Chapter 155
Because once such an attack is launched, no one can survive being directly hit. It can tear a huge hole in even the defensive walls of the border area, let alone a regular armored vehicle.
At that moment, she used this to neutralize the heavy blow from the Erosion Entity.
However, the biggest drawback of this attack was the depletion of her Order Weapon and Order Force, preventing Anilas from launching two consecutive uninterrupted attacks.
Therefore, she needs the combat assistance of others.
"Anilas!"
Yukina's cry came from the side, and the moment she raised her hand, two arrows were already nocked on the bowstring.
In a silent instant, two blinding beams of watery light connected with the sky, piercing into the neck and chest of the Erosion Entity respectively. The next second, a deafening roar descended instantly, accompanied by a hurricane that made it impossible to stand, piercing through the Erosion Entity's massive body as well. The huge tear crushed the Erosion Entity's head into dust, and a large black hole was opened in its chest.
But the Erosion Entity didn't die; instead, it emitted a mournful wail from its severed throat. Anilas narrowed her eyes, her weapon vanished, replaced by two pistols. She crouched in place, rapidly firing at the Erosion Entity while shouting:
"Kite!"
"Receive!"
A young girl wielding a samurai sword appeared in response.
With her jet-black, flowing ponytail and unwavering, resolute eyes, she appeared before the Erosion Entity, her legs slightly bent, steadily moving to a shoulder-width distance. One hand pressed tightly against the scabbard at her waist, while the other gripped the hilt of the sword. Her cold gaze followed the Erosion Entity's twisting body.
The technology of the Second Generation Order Armament is incorporated into the First Generation Order Armament, sacrificing some other performance aspects and instead incorporating them into the "Scabbard-Charge Device." Utilizing the Order Force and the mechanism of the scabbard, the Kite is able to perform a "Draw-Cut Style" that is faster than a bullet leaving the barrel—this is the Kite's most powerful combat method.
Keda--
The blade was drawn half a finger from its sheath, and in the next instant, a sharp, cold glint, as sharp as moonlight, flashed and disappeared, drawing an "X" diagonally in front of the kite.
Two slashes, one deep and one shallow, utilizing the attack intensity of the "Draw-Cut Style," were several times stronger than the kite's all-out strike. The sharp blades carved huge, almost completely torn wounds into the corrosive Erosion Entity's massive body. Then, the Erosion Entity's body collapsed inch by inch, turning into stardust, which was lifted and scattered by the heat waves blowing across the wilderness.
The blade in Iris's hand flashed with a clear, sharp light before sheathing it at her waist. She let out a soft sigh of relief, turned around, faced Anilas, and saluted.
"Captain, the target has been Exile!"
"Um..."
Anilas pursed her lips, stood on the roof of the transport vehicle, looked down at the kite, and returned the greeting.
If you look closely, you can see that Yuan's fingers are trembling slightly.
But Anilas didn't say much.
"Return to the team."
"Yes!"
Anilas deep breath and looked towards Yukina.
At this moment, Yukina had just ended her Exile Form and was staring intently at the location where the Erosion Entity had appeared. After a pause, she nodded in that direction before returning to the vehicle.
To Anilas, Yukina is both Efnir's younger sister and her inexperienced new agent.
Before leaving, Efnir asked Anilas to take care of Yukina. Anilas was some clueless novice, but in fact, Yukina brought her a strong sense of pressure.
Anilas was deeply impressed by the two extremely powerful arrows that Yukina had fired.
And, Yukina's eyes.
He doesn't look like a newcomer at all.
Anilas didn't think much of it and signaled the waiting soldiers to fire signal flares.
Green smoke spread through the air overhead.
"All personnel, stand ready, search for the wounded, and take the bodies of the dead. Prepare to depart again!!"
The vanguard, Efnir, watched this scene from afar, the spear in her hand slowly turning into starlight and disappearing.
Just now, she was ready to act at any moment, determined not to let Yukina's life be in danger, but clearly, there's no need for that now.
Yukina is growing at an alarming rate.
