Chapter 76

After saying that, she and Yukina pressed the button on their waists (chests) at the same time. With a click, all the buckles on their bodies popped open at the same time, and with Yukina's soft gasp, the two of them fell straight down.

Efnir held Yukina as they plummeted downwards. Then, at a certain moment, a silvery light, like moonlight, appeared beneath Efnir's feet. Efnir used this light to rapidly reduce her falling momentum, then removed the light and continued falling.

Using the "Stairway," Efnir adjusted her falling speed and direction, her goal being a huge, flat building.

There was a command tower that was at least thirty meters high, equipped with a large amount of equipment. Standing on the edge of the top of the tower, one could see everything happening over a large area.

For Fifina, a position with a wide field of vision is an excellent vantage point.

But at this moment, the top of the tower had been occupied by an Erosion Entity the size of an off-road vehicle. It was a semi-upright walking monster with thick, giant legs and a long tail. It seemed to have spotted the two humans, Efnir and Yukina, early on and was baring its black fangs as it shrieked at them.

Yukina watched the Erosion Entity nervously, its piercing roar filling her ears. As the distance between them and the Erosion Entity rapidly closed, she unconsciously clung tightly to Efnir.

"As a Fifina, your first priority is to ensure the safety of your area of operation; only then can you maximize your combat effectiveness."

Efnir stared intently at the Erosion Entity, controlling the angle of her descent, and spoke.

"Now, before we fall into its attack range, attack it as much as you can."

"Uh-huh!"

Efnir held Yukina tightly around the waist, while Yukina took a deep breath, staring intently at the Erosion Entity, struggling to overcome her fear, and forcefully drawing her longbow.

There was no need to nock an arrow; as the bowstring was drawn, a transparent arrow shimmering with azure light appeared between Yukina 'Yukina fingers, rising and falling slowly with her breath.

Yukina adjusted her breathing, trying to calm herself down. Her palms were already sweaty, but her gaze was sharp as she aimed directly at the Erosion Entity.

103. Canary and Ayse

The Erosion Entity stared intently at them, waiting for them to fall, like a giant snake waiting for its prey to be devoured, its claws bared menacingly.

A flash of silver light appeared as Efnir stepped onto the "Stairway" once more, causing a momentary pause in their descent. In that instant, Yukina's eyes narrowed slightly, she held her breath, and simultaneously released the bowstring.

The air was pierced, a deafening sonic boom exploded in front of her, and sharp wind pressure whipped through Yukina's hair, pricking her face like Yukina. In an instant, a dazzling blue-white arrow flashed past like a meteor, its blinding light piercing the Erosion Entity's hand before exploding with a deafening roar. Amidst the Erosion Entity 'Erosion Entity shrill scream, the blue-white meteor pierced through its entire arm and the building behind it, sending rubble flying everywhere. In the blink of an eye, the azure arrow had vanished into the dark distance.

Whether it was annihilated due to exhaustion of energy, or simply became invisible beyond the limits of vision, Yukina didn't know.

All she knew was that this incredible arrow was an attack she had launched.

Efnir glanced at Yukina with some surprise, secretly comparing Yukina's attack with that of Fengling Shiyin. Her conclusion was that, setting aside precision and technique, the Order Energy contained in Yukina's arrow was far greater than that of Fengling Shiyin.

While expending so much energy to deal with a Medium Erosion Entity is an unwise strategy, for an agent, the amount of energy they can draw upon at once directly determines their potential. Efnir, for example; she can take down a "whale"-shaped Erosion Entity with a single blow, but other agents cannot. This is the difference in "potential," and in actual combat, such a difference is often enough to determine life or death.

Efnir suppressed her thoughts, focused her gaze on what was in front of her, and suddenly asked Yukina:

"You're planning to shoot it in the chest, aren't you?"

At this moment, Efnir and Yukina landed steadily on the tower, thirty meters away from the Erosion Entity.

"Um..." Yukina nodded. "I'm so sorry... I couldn't do it..."

"The agent is inherently highly adaptable to the Order Weapon they wield, and the amplification of their physical attributes makes this advantage even more readily available. However, this does not mean that the agent does not need training. For your first battle, you have already done very well."

Efnir offered a brief assessment of Yukina's first strike.

"Although we didn't hit its heart, the result is still pretty good. Yukina, you must remember that the weaknesses of the Erosion Entity are not concentrated in the heart or head like we humans. If you can't kill it in one hit, then prioritizing the destruction of its limbs to weaken its offensive capabilities is a very effective combat strategy. This strategy is especially important for you, as you are weak in close combat. You should practice it more."

