Chapter 196

--In a confined space, once the energy is detonated, the compressed impact force will be amplified many times over.

However, Canary is an agent, and agents have no way to defend themselves except with weapons.

In this respect, the Apostle have an absolute advantage.

80. Explosion

Canary's attacks were fierce and brutal. Her twin blades were like an all-pervasive gale. Liang Xiang fought back with all her might and barely managed to block Canary's attacks.

In terms of combat skills alone, Fujisaki Ryoka is not clearly at a disadvantage.

She received training in close-quarters combat skills much longer and earlier than Canary.

But she was not an agent after all; she lacked sufficient physical strength and a sufficiently tough and sharp weapon. The blade in her hand was rapidly worn down by Canary's fierce attacks, and her arm armor barely withstood Canary's attacks that pierced through the gaps in her defenses, leaving numerous knife marks.

Her weapon was crumbling inch by inch.

However, Canary's attacks became increasingly fierce. Fujisaki Ryoka briefly took control of the battle rhythm through her fierce counterattacks, but she was no match for Canary. In just a few breaths, the two had already exchanged dozens of rapid and short clashes. Even though Liang Xiang her teeth and fought back with all her might, the rhythm of the battle inevitably slipped into Canary's control.

The ground and side walls between them were covered with sharp, pointed knife marks. Large areas of the walls and floor tiles were crushed into powder by the fierce attack. Dust was repeatedly pushed away by the shockwaves. Fujisaki Ryoka launched countless thrusts and counterattacks, but in just a few breaths, more than a dozen bloody marks appeared on her body, arms, and cheeks. The glaring blood splashed and soaked into the dust with her agile movements, smearing the walls.

Her entire body was already soaked in blood.

However, looking at Canary, apart from the injuries she sustained in the previous battle, she did not suffer any other marks from Fujisaki Ryoka's relentless and desperate attacks.

Her twin swords moved with effortless ease, circling around her. The silver light of the blades wove a huge net, preventing Fujisaki Ryoka piercing even an inch—this was not a difference in close combat skills, but rather a difference in strength and reaction speed between the two.

Hatsukawa Fuka bit her lower lip, speechless with choked sobs.

She was helpless; she didn't even have a pistol at hand. He could only watch helplessly as Liang Xiang's injuries multiplied, and her once fierce attacks grew weaker and weaker.

From the Liang Xiang and Canary began their battle until now, not even a minute has passed, and Liang Xiang is already on the verge of collapse.

This was even though Canary was already injured when she came to fight.

If she were to encounter a fully powered Canary, Fujisaki Ryoka would likely not even last ten seconds.

However, at that moment, a sudden surge came from behind, and the violent impact almost caused the entire tunnel to collapse.

The sharp point of a long spear appeared in Hatsukawa Fuka's field of vision.

Her breath hitched.

"Liang Xiang!!"

Fujisaki Ryoka's gaze met Fuuka's. The next moment, she pulled hard with her left hand, and Hatsukawa Fuka lunged at her. At the same time, Liang Xiang suddenly sprang up, risking having her arm almost cut off by Canary's sword, and launched a fierce attack on Canary with all her strength. For a moment, she actually managed to force Canary back a step.

The sudden violence alerted Canary, and her offensive stance instantly turned into a defensive one. Fujisaki Ryoka was still unable to break through her defenses.

The next second, Liang Xiang did not take the opportunity to pursue, but instead distanced herself from Canary. The two stood on opposite sides of the narrow passage, and between them, two grenades and a blinding burst of light fell.

Canary then noticed that a light barrier had already sealed off the area behind her, and at the same time, another light barrier rose in front of her and Fujisaki Ryoka.

That was to block Canary, and also to protect Liang Xiang and Feng Hua's own defensive barrier.

This scene touched Canary's heart, and even with her strong will, her heart skipped a beat.

"Canary!!"

