Chapter 182
The bullets were fired at Naoko in quick succession, followed by rockets flashing with exhaust flames. Compared to the few bullets aimed at him, the enemy's target was clearly Naoko.
Naoko raised her hand in her direction.
Specks of white light, like starlight, appeared out of thin air, slowly condensing and rising in almost still time to form a sturdy spherical shield around Yukina, enveloping Yukina and obscuring the gazes between Yukina and Naoko.
"Naoko!"
Yukina screamed and reached out her hand towards Efnir with all her might. At that moment, frozen time finally began to flow. A rocket rushed towards Yukina, and the spherical shield finally closed, protecting Yukina inside.
The sky was obscured, and her vision was cut off; the faint light of the spherical shield became the only sight before Yukina's eyes.
"Naoko!!!"
The next second, the dense whistling of bullets shattered Yukina's last scream, followed by a deafening roar that nearly shattered her eardrums. The spherical shield seemed to have been struck by some tremendous force, and the booming explosion was accompanied by violent shaking and vibration. Yukina tightly covered her ears, her heart feeling as if it had been crushed in that moment of impact.
The immense impact propelled the entire shield sphere into the air.
Like sitting on a roller coaster, Yukina was enveloped in a spherical shield. Yukina could feel herself rising and then falling. She couldn't maintain her balance and bounced helplessly around in the spherical shield like a ball.
The jolting and impact caused Yukina to tremble and feel pain all over her body. Her wounds were torn open by the violent shaking. Yukina was like a piece of clothing thrown into a washing machine, struggling and rolling helplessly inside the shield sphere. The inside of the sphere was covered with Yukina's blood.
The world spun around, and after a while, a violent shaking occurred, and Yukina, who was completely disoriented, finally felt the solidity of landing.
She forced herself to kneel up, the powerful physique from the agent quickly calming the dizziness. She coughed up a mouthful of blood, and then the shield suddenly dissipated. Only then did Yukina realize that she had landed inside the Relay Station building, smashed through an outer wall and floor, and was embedded in a pile of rubble.
Not far away were soldiers who were already in position, ready to fight.
"Miss Fifina! Are you alright?"
"Quickly! Paramedics!"
"Pull her up! Get out of here quickly!"
The soldiers carefully pulled Yukina out of the rubble by her limp arms.
I couldn't muster any strength in my body.
Every part of my body ached, and the bullet, deeply embedded in my flesh, seemed to still be burning hot.
Blood splattered all over his face and arms, the blood that had seeped inside the sphere. His smooth hair was stained with blood and disheveled. His light blue dress was now tattered and dirty. His combat attire had been torn open, revealing exposed skin and tissue inside, a bloody mess.
This is the second time Yukina has been injured; the first time was during the battle with Codename H.
Shot in the abdomen by a sniper rifle and then directly hit by a rocket, he fell from a great height inside a spherical shield—an ordinary person would have almost no chance of survival.
Yukina only had two bullet holes all over her body, with no other obvious external injuries. This was due to the agents' formidable physical strength; ordinary firearms could not harm them, but wounding them was not difficult.
If they are targeted by concentrated fire, they could even be killed outright.
The image of Efnir's eyes immediately appeared before Yukina's eyes.
"Naoko..."
Yukina broke free from the soldier's grasp and fell to the edge of the ruins, her bloodied hand desperately reaching out towards the towering white flame wall that blocked everything in front of her.
She staggered to her feet, limped and crashed into the high wall, leaving bloody marks on the wall with her hands.
"Naoko!!"
She screamed hoarsely, but all that answered her was a barrage of explosions and deafening roars.
The ground trembled, and the sound of gunfire echoed in the distance.
At this moment, the white flame wall surrounding the Relay Station suddenly emitted a faint light. The defensive wall that had supported the entire defense of the Relay Station just a second ago suddenly disintegrated inch by inch, turning into countless stardust and glimmers of light, which gradually disappeared into the air, bringing the battlefield outside the defensive wall into everyone's view.
Countless Erosion Entity and Dregs trod over the piles of gray corpses and ruins on the ground. Behind the thick smoke, the bloodthirsty claws of the Erosion Entity emerged. In addition, there were more than thirty girls holding guns, their palms glowing faintly. Those people were clearly the Apostle.
Directly in front of Yukina's line of sight, the ground had strangely sunken in, the soil had been scorched and crystallized, and the edges of the cement floor had rolled and folded outwards.
And Efnir lay in the center of the depression.
The snow-white robe was soaked in mud and tattered, revealing a faint, vibrant red hue, like a blood-red plum blossom blooming in winter.
Yukina was stunned.
"... Now's the time to take care of the objective!"
At the command of the leader among the Apostle, the Apostle girls launched a fierce attack on the Relay Station, while the leader and a dozen others simultaneously ignited energy orbs in their palms, hurling the Dregs of the defenses towards Efnir's location.
