Chapter 154

The vanguard, along with the Right Wing and Left Wing, were designated as the outer perimeter forces. They were responsible for clearing the threats posed by Erosion Entity along the march route and, when appropriate, using Lure Shell to leave a safe route for the rear troops. They also had the combat missions of scouting, responding to, and dispersing the enemy.

Efnir's operational area was the vanguard. As the most powerful agent in Xijing City, she was the vanguard of the entire force, and naturally took on the role.

Besides Efnir, the vanguard also includes Herul and three other Second-Generation Agent, who are capable of fighting against Efnir as Second-Generation Agent.

There are five people in total, serving as the vanguard force's proxy combat force.

Anilas, on the other hand, was positioned behind Efnir and the others, serving as a long-range support force. Her combat range extended across the entire area, covering the entire unit, making her an unparalleled and powerful support force. Therefore, she was assigned to this position.

Meanwhile, as an agent capable of carrying out extremely long-range combat, Yukina also shares combat support missions with Anilas.

The two flanks were managed by Canary, Ayse, Furan, and other Second-Generation Agent. Compared to the vanguard, their combat missions were less dangerous, so the personnel assigned to them were relatively dispersed. They were mainly responsible for guarding against enemies coming from the flanks and supporting the vanguard and central forces in any battles they might encounter.

The central/rear forces are where the "trains," supplies, and Engineering Corps are located. It is the core area of the entire Beyond the Boundary Operations Force. They are responsible for transporting the Shielding Device and energy equipment, as well as activating the Boundary Stele at the Maesakagawa Garrison District. Kusei Maki's location is here.

The central/rear troops can be considered the heartland of the entire force, and theoretically the safest area.

However, since it is Beyond the Boundary, there is no absolute safety.

The high concentration of Corruption Energy in the Beyond the Boundary region rendered all communication equipment ineffective, and the entire force relied entirely on signal flares and communications specialists for combat command and dispatch. Therefore, in order to avoid delays in combat command, Efnir and others retained their on-site command authority, but their priority was lower than that of Kusei Maki's overall command authority.

In addition, the visual obstruction caused by White Hole Erosion will seriously interfere with the effective range of signal flares and the effective field of vision of the commander-in-chief. The degree of impact has an exponential linear relationship with the distance of vision. In other words, the farther away, the more difficult it is to see the target. However, as long as this distance is controlled within a certain range, the impact is negligible.

Therefore, the entire force maintained a relatively low density.

The ultimate goal of the Maesakagawa Recapture Operation is to reactivate the Boundary Stele System at the Maesakagawa base, reclaim the Maesakagawa region, and pave the way for subsequent operations.

6. First Battle

First live-fire exercise Beyond the Boundary in the Maesakagawa Recapture Operation, vanguard unit --

Upon arriving in the Beyond the Boundary region, the troops quickly deployed according to the original plan.

A thousand-strong force rode in vehicles, kicking up clouds of dust; thick smoke, the smell of fuel, and steel filled everyone's nostrils.

After confirming their command responsibilities, Efnir and Kusei Maki immediately went to the vanguard. She clung to the armored vehicle that was moving at high speed and looked ahead into the distance through binoculars.

When there is no combat, the agent will remain on standby as usual, awaiting reports from the reconnaissance personnel.

This is also to conserve the Order Force.

The Erosion Entity in the Beyond the Boundary region are vastly different from those in the cities enveloped by the Boundary Stele System. Their level of danger cannot be simply generalized. Even a Level B Erosion Entity can put the agent in a difficult situation if not handled carefully.

Communication equipment cannot be used in the Beyond the Boundary region, not even within the Shielding Device area, which greatly increases the difficulty of operations Beyond the Boundary and rapidly amplifies the danger posed by the Erosion Entity.

In addition, the Erosion Entity in the Beyond the Boundary region are diverse, and besides the threats from the sky and the ground, enemies emerging from underground are also difficult to defend against.

And there is also a forbidden calamity that must never be touched— the Erosion Entity with a danger level of S.

An S-level Erosion Entity possesses the immense power to destroy a mid-level city on its own. Before the Boundary Stele System was established, numerous cities were destroyed by S-Rank Erosion Entity.

Efnir could assert that even if all the Second-Generation Agent valued by the Human Federation joined the battle, they would absolutely be unable to defeat the S-Rank Erosion Entity, and would even be completely annihilated in an instant.

As an agent who has participated in numerous operations Beyond the Boundary, Efnir is acutely aware of the dangers Beyond the Boundary region.

Boom--

A Lure Shell exploded on the Right Wing. Efnir glanced in the direction of the explosion and saw two Erosion Entity approaching the troops turning around and running towards the dust cloud.