Efnir's urgent call came from the end of the passage. In an instant, Canary made her most extreme reaction: she crossed and switched the weapons in her hands, pulled back with all her might and slashed horizontally. The barrier behind her immediately left a diagonal cut that ran from bottom to top through the entire barrier. At the same time, she slashed the ground with the blade on the same axis. Shards flew and a gap of more than two meters was cut open in the ground.

Canary turned around and slashed again, leaving a huge "X" running through the barrier. At the same time, she lay down on her side, prone beneath the makeshift cut in the ground.

A flash of white light appeared in front of her.

Fujisaki Ryoka forcefully pulled the horrified Hatsukawa Fuka into her arms. She quickly stepped back, turned around with Hatsukawa Fuka in her arms, tackled her to the ground, and pressed her tightly against the ground. Inch by inch, white light rose around the two of them.

The protective barrier constructed by the Apostle Power is itself a special energy substance that can filter and absorb shock waves and various forms of energy sweeps to the maximum extent. This is her advantage; otherwise, she would not have dared to take such a dangerous gamble with the already weakened Hatsukawa Fuka.

Maintaining the greatest possible distance and constructing a defensive barrier close to the walls and ground minimizes the frontal pressure, while the opening at the rear helps to deflect the impact of the explosion to the greatest extent possible—otherwise, with her current physical condition, Fuuka would have no chance of withstanding the violent impact of this explosion.

She held Fuuka's body firmly in place, her arm armor and blades forming a thick barrier that enveloped Fuuka.

She saw Fuuka look at her with a complicated expression and speak, as if she were saying something, but she heard nothing.

A burst of light swept through the darkness, the intense heat instantly shattering the air. A deafening explosion pierced the eardrums, and the tunnel collapsed with a roar. Stones and debris could be seen shooting into the sky from the ground.

Although much of the impact force was lost with the collapse of the tunnel due to the explosion, the enclosed space that Hatsukawa Fuka had painstakingly created had amplified the impact force from the two grenades and the energy explosion to its peak.

This explosion blew through the entire passage between the tunnel and the surface, almost tearing the ground up.

Canary lay amidst the ruins, her entire body covered in wounds.

The grenade fragments only left shallow wounds on her body, but the impact her body endured under those circumstances far exceeded the limits that an agent could handle.

Fortunately, Efnir arrived in time, and although she only managed to build a shallow defense for her, she still absorbed a huge impact for her.

However, she still suffered a serious injury from this attack, which, combined with her previous unhealed wounds, made it difficult for her to control her body for a moment.

The tunnel structure here was fragile, and behind it were branch tunnels and passages connecting to the ground, which dispersed a large amount of the impact force of the explosion.

The coincidence of the terrain, a lucky accident, Canary's own quick reaction, and Efnir's help all combined to allow Canary to survive the explosion.

Blood soaked her arms and skirt. She struggled to her feet, but there was no sign of Hatsukawa Fuka or Fujisaki Ryoka within her sight.

"I've been tricked..."

She can no longer hear her own voice.

In this state, she couldn't continue pursuing those two people.

At this moment, the dust was cleared away, and Efnir's anxious figure appeared in Canary's sight. Compared to Canary's disheveled appearance, Efnir had no new injuries.

"Don't worry about me! Go after them..."

Canary struggled to her feet, supporting herself with her weapon, and shouted.

81. Attack

At this time--

The battle surrounding the Relay Station is nearing its end.

The rain continued to fall in the sky, and the sounds of gunfire and artillery fire gradually receded from the horizon. The streets and the ground inside and outside the Relay Station were covered with the remains of Dregs and the wreckage of collapsed buildings. Roadblocks were overturned by Dregs and Erosion Entity, knocked down by impacts, and destroyed by grenades. Everywhere, there were Trace of artillery fire and bullets.

The scene was one of utter devastation and bloodshed, with acrid smoke and the scorching heat of flames filling the air.

