Chương 508: Who Gave You That Confidence?
The tactical nuclear blast was immensely powerful. Although it was only a tactical nuke with a relatively low yield to limit the affected area and collateral damage, the explosion still wreaked havoc on the city. Most of the neighborhood had been leveled, with remnants of collapsed buildings smoking, while formerly towering skyscrapers were reduced to skeletal remains.
Thankfully, civilians had been notified in advance, allowing them to evacuate in time. Without that preparation, the casualties would have been unimaginable.
Nuclear weapons are a double-edged sword; while effective in attacking enemies, they can harm allies as well. Captain Aizenk was well aware of the severe effects of radiation. Even with advanced technology, it would take considerable time to remove all traces of fallout. Despite these risks, he was resolute in using the nuke. He believed that the Spirit, though perhaps uninjured, would be drained from the previous battles, leaving her in a weakened state. This would be the perfect opportunity to capture them, even if it meant sacrificing part of the city.
However, what he saw on the display screen filled him with a cold dread.
On the monitor in the control room, an exquisite face appeared in the center of the screen, looking directly up as if aware of their presence. Her lips curled into a faint, chilling smile.
Normally, Captain Aizenk would have admired Kaguya's ethereal beauty, but now, for reasons unknown, he felt an inexplicable terror, as if his very blood had frozen at that moment.
He didn't know that this was the effect of Kaguya's ocular powers. Even though he was viewing her through a monitor and not in person, his mind was still affected by the pressure.
"Deploy the Behemoth Unit, all forces mobilize!" Aizenk commanded without hesitation, gritting his teeth. "Authorize use of any and all available weapons, including new manifestation devices. Dispatch fighter jets and drones, increase artillery support—eliminate every last one of them."
"Yes, sir!"
Having issued this series of orders, Aizenk managed to calm down somewhat, leaning back in his chair with a determination to see this through.
Meanwhile, amidst the ruins of the city…
"They actually used a nuclear weapon—utterly insane. How are they any different from the Spirits they're fighting?" Origami muttered, biting her lip. Although her face remained expressionless, there was a hint of anger in her voice.
"Hey, hey!" Origami's words instantly drew Tohka's ire. Puffing out her cheeks, she retorted, "What do you mean, 'no different from Spirits'? I'm not a bad guy! If you people weren't always chasing me, I wouldn't be fighting back. Clearly, you're the ones at fault!"
"I don't see it that way," Origami replied coldly, turning to face her. "If you Spirits hadn't appeared, there'd be no need for AST or the wars, and innocent people wouldn't be dying."
"Like it's my choice to be here!" Tohka retorted, flustered. "I didn't ask for any of this—I just suddenly arrived in this place."
"Then leave. Go to some remote mountain where no one will bother you," Origami replied while holding Kaguya's arm, her voice devoid of emotion. "Please, live on like a primitive."
"You—did you just call me a primitive?" Tohka glared, her anger rising. "And why should I leave? I want to stay with Kaguya!"
"All right, enough," Kaguya interrupted, rubbing her temples, "or I'll have to 'punish' you both."
Origami's face unexpectedly flushed red at the word "punishment," her cheeks tinged pink all the way to her ears, as if she'd recalled something significant.
Tohka blinked, puzzled. "Punish? What kind of punishment?"
"Ahem." Realizing her slip of the tongue, Kaguya cleared her throat. "It's nothing. We can talk about that later. Let's deal with our current enemies first."
Tohka glanced suspiciously between Kaguya and the now-silent Origami, feeling an odd sense of unease. But just as she was about to ask more, she noticed black dots appearing on the distant horizon, speeding towards them. Though frustrated, she kept her thoughts to herself.
"These are the Behemoth units—combat robots with enhanced firepower. I heard DEM recently upgraded them, so be careful. They'll be tougher than before," Origami said, her AST experience providing insight into DEM's weaponry.
Origami and Tohka assumed combat stances, ready for battle, with even Yoshino showing a rare determination.