Efnir doesn't actually know how to use a bow. The combat strategies she tells Yukina are all things she learned from Fengling Shiyin. For a beginner like Yukina, Fengling Shiyin's experience accumulated in battle over time can be of great help.

At that moment, the Erosion Entity had one arm severed, let out a piercing, miserable roar, and charged straight toward Efnir and Yukina.

Startled by the roar of the Erosion Entity, Yukina instinctively took a step back.

"Don't be afraid, keep attacking it."

Efnir's delicate voice came from beside her. Yukina calmed herself, took a deep breath, and drew her bow again.

But whether due to excessive tension or something else, the arrow missed its mark, barely grazing the side of the Erosion Entity without causing any damage.

Yukina's heart skipped a beat. The Erosion Entity was now less than fifteen meters away from them. She frantically drew back the bowstring once more, but then she heard Efnir's voice beside her.

"This distance is already quite a stretch for you, leave the rest to me."

As she spoke, Efnir stepped toward the rapidly approaching Erosion Entity. In a flash of silver light, a spear gleaming with silvery moonlight appeared before her, which she grasped with one hand before charging forward.

Under Yukina's tense gaze, the ground beneath Efnir's feet was crushed by a tremendous force, Fracture appearing, and Efnir's contact with the Erosion Entity happened in the blink of an eye.

In that instant, the Erosion Entity raised its tail high, its sharp claws swiftly descending. Efnir's spear tip pierced the ground, and using the momentum, she flipped backward like a pole vaulter, leaping into the air. As the claws arrived, the spear in her hand had already left the ground. Efnir, upside down in the air, had a flash of silver light under her Erosion Entity, the silver spear swirling around her waist, slamming down on the Erosion Entity's head with tremendous force that could shatter everything.

With a deafening roar, debris flew everywhere. Yukina could almost feel the tremor beneath her feet. When she looked again, Efnir had already sheathed her spear behind her back and was walking towards her, leaving behind the almost pierced and broken ground. The starlight left behind by her "Exile" gradually rose behind her.

Yukina was almost stunned.

"The Erosion Entity doesn't have flesh and blood like us. Simply destroying part of its limbs won't necessarily kill it. The key to eliminating the Erosion Entity is the application of the power of order, a point you'll gradually come to understand during battle."

Efnir sheathed her spear and spoke to Yukina.

Yukina nodded.

She knew that as an agent, she still had a lot to learn and train, not only in terms of combat skills and tactical strategies, but also in controlling the unique Order Force agents possess.

The other agents are already very skilled at using the tools specifically designed for agent combat missions. They can understand Efnir's mission instructions without much explanation, and can handle several Erosion Entity on their own. With the help of the Order Force, they can unleash powerful combat capabilities.

Everyone has basic abilities like "Stairway" or "Armed Recall," but Yukina doesn't know how to use them.

Her only reliance now is the bow in her hand, but if she were to be surrounded by several Erosion Entity like the one she just encountered, she would immediately be in danger.

This is the difference between training and combat experience.

She still has a long way to go if she wants to be a supporter of her older sister and stand by her side.

"Are there at least seven Erosion Entity...?" Efnir had no idea what Yukina was thinking. Half a minute had passed from when they landed until Exile one of the Erosion Entity. From below came the Erosion Entity's muffled, beast-like roars, along with the long wail of the evacuation alarm.

"Our mission is now officially underway. The view from here is quite open, which should be convenient for you. You can report the battlefield situation to me in real time from here, and try to provide support to me if you can."

Efnir pressed a few buttons on her bracelet, looked into the distance, and then took out a rather exaggerated-looking pistol and handed it to Yukina.

Yukina was stunned.

"Do I need this...?"

"This is a flare gun, not for killing people."

Efnir explained, shoving the flare gun into Yukina's hand.

"Next, I'm going to assist with the evacuation of the people here, but our communications may not be able to stay open indefinitely. So, if you encounter any danger, fire a shot into the sky with this, and I'll receive the signal."

"Um..."

Yukina nodded nervously, gripping the flare gun tightly in her hand; it was clear she was terrified.

Looking at the silent Yukina, Efnir pursed her lips and, as if possessed, leaned closer to Yukina, took her fingers in Yukina hands, gently tiptoed, closed her eyes, and left a light kiss on Yukina's lips.

Yukina was startled by the sudden attack, then she saw Efnir raise her hand, pat her head, and smile at her.

This scene seemed familiar; just four days earlier, Efnir had looked at her with the same gaze.

Yukina kept wondering what her older sister's feelings were when she said goodbye to her, left home, and went to fight against the Erosion Disaster, when she was still called "brother".

Now she seems to understand a little.

"Sister..."

Yukina raised her hand slightly, then paused.