The figures of soldiers appeared on the battlefield. They were the soldiers who had followed Efnir to the Relay Station to be responsible for the fighting and protection work here. After two major battles between the Relay Station and the Erosion Entity and the Apostle, the squad of more than 100 people, including the Engineering Corps, was now reduced to about half.

Everyone else died on the Defense Line.

Fortunately, the sudden arrival of the agents Elincia and Shinomiyami Nami, along with their Airborne Unit, disrupted the balance of the Relay Station's battle line. After Efnir and Yukina left, their arrival, along with Tobi's support, held up the Relay Station's Defense Line. Elincia stood alone on the front lines, using her formidable strength to hold the last Defense Line just outside the innermost building bridge. Meanwhile Shinomiyami Nami led the Airborne Unit straight into the Apostle Squad that had not yet managed to evacuate.

The Apostle here were all wounded, their fighting strength already diminished, and the Airborne Unit led by Shinomiyami Nami caught them completely off guard. A battle immediately ensued. With the surprise attack and interception by Shinomiyami Nami's Airborne Unit, and the combined efforts of the returning and encircling forces, they successfully defeated the Apostle. Of the dozen or so Apostle, only three escaped, and two were captured.

Unfortunately, knowing that escape was hopeless, the two prisoners chose to commit suicide without hesitation, and only one of them was ultimately saved.

In conclusion, although the final results were not very encouraging, the support led by Shinomiyami Nami from the headquarters in Xijing City, together with the soldiers here, held the Relay Station's Defense Line and prevented it from suffering large-scale damage.

Now, with the Relay Station at its center, this street has fallen under the control of the Xijing City troops, and the entire Engineering Corps has been deployed to the temporary renovation and repair of the Relay Station, and has established a temporary communication connection with the temporary base through the underground tunnel.

Inside the Relay Station building at this moment.

The Engineering Corps soldiers fiddled with the equipment. Their main task here was to use the power transmission and transfer equipment to set up a "Temporary Hub" as a second temporary strategic defense point and power transfer agency, which would be located in the distance from the temporary base.

When Shinomiyami Nami arrived, a middle-aged male special forces soldier quickly approached her and saluted.

At this moment, Shinomiyami Nami was dressed in a special forces uniform, a black fiber jacket, a bulging tactical vest, and several quickdraw pouches piled on her waist belt, with some empty magazines stuck there. Her style was completely different from that of her "manager" who usually wore an office uniform. It seemed that she had just experienced a battle, and her whole demeanor had become exceptionally sharp. Even seasoned soldiers would be at a disadvantage in terms of aura compared to her.

In fact, Shinomiyami Nami comes from a military family. After the disaster, her father, who was a battlefield intelligence officer, died in battle, and her mother, who was a battlefield nurse, died in the line of duty. She followed in her parents' footsteps and joined the army.

She grew up in the military and aspired to be like her parents from a young age. She distinguished herself as an outstanding special forces member and was eventually assigned to work for Masaki Hina. Under Masaki Hina's instructions, she also served as Efnir's secretary and liaison.

Her long-standing "clerk job" makes her seem non-aggressive, but strictly speaking, this is the most authentic version of herself.

As a top performer from the special forces, she possesses exceptional skills in all areas. With Fushihara Ayaka required to remain at the headquarters in Xijing City, she is the one leading the support mission this time.

"How is the situation now?"

"Our men outflanked the fleeing Apostle Squad from the east, and captured one after the battle."

Yukina returned to her unit under the train escort, and as a result Shinomiyami Nami also received news of Efnir and Yukina's rescue.

Their main combat missions now, besides pursuing the last few Apostle who escaped, are clearing the Dregs from the nearby streets and maintaining a watchful eye. However, they now have an additional task: to cooperate with the pursuit force led by Efnir, Canary, and Ayse to intercept fleeing Apostle Squad.

"How is the repair and commissioning of the Relay Station progressing?"

"Things are progressing smoothly; the repairs are expected to be completed within three hours."

At that moment, the distant sky erupted with the roar of gunfire, Shinomiyami Nami raised her eyes.

