The monitors once again displayed static; conveniently, neither Hideaki nor Miyamoto wished to continue watching. If the preceding events constituted slaughter, the current soldiers remained oblivious even to the manner of their demise...
Often, one moment breathing, the next, the heart fragmented. They appeased 13's sorrow with their lives.
"Gasp... Gasp..." 13's chest plate rose and fell slowly. Surveying the surroundings, corpses littered the ground in various postures. Blood dyed the earth crimson; each step evoked a sensation of viscosity beneath the soles. No pain was visible upon the soldiers' faces, only expressions of astonishment. The air hung thick with the cloying scent of blood, inducing nausea. Remnants of tanks and helicopters flickered with unextinguished flames.
As if even the gods recoiled in fear, clouds obscured the azure sky; not a single ray of sunlight further illuminated this deathly silent place.
Standing precisely at the center of the crossroads afforded a panoramic view of the battlefield. Experiencing the mood of slaughter, yet discovering no sensation whatsoever. The anguish within his heart remained just as intense.
Facts remained facts...
What was lost remained lost...
Irretrievable and impossible to reclaim...
Lowering his head, gazing at the manhole cover beneath his feet. Recalling the first encounter with Zhenxian within the sewers...
Suddenly, the screen before his eyes flickered. The already relaxed grip on his knife tightened. Immense force transmitted from beneath his feet; the manhole cover propelled upwards. A black Beast burst forth from the sewer, its massive frame even tearing apart the concrete surrounding the manhole opening.
Executing a backflip to retreat. The four arms seized the manhole cover, beginning to twist it. Parallel with the Beast, rotating his body, the Titan combat knife sliced through the spherical head, cleaving it entirely down the middle.
Landing, standing up. The Beast behind him collapsed, paralyzed, denied even the opportunity for counterattack. To 13, such simplistic machinery equated to mobile scrap metal.
Though the enemy had fallen, 13's screen continued to flicker. Glancing in all four directions—hordes of Beasts surged towards the crossroads like a tidal wave. Violent ripples disturbed the surrounding pools of blood, as if brought anew to a boil.
Just as 13 surmised, the Beasts' absolute advantage indeed lay in numbers. Given R-nation's production capacity, dozens of automobile assembly lines, slightly modified, could manufacture Beast weapons. A single assembly line's daily output approached fifty units. The Beast legion transported to H-nation this time alone exceeded eight thousand units. And for the assault on 13, Hideaki had truly spared no expense, mobilizing half of the legion's weaponry. Even if merely burying him in iron, they intended to entomb 13 beneath tens of thousands of tons of steel...
"Wish to kill me?" 13 observed the monsters rushing towards him.
"Come!" Roaring, he charged towards the nearest flank. Not utilizing maximum speed, merely conserving stamina. This was a protracted "war"...
Nearing contact with the closest unit, 13 leaped upwards from his spot, executing a spinning straight kick. The impact force, though lacking the intensity of the Three-Step Kill, remained undeniably significant. His right foot shattered the spherical head before him; metallic components scattered. The attack unfinished—bending his knee, 13 stood single-leggedly upon the Beast's head, leaping forcefully upwards, crushing the remaining fragments of the head into the Beast's torso. Leaping into the air just before the arms could capture him. Gazing down at the piled black monsters below, feeling no sensation of slaughter.
Closing his eyes, descending. Crouching extremely low upon landing. Eyes snapping open—only black shadows. Overhead, numerous arms attacked empty air.
Gripping the Titan combat knife tightly, the bloodless reaping commenced...
Fluidly weaving through this black "forest." Each time passing a unit, the knife in his hand accurately severed its most vulnerable point—the head—while employing the most concise, direct movements to evade its arms. Many attacks grazed past 13's body by mere inches...
Dark clouds wept raindrops; a hazy drizzle began to fall quietly, as if mourning for this pitiable city...
Above the dark clouds, the forgotten transport aircraft arrived overhead...
"Location confirmed. Target individual is directly below. Radar simultaneously detects large quantities of mechanical weaponry. Target threat level indeterminable. Proceed with airdrop?" the pilot inquired over the intercom.
"Plan remains unchanged. Continue operation," a aged yet familiar voice responded.
"Acknowledged!" Pressing the switch, the rear cargo door lowered steadily. Three track-like iron shafts extended.