Just as the ball of light was about to be thrown, several water-colored arrows suddenly struck all the Apostle. Even though the Apostle reacted hastily, one of them was pierced through the chest by an arrow, his battle attire instantly disintegrating as he fell to the ground. Yukina gripped her bow and arrow tightly, her fiery red eyes fixed on them, the bloodshot corners of her eyes staining her with a murderous intent like that of a bloodthirsty ghost.
Yukina drew the bowstring, and the water-colored arrow gradually appeared, her entire body stained with blood.
She pointed the arrow at the leader of the Apostle.
"If you want to hurt her... you'll have to get past me first!!"
The leader of the Apostle squinted, meeting her gaze without yielding an inch.
The next moment, Yukina and the Apostle Girls charged at each other simultaneously—their target was Efnir, who lay in the center of the depression, her life hanging in the balance.
"Cover Miss Fifina!!" -- The soldier's adjutant's shout roused the soldiers to cheers. At the same time, without the high wall to block them, countless Erosion Entity and Dregs rushed towards the Relay Station. The soldiers raised their guns at the Dregs and the Apostle girls simultaneously, returning fire fiercely. The Apostle girls, while resisting the Dregs attacking them, defended and counterattacked the soldiers' offensive, and pursued Efnir.
The Erosion Entity tore through the Defense Line, the Dregs was knocked down by the barrage of bullets, soldiers were swallowed up by the aftershocks of rockets, Lure Shell flares were detonated, Dregs was consumed by artillery fire, and Apostle girls either built defenses or fell to the ground after being hit. Water-colored arrows pierced through the defenses built by the Apostle, hitting the girls behind them. The Apostle's orbs of light detonated behind the Defense Line, reaping the lives of the soldiers. Bullets rained down on Yukina, while the soldiers retaliated with even fiercer concentrated fire.
In an instant, a chaotic battlefield unfolded in this empty street.
54. Prelude
A series of signal flares rose from the Relay Station and soared into the sky.
Because of the Boundary Stele Barrier of the Corruption Energy, the thick smoke and flashes that pierced the rain curtain could be clearly seen throughout the entire Maesakagawa Garrison District.
Whether it was the squad led by Tobi, who was guarding the tunnel cable equipment, or the large force led by Kusei Maki, who was guarding the temporary base, they all noticed this dazzling light—which meant that Efnir's squad had been attacked by the enemy.
"Apostle," or "Angel," or both.
"An attack, huh... Hmph."
Kusei Maki's eyes were cold, and she gave a soft snort.
The suppressive force brought by the Boundary Stele System has begun to show results. The temporary base withstood the first wave of fierce attacks from the Erosion Entity at the cost of half of the Second-Generation Agent being seriously injured. By now, the Erosion Entity have lost their frenzied aggressiveness, and their offensive has finally shown signs of fatigue. Thus, the temporary base has been successfully defended.
Nurses and soldiers shuttled back and forth behind the battlefield, rushing with stretchers or medical kits to aid the wounded agents. Shells cleared away the Dregs surrounding the temporary camp, and the frequency of the Erosion Entity appearing was decreasing, greatly reducing their threat level.
The adjutant led the soldiers to assemble at the temporary camp. The "train," which had been undergoing maintenance and relocation, stood guard at the border. Gray flesh and blood, remnants of Dregs, remained on its thick outer armor.
Ayse and the others were all ready to go—they were the "Third Squad" specially selected by Kusei Maki after the temporary base was stabilized.
"Whether the enemy is highly skilled and daring, or simply reckless and impulsive, we will soon find out—all personnel preparing for battle, move to the third phase! Prepare to depart!!"
"Kusei Maki said in a deep voice."
She then handed the communication device to her adjutant, said a few more words, cut off the connection, picked up her gun, and joined the soldiers fighting the Dregs.
It's not in Kusei Maki's nature to be passively attacked. Now it's time to fight back. The Boundary Stele Barrier has been restarted and is now completely enveloping the Maesakagawa Garrison District. A large number of the Erosion Entity have already left the city due to the Lure Shell. The remaining Erosion Entity have gone berserk due to the impact of the Corruption Energy and the Barrier. However, as long as they can withstand the first wave of the fiercest attack, the rhythm of the battle will be completely under the control of the troops.
When fighting the Apostle in the Beyond the Boundary Region, the troops had to face the disadvantage of having their vision obscured by the white mist and the omnipresent, powerful Erosion Entity. However, this problem has been solved. The Boundary Stele Barrier has weakened the power of the Erosion Entity and suppressed the growth of Corruption Energy. The viscous white mist has disappeared, and the entire Maesakagawa Garrison District has gradually been freed from the white mist.
The Apostle, however, lose their advantages of vision shielding and preemptive strikes, losing their greatest asset in battle. While the individual strength of the Apostle is formidable, it will immediately become insignificant in the face of dense artillery fire and bullets—they will be forced into urban warfare. In urban warfare, the power gap between ordinary people and Apostle will rapidly narrow due to the presence of firearms, and the sheer number and firepower of the army will reveal their true colors here.
