jessica's head again, then looked at Texas, who had just been surrounded by Exusiai and Sora.

The latter only showed the empty Originium Sword fittings; of the beam swords inside, only two appeared to still be able to light up.

Before Ch'en Chen could speak, Hoshiguma stepped forward first:

"Ch'en took a direct hit from that monster, and it appears he suffered a fractured scapula, and likely other internal injuries..."

"But we can't just let them go like this. You heard those footsteps leaving, didn't you? The main reason we've been here is that the sea monsters themselves don't have a strong 'migrating' urge; they're just crawling around along the existing channels... But humans are a different story!! They have so many ways to take those monsters anywhere in Lungmen! We may be out of ammunition, but aren't they just as exhausted?!"

Even her tied-up long hair was disheveled. Ch'en Hui-chieh took two steps forward, her steps slightly unsteady, staring intently into Nana's heterochromatic eyes.

"If we don't chase now... when will we?!"

As they spoke, a sound like a water bag bursting and liquid splashing out came from the underground space where the argument was taking place. To everyone's surprise and disgust, on the Nethermark that had already melted half of the monster's corpse, several monsters that should have died stood up again, still in their bloody and mangled state. But they were quickly defeated again by Mika and Jessica, who had raised their guns... But this could not hide the fact that the monsters were still getting up one after another. Only the rapidly shrinking Nethermark Mark beneath everyone's feet proved the source of this flesh and blood.

"... The sea monsters' biomass reserves stored in the Nethermark are rapidly decreasing; they are abandoning this place!"

Ch'en Hui-chieh had no intention of explaining anything further, as everyone else could see it; all she cared about now was the increasingly distant sound.

"They're just expendable pawns to hinder our progress... Even if they're injured, we can still handle this level of damage. Medic, hurry and catch up!"

As the Lungmen Police Superintendent, Ch'en Hui-chieh's words basically represented the official attitude of Lungmen's combat units towards Seaborn and the Deep-Sea Cult that brought them here... Although from Rhodes Island's perspective, after confirming that Gladiia had infiltrated the church as a 'spy,' the disintegration of this group was inevitable.