The Behemoth robots halted just short of their targets, raising their thick, heavy barrels and aiming them down at Kaguya's group. With a rumbling sound, countless missiles shot forth, leaving fiery trails as they rained down from above.
The sky instantly darkened as the wave of missiles blotted out the sun. Origami and Tohka's expressions turned tense, their palms growing sweaty. These Behemoth units were no longer the weaklings of the original story; they had been enhanced by DEM. While each robot alone posed little threat, the sheer number made them formidable. Without Kurumi's cloning abilities, evading this barrage was nearly impossible.
Seeing the missiles descending with no chance to escape, Origami and Tohka braced themselves for a fierce struggle. But then Kaguya smirked, stepping forward with a composed expression. Raising her hand, she said coldly:
"Such annoying flies… Who gave you the courage and confidence to think you could face me?"
As her words fell, a dark, purple-tinged sphere appeared in her palm, crackling with electric arcs. The energy was so intense that the very ground around her began to crack and shatter.
This was Kaguya's Tailed Beast Ball—or, more accurately, an enhanced version, containing malevolent chakra. It held several times the destructive power of regular chakra, though it came at the cost of greater strain on her body.
For the first time, Kaguya was using a Tailed Beast Ball infused with malevolent chakra.
Origami, Tohka, and Yoshino looked on, stunned. They had known Kaguya was powerful, but they hadn't anticipated she was this powerful. Even Tohka, herself a Spirit, could feel the oppressive might radiating from the black sphere. She had never sensed anything so overwhelming.
Finally, as her companions looked on in awe, Kaguya flicked her fingers, sending the Tailed Beast Ball streaking forward like a comet. It tore through the sky, heading straight for the Behemoth units above.
With a loud "boom," a dark silhouette fell from above, crashing heavily onto the ground and creating a large crater with debris and dust flying everywhere. When the dust finally settled, a twisted mass of metal appeared, emitting wisps of black smoke. This was one of the Behemoth Unit robots that had been in the sky moments before, now reduced to a heap of scrap metal, unrecognizable from its original form.
Meanwhile, fiery streaks shot down from the sky like falling stars, one after another, each trailing colorful, vivid flares like a magnificent fireworks display—except that the pungent odor of smoke filled the air.
Origami stared wide-eyed at the sight in disbelief. Just moments ago, a single powerful blast had obliterated the entire Behemoth Unit along with the missiles they'd launched. The robots that took the brunt of that immense energy blast were vaporized instantly, leaving nothing, not even ash. In the sky, the clouds were swept away by this fierce energy, revealing an expanse of clear blue sky.
Tohka, too, was stunned. The scale of the destruction was far beyond anything a spatial quake could cause. The energy was so vast that it distorted the very space around it. Even her own Sandalphon couldn't produce anything close to this level of devastation.
Only Yoshino seemed oblivious to the situation, looking on with a puzzled expression. But even though she didn't fully understand, her unwavering trust in Kaguya left no doubt in her mind—even if the situation was ten times more outrageous, she would still believe in her.
"They thought they could challenge me with such pathetic pawns? I can't tell if they're too confident, too ignorant, or just plain stupid," Kaguya scoffed, looking up at the sky with a disdainful smile.
Meanwhile, on the airborne command ship...
"What?" Captain Aizenk was visibly shaken, momentarily speechless. "Are you saying the entire Behemoth Unit was destroyed? How is that possible?"
"Yes, Captain. The Behemoth Unit…" The operator swallowed nervously and continued, "They reached the target's position but were struck by a massive energy beam, and we lost all contact. The satellite radar shows nothing. If nothing went wrong…"
The operator trailed off, unable to finish. But the implication was clear: if one of their strongest units had gone silent, it likely meant the entire Behemoth Unit had been wiped out. In normal circumstances, there would have been at least some electronic signal, yet now there was none at all.
"This…this can't be!" Captain Aizenk shouted, his face twisted with frustration and disbelief. "Wasn't the Behemoth Unit equipped with manifestation devices? What happened to their Personal Territory? How could they be wiped out so easily?"