Efnir smiled with satisfaction, turned around, and returned to the vehicle.
"Sir, we..."
"Make some preparations."
"Efnir said to the soldier."
"Awaiting orders, ready to depart at any time."
Thus, the A-Rank Erosion Entity, which had caused injuries to several people and the annihilation of a small team, was Exile, and the danger was averted.
8. Second Phase
The distance between Xijing City and the Maesakagawa Garrison District is not far.
As one of the major satellite cities of Xijing City, Maesakagawa is responsible for nearly 25% of the city's total grain production and storage. When the Boundary Stele System was still in operation, the resonance between the satellite city Boundary Stele System and the northern Garrison District of Xijing City kept the number of Erosion Entity in the area between Maesakagawa and the urban area of Xijing City within a certain range.
If ranked by the density and degree of danger of the Erosion Entity, from highest to lowest, the order is roughly: the Beyond the Boundary outskirts outside satellite cities such as Maesakagawa, the Beyond the Boundary outskirts between satellite cities and the main city, and the area between satellite cities and the main city.
However, with the Boundary Stele System in the Maesakagawa Garrison District now completely ineffective, the number of Erosion Entity along this route has long since increased to a level that cannot be ignored.
This is why the march became much more difficult. The Beyond-the-Boundary Survey Combat Unit had already encountered several attacks from the Erosion Entity after traveling only a few kilometers.
Inside the command vehicle--
Kusei Maki crossed her hands, covered her lips, breathed lightly, and stared indifferently at the report on the screen in front of her.
"Sixty-seven people died in just six battles...?"
The air was thick with the smell of diesel and steel, and the engine roared like a wild beast.
The casualties are staggering.
Because the current marching formation is too dense, even timely defensive measures are difficult to avoid casualties. The B and C-Rank Erosion Entity Erosion Entity are manageable and will not pose a great threat if dealt with in time, but the A level Erosion Entity are like a disaster. The only one who can kill A-Rank Erosion Entity with one blow Efnir. In addition to the vanguard, the flanks and the central forces have also been attacked.
"Commander, should we halt the exercise and begin combat? If we withdraw now..."
"Keep going."
"Ah?"
The soldier paused for a moment.
"But Commander... this has exceeded our original operational loss estimates. If this continues, our final troop losses upon reaching the Maesakagawa area and returning could exceed 20%... isn't that a bit..."
"So, are you planning to leave empty-handed?"
Kusei Maki's words were light and airy, yet they easily silenced the soldier.
Compared to Masaki Hina, Kusei Maki's imposing presence comes from her perpetually sharp gaze and unyielding tone. As a leader, Kusei Maki seems to possess an innate, icy aura that commands obedience.
"No, that's not what I meant, it's just..."
"I understand your concerns, but we are not making a choice right now."
Kusei Maki's gaze remained calm, showing neither grief over the casualties of his soldiers nor anger at his subordinates' suggestion to retreat.
Although she is often perceived by others as "difficult to get along with," "an annoying boss," and "a rigid and inflexible commander," she is actually not someone who is easily angered. In fact, as a commander, "excessive calmness" is her strength.
"I don't want to be humiliated by failure, and we don't have the luxury of letting the Apostle continue their reckless behavior. I'll pretend I didn't hear what you said before, but don't bring it up again in front of me."
But Kusei Maki's gaze remained unmoved as she announced the end of the conversation with emotionless words.
In combat, casualties are inevitable.
If one cannot accept and face death with equanimity, then one can only await judgment. In this era, at this crossroads, soldiers are simply survivors standing on the snow-covered ground.
If you don't keep moving forward, you'll be killed by the wind and snow.
"Commander, signal received. Our vanguard is almost at the Maesakagawa Garrison District, but a large accumulation of Erosion Entity has been discovered. Requesting further instructions!"
"Roar? A large number of Erosion Entity are gathering?"
"Yes! We just received the signal flare, and it's confirmed!"
"Why is there still a large number of Erosion Entity gathered in a Dead City that has been occupied for a month?"
Kusei Maki interlaced her fingers, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.