"Confirm altitude, confirm wind direction, confirm landing zone. Personnel in position?" the pilot performed the final check.
"Number 1 in position."
"Number 24 in position."
"Number 36 in position."
"Launch!"
Three metallic containers ejected from the cargo bay, descending in freefall, plunging through the thick cloud layer...
"Good luck!" The pilot banked the aircraft, commencing return journey.
Losing count of how many slain? 13's breathing grew ragged. These monsters swarmed like ants; dispatching one merely prompted another to instantly fill the void. The raised arm, yet to descend, required angle adjustments to eliminate another unit. No time for pause beneath his feet; only ceaseless weaving.
Rainwater gradually washed away the blood upon his body; the black armor reverted to its original color. Eyes, equally blood-red, reflected the Beasts' crimson glow. Distinguishing between Beast and 13 became impossible. Merely a chaotic melee of mutual assault...
Suddenly, all attacks ceased universally.
Looking upwards—three silvery-white metallic containers descended rapidly, clearly distinct from the black ocean below.
Exploiting the Beasts' distraction, 13 swiftly eliminated all units within a two-meter radius around him, creating a slight buffer zone.
Standing motionless. The three iron containers landed precisely around 13. An instant before ground contact, copious amounts of gas ejected from corner vents, cushioning the impact. Landing steadily...
"Truly a disobedient bunch..." Observing the familiar numbers upon the containers, an imperceptible smile touched 13's lips.
Hideaki's helicopter landed at a secret base on the outskirts of Hancheng. Before it fully stabilized, Hideaki had already leaped to the ground, striding rapidly towards the main control room. Miyamoto struggled to keep pace. This was Miyamoto's first visit here.
"Your Excellency, this place is..." Miyamoto inquired curiously.
"The epicenter of the entire H-nation battlefield. The central information processing hub for all Beast weapons. If this location were compromised, the entire Beast legion would be finished. Were it not for 13, I wouldn't have brought you here," Hideaki's pace did not slacken.
Following him into the main hall, Miyamoto was stunned by the scene before him. Within the hall, spanning no less than 500 square meters, hundreds of personnel worked feverishly, not pausing even for Hideaki's arrival.
An intelligence officer-like individual received Hideaki...
"What is the situation?" Hideaki inquired gravely.
"Presently, the target is completely surrounded. Combat continues. However, the Beasts have inflicted no substantial damage upon the target, while our side has already lost over 150 units," the intelligence officer's voice grew progressively softer, feeling somewhat embarrassed himself.
"Nothing to feel ashamed about. This outcome was anticipated long ago. I intended to sacrifice over half our forces in exchange for his single life," Hideaki stated placidly.
"2000:1?!" Miyamoto exclaimed inwardly, shocked.
"I require the current combat situation display," Hideaki found a chair and sat down.
The massive screen before them illuminated. Displaying footage transmitted from the rearmost Beast cameras on the battlefield.
13 was seen standing amidst three metallic containers. Surrounding Beasts had ceased their attacks, forming a circular encirclement.
"Why the halt?!" Hideaki's tone grew agitated.
"Because those three iron containers descended from the sky. Likely, external hostiles have joined the battlefield. We await your new orders," the intelligence officer replied nervously.
"No new orders necessary! Kill him! Anyone obstructing, kill them together!!" Hideaki roared.
Gazing back at the screen.
The surrounding Beasts' red lights flickered once; they surged towards the target. The metallic doors burst outwards as if exploding, striking several unfortunate monsters nearby.
Three familiar yet strangely altered figures leaped out. Brand new Special Operations units debuted...
Hideaki felt inwardly astonished.
The three landing figures differed from previously known Special Operations units. Armor glinted with an iridescent sheen, like colored crystal. All wore helmets identical to 13's, differing only in color. The iconic four eyes seemed capable of piercing through everything.
"You kid, still causing trouble just like before! Stirring up such a huge scene again..." 36 offered his habitual sarcastic remark.
"Didn't I tell you all not to come?" 13's tone held reproach.
"Not come? What about you then? Look at this black mass here; exhaustion alone would finish you," 1 retorted.
"Your arrival changes nothing. Knowing death awaits, why still come?" 13 failed to understand.
"Because you are here," 24 answered him. "We are a team; in battle, no one is ever left behind. It's decidedly not 'one is enough'!"
"Is that so?" 13 lowered his head, questioning himself.
"Naturally..." the three stated in unison.