From behind the barricade of heavy armored vehicles, a petite figure casually stepped out. The girl wore a custom-tailored, neatly fitted outfit, highlighted by soft furry fox ears twitching gently atop her head and a long tail swaying behind her. At her hip, a Katana in a dark scabbard swayed with every step.
The commanding General immediately bowed respectfully, shouting in a loud voice that drowned out the roar of artillery engines:
— "EVERYONE LISTEN UP! FROM NOW ON, WE WILL TAKE DIRECT ORDERS FROM HER!"
Thousands of soldiers instantly parted to both sides, bowing their heads to make way for her. Step by step, she advanced toward Shin, who was still standing amid the atmosphere thick with gunsmoke.
At the same time, from a distance in the hidden corner of a collapsed building, Xie Xingchen, Kento, Roxy, Seijuro, and the other Zero Horizon members were rushing in to reinforce Shin. But the moment Xie Xingchen caught sight of the petite figure with fox ears standing opposite Shin, he immediately raised his hand in a signal, his voice turning sharp:
— "Everyone stop right now!"
Kento froze, frowning and scratching his head:
— "What the hell are you doing, kid? Why aren't we moving forward? Why stop?!"
Xie Xingchen pushed up his glasses, his expression turning pale like never before:
— "This is bad... Just as expected, the Federation people have arrived!"
Seijuro narrowed his eyes, his hand tightening on the hilt of his sword:
— "Federation people? What do you mean?"
Xie Xingchen analyzed in a low voice, his eyes filled with intense vigilance:
— "That's an officer belonging to the Ten Planets Federation. Based on what I've gathered, if the situation is dire enough for the Federation to come all the way here, we're in huge trouble! They belong to the Federation's order enforcement force, specializing in hunting down and eliminating individuals possessing Sophion energy who violate regulations! And she even brought along the regular military..."
Seijuro narrowed his eyes, looking toward the tank barricade:
— "Speaking of which, with a shockwave of this magnitude, they were bound to send someone to intervene."
Roxy sneered, the hellfire around her subsiding slightly, though her killing intent remained undiminished:
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
— "So who is she? What should we do next?"
Xie Xingchen sighed, sweat glistening on his forehead:
— "Things have spiraled completely out of control like this... The person standing in front of Shin is Akai Kiriko (赤井 霧子), bearing the title of Shikoku no Chishitsu (四極の秩序 - The Order of Four Extremes)!"
From behind, Kwon Tae-Joon narrowed his eyes and whispered:
— "Should we charge in to save Shin?"
Mikami Ren folded his arms and replied:
— "Or should we keep hiding to see how things play out?"
Xie Xingchen shook his head decisively:
— "We must stay put! If anything goes wrong, we'll immediately jump in to assist Shin!"
Ling Mo remained absolutely silent. His eagle-sharp gaze was locked onto Akai Kiriko, his entire body maintaining a state of peak eruption, ready to leap forward the second both sides clashed.
Kento glanced at the military formation in the distance, curling his lip:
— "Looks like those soldiers follow her orders to the letter, huh?"
Roxy crossed her arms and commented:
— "Fully armed like this... It's definitely big trouble!"
Seijuro closely observed the opponent's appearance and whispered:
— "She's a hybrid. Looking at those ears, they definitely belong to a fox."
Returning to the center of the battlefield, Shin stood bewildered, still completely unaware of his opponent's true identity in this situation.
Kiriko stopped a few paces away from Shin, her fox-like eyes curving into an exceedingly gentle, polite smile:
— "Hello, very pleased to meet you!"
Shin scratched his head, responding somewhat awkwardly:
— "Hello..."
Kiriko glanced around at the mangled ruins of Kagetora, then clasped her hands behind her back, speaking casually:
— "Judging by this situation, it seems pretty severe. Did you know? The most dangerous target has been completely eliminated, and now only you remain... I am forced to personally act to eradicate you."
Shin gasped, widening his eyes:
— "Huh? What are you saying? I don't get it?"
Kiriko tilted her head slightly, her fox ears twitching gently:
— "You don't need to understand or ask too many questions. Just know that you are going to be eradicated by me right now!"
Shin frowned:
— "Why though?"
Kiriko let out a sigh, her expression looking slightly dazed before waving her hand:
— "I really hate giving long explanations to you!"
Seeing Kiriko's eyes flash with a bone-chilling aura of pressure in a split second, Shin instantly dropped his confusion. He returned to a serious demeanor; a warrior's keen instinct told him that the petite woman before him was exceptionally terrifying. The moment he made an uncalculated resistant move, she would claim his life on the spot!
Shin raised both hands, signaling in a softened voice:
— "Alright, alright! I get it!"
Kiriko smiled and nodded:
— "Good that you understand! You have severely violated the law prohibiting the excessive use of Sophion energy. All individuals possessing Sophion are required to restrict their output when engaging in combat!"
Shin let out a heavy breath, his eyes staring deep into hers:
— "So... you want to kill me now?"
Kiriko replied calmly:
— "That's right!"
Placing her slender hand on the hilt of the Katana at her hip, Kiriko nudged the blade slightly, producing a crisp click.
Shin clenched his fist coated in Sophion energy, lowering his center of gravity:
— "Then please, grant me your guidance!"
While the atmosphere at the battlefield was so tense it felt on the verge of exploding, atop a high-rise building not far away, a male and female pair sat comfortably with crossed legs, looking down.
The man wore an elegant white suit, displaying an extremely relaxed demeanor. Sitting beside him was a woman possessing gorgeous ash-platinum hair fluttering in the wind.
The man narrowed his eyes, looking down at the crowd below, curling his lips into a smile:
— "Looks like things down there are about to get real intense!"
The platinum-haired woman didn't look at him; she casually opened a paper bag, pulled out a piping hot Taco, and handed it over:
— "Here, your Taco."
The man took the taco, replying cheerfully:
— "Thanks!"
The two simply sat there casually munching on Tacos under the howling wind, leisurely enjoying the chaotic scene and deadly atmosphere enveloping the ground below.
Returning to Shin and Kiriko's location.
Shin glanced at the lineup of tanks and thousands of Sophion gun barrels aimed directly at him from behind Kiriko, curling his lips as he cautioned:
— "Remember to tell that squad behind you not to mess with me!"
Kiriko smiled gently, her fox ears twitching slightly as she spoke in a clear yet proud voice:
— "Rest assured! A duel will have no third party!"
(To be continued)