This was undoubtedly the military's home turf, and the last of the "train's" energy reserves were prepared for this moment.
The only remaining crucial element is whether Efnir's squad can hold off the enemies while waiting for reinforcements.
High in the air, inside a military transport aircraft directly under the jurisdiction of Xijing City --
"Team One, prepare light firepower; Team Two, follow up!"
"Quickly! Gather together!"
"Check your equipment! Attention everyone! Adjust your attire!!"
"We'll be leaving in five minutes..."
"Now entering combat readiness alert status..."
Inside the cabin, a Special Disaster Division had prepared their parachutes and backpacks and were ready to go. Paratroopers were a very rare branch of the military in this era, and these people were all the Airborne Unit that Xijing City could muster.
They were all outstanding individuals who had emerged from countless battles and training sessions. Some of them even had snow-white hair and beards. They were in their forties and were the last survivors of an Old Era airborne combat unit. After the unit was wiped out, they became the tactical and training instructors for Xijing City. Without their help, Xijing City would not have been able to build a qualified Airborne Unit.
Led by Shinomiyami Nami, these people joined this aid operation.
"Captain, we received Resonance signal from the Maesakagawa Garrison District. Judging from the intensity of the Resonance signal fluctuations, we are not far from our destination."
Can you see the target?
"The white fog has obscured our probes; we can't see anything, but we must be very close— the Corruption Energy here has become restless since just now, and we've noticed noise coming from ahead. Just to be safe, we probably can't descend any further now."
"Return to base immediately after your landing."
After exchanging combat mission arrangements with her adjutant, Shinomiyami Nami went to the preparation cabin at the rear. She took off her weapons, inspected and fastened the nylon buckle at her waist, and inserted the two pistols into the outer slings of her leather straps on her legs.
"Captain, do you need any help?"
A hooded girl in a black robe came to her side. Unlike Shinomiyami Nami was carrying a backpack full of advanced combat gear, the hooded girl only had two pistols and a tactical wingsuit for agents.
At this moment, the girl in the black robe, Shadow, also known as Saori, was still wearing a mask.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
Saori helped Shinomiyami Nami adjust the backpack on her back, then handed Shinomiyami Nami an automatic rifle.
"How's the situation?"
"The wind is strong in the drop zone, but our support operation cannot be delayed. Since the Apostle know we are prepared, they certainly won't be unprepared either. Efnir and the others need more reinforcements."
Shinomiyami Nami raised her goggles and adjusted them.
"We don't have many manpower available, so you and Elincia are key. Our tactics will be executed around the two of you."
Saori lowered her gaze and nodded. "I will follow your orders. I will make those who hurt Rin pay the price."
Just then, the adjutant suddenly appeared behind Shinomiyami Nami.
"Sir, we are about to arrive, and we have detected a distress signal located at our ten o'clock position. Should we change our planned flight path?"
"Are we one of our own?"
"Confirmed, the signal flares used in this mission were specially treated, and the time intervals are correct."
Shinomiyami Nami paused, then took a deep breath.
"It seems luck is on our side—let's get ready to go!"
55. Arrow
At the Relay Station, a battle erupted instantly between the Efnir Squad and the Apostle Squad.
The roar of artillery and bullets rose and fell, heavy machine guns spat out tongues of fire, and dense barrages halted the advance of the Dregs and the Apostle Squad.
The Relay Station's Defense Line consists of Defense Line inner and an outer Defense Line. The inner Defense Line is a simple defensive fortification built on the basis of buildings, and mobile grenade launchers and heavy machine guns are set up to suppress the Dregs and Apostle with fire from high points, protect the engineering team at the rear, and perform tasks such as signal transmission and monitoring, and tactical adjustments.
The outer Defense Line was supplemented by a large number of Lure Bombs placed on the outermost edge, along with landmines and simple traps. Abandoned vehicles, piles of sand and gravel, steel bars, iron doors, tables and chairs were used to block gaps in the low wall, and the soldiers did their best to intercept and hinder the advance of the Dregs.
At the forefront was the close-quarters combat line centered on the main battleground between Yukina and the Apostle Squad.
The battle immediately escalated to a fever pitch from the very beginning.
The air was thick with acrid smoke, and rain poured down.
The soldiers covered Yukina's approach to Efnir, while the Apostle tried their best to prevent the soldiers and Yukina from getting close.
"Maintain suppression at the rear!"
The captain of the Apostle Squad, Fujisaki Ryoka, roared in a voice that could drown out the roar of gunfire.
"Watch out for Dregs on the flanks! Don't let the Dregs break up your formation!"
Five people formed the vanguard, responsible for constructing several layers of sturdy light and flame defensive barriers using the Apostle Power. Then, the others, under the protection of the vanguard, would focus their firepower on support and attack. If the vanguard was injured, the people in the middle would immediately take their place.
"Those who need Enhancement Agent, move closer to the center!!"