"Isn't this scene somewhat similar to what happened back then? It's really not funny."
Blazing fire, black flames.
Countless soldiers were intercepted and surrounded by the Erosion Entity. All the agents who served as humanity's "shield" were killed in battle. The remaining soldiers were powerless against the Erosion Entity, like lambs to the slaughter, facing countless hungry beasts.
The memory of that time remains in her mind.
("You, who stayed behind as a soldier, are a hypocritical criminal...")
Who said that to her...?
Kusei Maki could no longer remember what the agent, who was in such a hurry to die, looked like, but that one sentence remained a dagger piercing her heart.
That sentence was like shackles and chains, binding Kusei Maki tightly.
She could neither move forward nor turn back.
All she could do was seek revenge against the Apostle had taken everything from her.
"Order the vanguard to move westward, find a suitable 'breakthrough point,' and maintain distance from the Erosion Entity. Order the Right Wing flank to prepare autonomous reconnaissance drones and commence the second phase of operations!!"
The second phase of operations – "Reconnaissance" – is the most crucial phase of the Beyond the Boundary Reconnaissance Operation Exercise.
The so-called "investigation" is not an arbitrary raid on the Erosion Entity or the Maesakagawa Garrison District where the enemy is gathered. Instead, it is to find a weak point to break through while maintaining a safe distance, and at the same time deploy a large number of autonomous unmanned reconnaissance aircraft to collect intelligence and carry out exploration missions.
Although the Erosion Entity be interested in and shoot down unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, which would directly hinder intelligence gathering, as long as one drone is successfully recovered, a corresponding level of intelligence footage of the Maesakagawa Garrison District can be obtained.
This is undoubtedly valuable.
The people of Xijing City were still blindfolded; they desperately needed more detailed information.
Intelligence gathering is of paramount importance in this exercise.
At this moment, the vanguard troops are turning around and moving westward around the perimeter of the Maesakagawa Garrison District, looking for a location with a lower density of Erosion Entity as a breakthrough point.
After circling halfway around, a river appeared not far away that flowed past the Maesakagawa Garrison District.
Rivers may harbor Erosion Entity, so cities in this era were never built over rivers, allowing them to flow through them. However, rivers remained a vital natural resource for agriculture and industry.
"During the actual combat, the support troops from Suzuda City will land on this river, forming a pincer movement with our main force to encircle the entire Maesakagawa Garrison District."
Efnir gazed towards the direction of the river, then shifted her gaze to the Maesakagawa Garrison District.
"The density of the Erosion Entity is low here. Deploy Lure Shell here. On my command, relay the signal to the Right Wing flank!"
9. Unfinished products
The Lure Shell exploded on the open ground, attracting large amounts of Erosion Entity to gather upwards.
At the same time, more than 100 autonomous AI reconnaissance drones were launched. These drones, departing from the Right Wing and vanguard, would travel along pre-set routes and return, collecting and organizing intelligence along the way and then retrieving it as data.
This is the first step in intelligence gathering: using drones to explore the situation within the Maesakagawa Garrison District.
But intelligence gathering is not that simple.
As drones flew over the Erosion Entity, although only a few of them were present, they did attract the attention of some of the Erosion Entity. The winged Erosion Entity took off and chased after these uninvited guests.
These Erosion Entity may not understand the difference between drones, which are mechanical constructs, and living organisms, but in their eyes, drones can move and have energy, which is enough to provoke an attack from the Erosion Entity.
Soon, several drones were shot down by the Erosion Entity, while those that managed to break through the Erosion Entity disappeared into the misty fog, where they would continue their work.
However, generally speaking, the chances of a drone returning are unlikely to exceed 5%.
"Machines don't fear death, or rather, they don't have the concept of 'death'... If it were humans, facing such a demon, they would probably only have to retreat, right? It's hard to imagine how people in ancient times managed to Exile the Erosion Entity."
Efnir, holding binoculars, watched the dense swarm of drones depart, then turned her gaze to the girls beside her.
"Lan, have you found anything?"
"Reporting, sir, no abnormalities have been found!"