"They were equipped with manifestation devices, and the Personal Territory was active," the operator stammered, "but it seemed to have little effect before…"
Captain Aizenk's expression darkened, his hopes plummeting. Securing those advanced weapons had cost him a great deal of effort. If they'd truly been destroyed, it would be a substantial personal and financial loss, and the board would undoubtedly hold him accountable.
Just then, a voice rang out in panic. Another crew member rushed over, calling out urgently.
"Captain! We have a problem!"
"What is it this time?" Aizenk snapped, already on edge.
"The silver-haired Spirit…she's heading straight for the command ship. At her current speed, she'll be here in minutes," the crew member reported, voice shaking.
"What?" Aizenk paled. "That's impossible. We're stationed over 20,000 meters in the air, near the edge of the atmosphere. Even if she's a Spirit, she can't possibly reach us here."
"Captain, look!" The crew member hastily turned to the control console, frantically pressing keys.
On the monitor, a white figure rapidly approached, speeding through the air toward them. Her velocity was so high that the surveillance cameras struggled to keep pace, and she seemed to be accelerating. She would reach the command ship in no time.
Captain Aizenk's pupils constricted, his expression changing as he quickly gave an order: "Is the massive concentrated mana cannon ready?"
This massive mana cannon had been specially enhanced by DEM, its firepower more than doubled, with high-energy impact capacity exceeding even that of a nuclear bomb. Not only was it more powerful, but it also delivered a more focused blast, making it exceptionally destructive—a weapon designed specifically for fighting Spirits. It was far more potent than the concentrated mana cannon on Kotori's airship.
However, the massive mana cannon had one drawback—it required a ten-minute charge time to reach full power.
"The energy is still charging and has only reached 80% capacity," an operator reported. "It will need another five minutes to fully charge."
"We don't have that kind of time," Aizenk replied, his eyes steely as he waved his hand. "Target her and prepare to fire."
"But sir…" The operator hesitated, turning to Aizenk. "Firing now could damage the ship, and it might even…"
"Silence!" Aizenk bellowed. "Do you want us all to be killed by the Spirit? Follow my orders and prepare to fire!"
"Yes, sir!"
Aizenk's face was tense, knowing that firing prematurely would damage the ship, but he had no choice. If the Spirit reached them, they would face far worse than structural damage.
On the exterior of the airship, a black, thick cannon extended outward, gathering immense energy. Sparks and lightning crackled around the barrel, radiating a terrifying aura.
At last, a blinding beam of light burst forth, tearing through the sky with an ear-splitting roar as it streaked toward Kaguya.
With a resounding "boom," an intense white light engulfed the scene, turning the world an ashen hue. The powerful shockwave cleared the surrounding clouds and even shook the airship.
Inside the airship, the crew watched the giant monitor with bated breath. The intense energy disrupted the camera feed, filling the screen with static.
As the static faded and the image on the screen cleared, everyone's eyes were glued to the display.
"Is there any sign of the Spirit?" Captain Aizenk asked, his hands gripping the edge of the console, sweating in apprehension.
"It seems…" The operator frantically typed away at the keyboard. "There's no trace of the Spirit, and we're not detecting any residual Spirit energy in the air."
A thrill of excitement flashed across Aizenk's face. "Are you saying…"
"I'm certain that the concentrated mana cannon hit the target," the operator replied with a smile. "Barring any unexpected circumstances, I believe we've…eliminated the Spirit."
"Excellent!"
"Victory!"
Cheers erupted within the ship as the crew exchanged high-fives, their relief and elation palpable. Even Aizenk couldn't suppress his excitement, taking a hearty swig of whiskey from a bottle on his desk.
But then, a melodic voice suddenly echoed through the command center, halting the crew in their tracks, their celebratory expressions freezing as dread replaced their joy.
"Oh? Are you having a party? How lively! If you don't mind, may I join you?"
Their movements slowed as if their heads were rusting in place. One by one, they turned toward the source of the voice, their eyes widening and pupils contracting in horror as they saw a breathtaking silver-haired girl approaching them gracefully, as if she were strolling down a quiet path.
From the depths of their hearts, a cold, primal terror took hold.
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