Taking advantage of the fact that Erosion Entity can sense specific energy responses to sudden bursts, Lure Shell can lure away Erosion Entity that are wandering close to the troops.

The Erosion Entity wander aimlessly. The "Shielding Device" can only make the troops "disappear" in the Erosion Entity's eyes, but it cannot eliminate all movement. Therefore, there will always be Erosion Entity that accidentally enter the shield range, and in such cases, battle is inevitable.

Any battle carries the risk of casualties, and the agents have limited physical strength and Order Force, so the scope of the battle they can attend to is also limited. They must preserve their fighting strength as much as possible before reaching the Maesakagawa Garrison District.

Therefore, Lure Shell are needed to lure away the Erosion Entity, thereby avoiding combat.

However, Lure Shell are not a panacea, and the behavior patterns of the Erosion Entity cannot be easily predicted. In many cases, Lure Shell are completely ineffective, and once this happens, only combat remains as an option.

At that moment, shouts came from the guard squad behind Efnir:

"Enemy forces ahead! Two Erosion Entity, estimated to be level C or B in danger! Sir, should we halt and engage them?"

The alert squad is a mobile unit specifically responsible for timely reporting and communication of the appearance of Erosion Entity. They are equipped with a large number of detection devices and are led by experienced scouts who monitor the situation ahead of their route.

"Distance?"

"Two thousand yards! They're directly in front and at two o'clock respectively. We can't avoid contact without changing direction! They're approaching. Should we fire a flare?"

Clearly, the first battle was unavoidable.

"No need."

"Efnir said in a deep voice."

"That..."

"Return to your positions, remain calm, and leave the rest to our agents."

Efnir put away her binoculars, her gaze indifferent.

The person in charge of relaying the message looked serious, unable to hide the tension on his face.

Most of the troops involved in this operation were people who had never directly fought against the Erosion Entity in the Beyond the Boundary region. Even though they were soldiers, they were still not used to this kind of combat.

Therefore, Efnir had no intention of fighting herself, but instead wanted to leave these targets, which were not dangerous enough, to Herul and the others.

The goal of this combat exercise is to get them used to the feeling of combat.

Efnir turned to Herul others and gave them orders:

"Jasmine and Maple, these two are yours. Finish this quickly and don't let them slow you down."

Jasmine and Maple are both Second-Generation Agent in this battle. Their Order Weapon are the same as Herul's, which are assault rifles, but they are not the same model. As a forward force for short-to-medium range combat, their Order Weapon are very suitable for serving as support members for Efnir.

"Yes!"

Upon receiving Efnir's order, the two women momentarily showed tension and slight hesitation, but still instinctively obeyed the command. Their bodies flashed with silver light as they immediately entered Exile Form and skillfully switched targets, leaping onto the armored vehicles on either side.

Neither of them had any experience fighting the Erosion Entity from Beyond the Boundary. Even though they had undergone several years of training, to Efnir they were still fledglings who had just joined the official agents, and they were the ones who needed the most training.

"Sir, what do I need to do?"

Herul an inquiry.

Compared to Jasmine and Maple, Herul's face showed no tension, but rather a high level of fighting spirit.

Or rather, they weren't being polite.

Because Efnir took Anilas's place and also the place beside Anilas in Herul's heart, Herul has always harbored a hidden resentment towards Efnir.

Of course, Efnir was unaware of this; she simply waved her hand, signaling Herul to return to her original position.

"Let them try these two. Your target will be more dangerous. Await orders and be ready to fight at any time."

"Clear..."

Here, Efnir is the commander, and without Efnir's orders, Herul cannot act; she can only return to her original position.

At this moment, Jasmine and Maple quickly located the target, set up their weapons, and, with the help of the agent's eyesight and strong body control, fired forward. The streak of bullets accurately hit the target.

The two Erosion Entity quickly dissipated into starlight under the attacks of Jasmine and Maple, and the advance of the troops was not halted in the slightest.

Seeing this, many of the soldiers in the vanguard unit felt their resolve strengthened.

The initial victory boosted the soldiers' morale.

Efnir watched this scene through her telescope and silently approved of it.

It must be said that the Second-Generation Agent have a significant advantage over the First Generation in short-to-medium range combat.

Although Canary ultimately emerged victorious in Canary duel with Herul, there is no doubt that Herul Canary the fight against the Erosion Entity. Moreover, controlling the combat distance significantly reduces risk in the fight against the Erosion Entity, directly increasing the agent's survival rate. This represents a significant step forward for humanity in the fight against the Erosion Entity.

"Sir! We've completed the mission!"