Efnir said nothing, took two steps back, then strode forward without looking back, leaping high into the air and jumping off the platform.

The next second, her figure appeared in the air more than ten meters away, silver light flashing beneath her feet, and she leaped out once again.

Yukina stood there, watching Efnir's retreating figure, gripping the longbow tightly in her hand.

On the other side, Canary and Ayse had just joined the battle.

Unlike Efnir and Yukina, Canary and Ayse did not choose to split up. Instead, they landed directly in the densely populated area to jointly confront the large, Erosion Entity that was pursuing them.

At this moment, several horrific wounds had appeared all over the body of the Erosion Entity. The cold, sharp light continued to leave more scars on the Erosion Entity's body as Ayse and Canary attacked together.

The Erosion Entity's hand had no fingers, but was a scythe-like black blade. It angrily swung it horizontally, attempting to force back the two attackers.

But Canary suddenly stepped forward, blocking Ayse's path, and shouted:

"I'll handle this!"

Canary's Order Weapon are dual swords, making her one of the rare agents who wield Order Weapon in both hands, like Tachibana Sara. Ayse, on the other hand, wields a straight sword.

She turned her body and slashed horizontally with lightning speed. Bright sparks exploded between her and the Erosion Entity, but her strength was no match for the enormous monster before her, and the blade quickly tilted.

However, she did not back down. Her strike was aimed at the side of the scythe blade, aiming to shift the point of impact. At the same time, she immediately raised her other sword in front of her arm, slightly lowered her body, and met the monster's scythe at a very precise angle, thus guiding the scythe into the air.

The massive Erosion Entity, unable to retract its force after unleashing a powerful attack, raised its arm high and staggered back two steps, leaving its chest completely unprotected.

Similarly, Canary forcibly parried the monster's attack, but now that her old strength has faded and new strength has not yet arisen, she cannot take this opportunity to launch an attack.

But Ayse, who had been waiting behind Canary, was different. She narrowed her eyes and was already in an attack stance. The moment Canary moved aside, she shot out like an arrow and attacked the monster with its center gate wide open.

She changed to holding the straight sword with both hands, raising it to her shoulders, and then slashed out with both hands the instant she made contact with the corrosive Erosion Entity. With one strike, she ripped a huge wound open in the Erosion Entity's chest. Then she quickly pulled the sword back to her waist, turned around and stepped forward, and then used all her strength to slash back and cut the Erosion Entity in half.

But the Erosion Entity did not die. Its enormous body still retained its vitality. It raised its scythe, roared like a madman, and slashed down again. Ayse sidestepped the blade, deflecting the scythe's attack diagonally, letting it fall beside her and sink deep into the ground.

"Mahiru!"

"I am coming!"

She shouted loudly, and the girl behind her, wielding two swords, leaped high into the air, landing on the giant scythe. The two swords in her hands flashed with a cold light, rushing straight forward along the monster's arm.

The monster sensed the immense danger and struggled to pull back its scythe, but Ayse whirled around and crushed the giant scythe, which had just moved, with a powerful kick. At that moment, Canary had already rushed to the head of the giant Erosion Entity.

104. Suspicious

"Go to hell!"

Two cold white lights flashed and disappeared in an instant. The head of the Erosion Entity vanished from its limbs and stopped moving. Then, it turned into countless starlight and scattered.

"First one sorted!"

With a sigh of relief, Canary jumped down from the gradually dissipating corpse and went to Ayse's side.

Behind them were the staff of the "Defense Line" who hadn't had time to evacuate. They had been cornered with nowhere to escape when Canary and Ayse arrived and saved them. Now, they were all staring intently at the girls in front of them, unable to come to their senses for a long time.

"Leave this place to us, you all get out of here immediately."

The two men exchanged a smile and then spoke to the others.

After Ayse and Canary worked together to defeat the largest Erosion Entity, they immediately turned around and split up to go to other locations to provide reinforcements.

The Erosion Disaster that occurred this time was only at level C to B. This level posed no threat to them, who had nearly a year of experience as agents, and they dealt with each one cleanly and efficiently.

The sound of evacuation sirens echoed in the distance. At that moment, Canary had just dealt with the last Erosion Entity in her field of vision. The corpse of the Erosion Entity that fell beside her gradually turned into spots of light. She glanced around and then turned on her earpiece to contact Ayse.

"Ayse, how are things going on your end?"

"I've already cleared out the three here. I'm currently Human Federation in charge here to see if there are any missed targets..."

Are you alright?

"I'm fine. How about you? Are you hurt?"

"No, this is a piece of cake for me. Oh right, I actually had five here. I don't know if I missed counting them earlier, but anyway, I took care of them too."

"Huh? There were actually two missed?"