The pursuit of the Apostle continued. After Efnir returned, she did not go back to the temporary base, but instead, together with Canary, Ayse, and others present, broke away from the train troops and launched a pursuit of the remaining Apostle.

The battle is still ongoing.

Although she really wanted to join the operation to annihilate and pursue the Apostle, the mission at the Relay Station was more important, Shinomiyami Nami could only send a portion of her people away.

She plans to continue leading the team personally, but there are a few simple tasks to be communicated before that.

"Next, Suzuda City's support team will send some people to land and enter the Garrison District. At that time, we need Boundary Stele to operate stably and safely, so we hope you can speed things up a bit more."

"Yes, we will do our best to carry out the repair and equipment installation work! We will definitely complete the task in two hours!"

Shinomiyami Nami and continues talking about various things, mostly related to the Relay Station's guard duties.

After doing all this, Shinomiyami Nami thought for a moment and tried to dial into her earpiece.

However, the headset was completely noisy and I couldn't get a signal.

This means that the Corruption Energy concentration in the Inner Boundary region is still too high, so communications are still blocked. The only way to contact the temporary base is through the wired connection equipment set up there.

Shinomiyami Nami lowered her hand and continued speaking to the man:

"You will remain here in my place and await further instructions. I will lead the others to pursue the Apostle."

Just then, a static crackled through the earpiece. Shinomiyami Nami's eyes flickered, and she immediately tried calling out, "This is Shinomiyami Nami, the field commander of the First Support Unit. Please respond."

"...**...***...*..."

The headset was filled with noise, as if someone was saying something, but she couldn't make out what they were saying, and the connection dropped shortly afterward.

"Looks like it hasn't recovered yet..."

Just then, a huge explosion pierced the sky, followed by a piercing buzzing sound that echoed across the heavens.

Shinomiyami Nami's heart tightened instantly. She quickly went to the window and looked out. Her gaze pierced through the rain, reaching out towards the direction from which the sound came.

The rumbling grew louder and louder, Shinomiyami Nami saw a scene that made her heart clench—the towering silver-gray Boundary Stele Tower, standing at the edge of her vision, was bombarded by a crimson beam and a pure white beam of light. The middle of the Boundary Stele Tower was hit, and a violent explosion occurred.

The fireworks, like the sunset, spread outwards in a ring shape like a giant, compressed flood. The tower was not damaged by this attack; rather, the two previous attacks landed on the barrier of the Boundary Stele, resulting only in an energy collision and explosion, without destroying the Boundary Stele itself.

"... Boundary Stele under attack! Target: Angel! Requesting backup!!"

The soldier in charge of communications equipment shouted loudly.

Shinomiyami Nami suddenly understood what the other party was trying to convey in the communication, but... wasn't the Angel severely injured by Efnir? Why has she reappeared at this moment!?

Wrong.

With the Apostle already preparing to withdraw, the agents' power is unusually scattered, presenting a perfect opportunity to attack, which is why the Angel appeared.

Furthermore, Shinomiyami Nami vaguely understood the reason why the Angel launched the attack at this time—as long as a portion of the Boundary Stele's energy was consumed, the Boundary Stele Barrier would disappear prematurely, and the Erosion Entity that had been lured out of the Garrison District using Lure Shell would undoubtedly return to the Garrison District area.

The Angel don't even need to launch multiple attacks; they only need to make the barrier disappear prematurely.

However, the circuit modification of the Relay Station has not yet been completed, so it is impossible to immediately supply power to Boundary Stele. Boundary Stele, which is already short of energy, probably cannot withstand the pressure for long.

But...

Why did the Angel choose the temporary base and Boundary Stele as their targets? If the goal was to cut off the power supply, wouldn't attacking the Relay Station and other facilities have been more effective?

This seemingly unreasonable action clearly has another reason behind it.

Shinomiyami Nami gazed in the direction of the Boundary Stele, then quickly left the window.