After reporting back, Maple and Jasmine immediately deactivated their Exile mode, and their weapons disappeared.

"Return to standby position."

"Yes!"

Efnir raised her binoculars again, but at that moment, a piercing buzzing sound suddenly exploded from behind. Efnir and Herul simultaneously looked towards the rear of the troops and saw two faint lights trailing bright red smoke rising into the air.

Those are signal flares. Red indicates an emergency, and two flares mean a request for backup.

At the same time, the howl of the Erosion Entity exploded in everyone's ears.

Efnir's eyes narrowed slightly, her pupils turning crimson.

In her eyes, a massive Erosion Entity emerged from the ground, its front claws lashing out and easily toppling an armored vehicle that couldn't dodge in time. The enormous figure crouched between the vanguard and the center/rear forces, raising its head and roaring.

Efnir immediately identified the type of the Erosion Entity.

This is an Erosion Entity lurking underground. At this moment, it was likely disturbed by the vanguard and emerged from the soil, landing right behind the vanguard.

The danger in the areas Beyond the Boundary has only just begun.

7. Thorough

The earth roared, and rubble and dust flew everywhere, responding to the howl of the massive Erosion Entity with shattering tremors.

The massive Erosion Entity, dwelling underground, resembled a coiled crocodile. Its powerful forepaws easily hurled soil and B02 Squad's armored vehicles backward, attacking the vehicles behind them.

"B03 Squad has detected Erosion Entity!!! B02 is under attack! Request backup immediately!!"

The soldier roared, quickly drew his signal pistol, and fired two shots into the sky.

The well-trained driver swerved sharply, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the oncoming armored vehicle, but a dark, sharp spine appeared before him.

With a deafening roar, the protective glass shattered instantly, sparks flew, and the engine's roar was drowned out by the ear-piercing sound of steel tearing and twisting.

Flames suddenly rose, and the scorching heat ignited the withered grass.

Only seven seconds had passed between the appearance of the Erosion Entity and the attack on the convoy. The B03 Squad had been wiped out. Not far away, a yellow flame trail rose into the air—a signal flare from the soldiers of the B02 Squad.

At this moment, right in the center of the central/rear forces, Anilas took in everything that was happening ahead.

She raised her hand.

"This is A-Rank Erosion Entity. Halt! Engage immediately!!"

Anilas acted decisively and issued the battle orders.

Easily capable of overturning a 17-ton armored vehicle, that's the power of A-Rank Erosion Entity. The danger level A in the Beyond the Boundary region is incomparable to that of A-Rank Erosion Entity in the city. Behind Anilas's location is the location of Commander-in-Chief Kusei Maki, and further behind that is the location of the most crucial "Train-Engineering Company" in this operation.

In other words, Anilas had no choice but to eliminate this Erosion Entity that had penetrated to the very heart of the force.

At the same time, the Erosion Entity swung its massive body toward Anilas's location, its giant claws slashing down. The transport vehicle carrying the motorized equipment narrowly avoided the attack with a beautiful drift, but just like the previous attack, the Erosion Entity's chain-like tail swept across.

There's no escaping it!

"X2 Agent Squad Leader, Anilas, enter battle!"

Silver light enveloped Anilas's entire body. In the next moment, she had entered Exile Form. As the giant tail swept across, she crouched on the roof of the car, the long barrel of her gun resting on her elbow, her clear eyes fixed on the enormous shadow of the Erosion Entity that blotted out the sun.

The snow-white walls, the girl's laughter, the blood-red potion, the heart-wrenching screams... scenes from the past flashed before Anilas's eyes.

The original owner of the name she inherited, Gotō Chizuru, seemed to be smiling at her right now.

"Chizuru, lend me your power..."

She parted her pink lips slightly, inhaling the scorching air into her lungs, and then slowly exhaled.

Anilas held her breath.

The giant tail of the Erosion Entity seemed to slow to a snail's pace at this moment, and Anilas's heartbeat and time seemed to stand still.

She slightly bent her finger and pulled the trigger.

Bang--

A deafening roar ripped through the sky. Anilas's projectile traveled three meters off the ground, but the impact forcefully uprooted and overturned the withered grass and soil. Anilas's golden hair was blown backward by the deafening sound, and the fierce wind pressure pounded against the transport vehicle beneath her, producing a series of ear-piercing scraping sounds.

At the same time, the massive tail of the Erosion Entity was suddenly torn apart layer by layer, and in an instant, a huge hole with a diameter of more than two meters burst open from the middle of the tail all the way to the end, as bizarre as if a piece of it had been gouged out.

A true, one-hit kill – this is Anilas's absolute trump card, and also proof that she didn't go all out in her fight against Efnir.