== Maya's POV ==
The moment we hit the ground near our objective, the drop from the spacecraft already behind us, Kanda gave his final instructions before he and his squad headed into the building.
"Team Leader, what's our move now?" one of my team members asked, approaching me.
I turned to her—Swallow, a quiet but sharp-eyed girl from the people of Catia. She'd joined my squad recently. Right now, our team was a mix: three from Catia and two from my personal maid corps.
"We're sweeping the perimeter. Kanda-sama wants all enemy forces outside the building neutralized," I said. "We'll also deploy these two Assistroids to keep an eye on the area. Let's get moving."
"Copy that, Ma'am," Swallow responded with a confident nod.
Everyone split up smoothly. I joined the sweep, capturing thirty well-armed hostiles within just half an hour. My team worked like a well-oiled machine, taking down the remaining resistance and stuffing them into one of the trailer containers like trash bags.
"Assistroids, start surveillance," I ordered.
One Assistroid extended a small satellite dish from its back. The dish began spinning silently. The other pulled a monitor from its abdomen, its screen lighting up as it synced with the satellite dish.
The first one held up a sign: "Signal to this location: Jammed."
The second displayed: "1km surveillance radius established. No hostiles detected."
"Nice work, both of you," I said. They replied with signs: "No problem."
I waved my team over. "Stay alert and patrol the area. Look for anything unusual. We'll wait for word from Kanda-sama's side."
They nodded and fanned out again. For thirty minutes, nothing but wind and silence.
Then—a subtle tremor under my boots. Just a little shake, like a warning whisper from the earth itself. I paused but shook it off. Probably nothing.
That's when the explosion echoed—deep and sharp. I knew that sound. A grenade launcher. And it came from inside the building.
I turned, about to give the order to prepare backup for Kanda, when Hawk sprinted up to me, her brow furrowed.
"Team Leader. One of the Assistroids picked up movement—twenty hostiles just entered the perimeter," she reported quickly.
My heart skipped. "Did it ID them?"
"Not yet."
"Alright," I said, thinking fast. "Send two scouts. Keep it low. I want visuals before we do anything."
Hawk gave a short nod and relayed the order. Meanwhile, the muffled sounds of combat inside the building continued—gunfire, shouting, metal against metal.
Five tense minutes passed.
My comm crackled to life. "Team Leader, we've got eyes on them. It's those same robots from the beach incident—the ones in the archive."
I narrowed my eyes. "Any changes?"
"They've got a humanoid frame this time. Sleeker. And… they're all holding blades. Looks like close-combat models."
"Understood. Fall back now. I'll inform Kanda-sama."
The call ended.
I reached for my communicator again, fingers moving fast to contact Kanda.
But the device didn't connect.
I stared at the screen.
No signal.
"…What?" I whispered.
I tried again.
Still nothing.
The sound of fighting from the building suddenly stopped.
And the silence that followed felt too heavy… too wrong.
As the silence grew heavier, almost suffocating, a sudden blip on the communicator broke through. A signal—finally.
Without hesitation, I dialed Kanda.
After a few seconds, the call connected. Static crackled briefly before I heard his labored breathing on the other end.
"What is it, Maya?" he said between breaths. "I'm a bit… tied up right now."
His strained voice made it clear—he was in the middle of a fight.
"We've got incoming," I reported quickly. "Twenty enemy units breached our perimeter. Confirmed visual: upgraded robots from the beach incident. Humanoid structure. Blades."
There was a pause—just a second—but it was enough to know he was thinking fast.
"Call Antonia. Request reinforcements immediately. Have Swallow or Hawk send our spacecraft to pick them up. Also, tell her to get in touch with Eris or Melwin. These things aren't just upgraded—they're a serious threat. I'm fighting them right now."
"Understood," I replied. The transmission cut off.
I immediately switched to our HQ channel and called Antonia. The line connected quickly.
"Maya? This is Antonia. What's going on? Did something happen?"
"Yes, Antonia-sama. We're under pressure. Enemy reinforcements just arrived—new model combat robots. Kanda-sama instructed me to request backup. He also wants Eris or Melwin notified and deployed. I'll have our spacecraft sent to pick up the reinforcements."
"Got it," she said calmly but firmly. "I'll prepare the troops and alert Eris and Melwin right away."
"Thank you." I ended the call and turned to Swallow, who was already watching me.
"Swallow, inform the pilot. Have him return to HQ and bring back our reinforcements as fast as possible."
"Yes, Ma'am." She nodded and started relaying the instructions through her comms.
Then—I saw them.
The enemy units. Twenty of them, about 500 meters away, emerging like shadows in the dust. Cold metal, blades gleaming, marching forward.
I opened my mouth to issue orders—then the ground shook violently.
A deafening explosion erupted from the building behind us.
I spun around.
A massive horizontal gash had been carved into the outer wall—clean, smooth, unmistakably from a blade.
"Fall back!" I shouted. "Everyone, move! Now!"
We scrambled for distance as more slashing sounds rang out from inside. Then—fire.
A brilliant red glow burst from the gap in the wall.
Another explosion tore through the building, the shockwave rolling across the ground. The wall crumbled.
And through the flame, a figure emerged.
Kanda-sama.
He walked through the fire like a phantom of war. His blood-red military coat flared behind him, his long crimson hair licking his shoulders like fire itself. In both hands, he held black twin blades, each one wreathed in flames.
Three towering robots stood before him—bulky, humanoid, heads shaped like armored dogs, each wielding a massive two-handed sword.
...They struck.
He moved.
Kanda twisted between their blows with inhuman precision. The ground shook under the weight of their swords as they crashed down, each swing meant to crush. But Kanda met the first strike head-on—his twin blades crossed in defense, sparks flying as steel screamed against steel.
The force pushed him back slightly, boots dragging across the concrete—but he held.
For a second, it looked like a stalemate.
The second robot lunged in, aiming to pierce his flank. Kanda ducked, flames erupting from his feet as he kicked off the ground, flipping over the blade with terrifying grace. The air around him shimmered with heat, his coat whipping violently.
One of the robots roared—a mechanical, guttural sound—and all three closed in.
For a heartbeat, he vanished in their shadows.
Then—silence.
Just the crackle of flames and the deep hum of the robots' motors.
And then—movement.
A blur of red light burst behind one of them.
Kanda reappeared at the nape of its neck, mid-air, blades flaring like twin suns. The fire around them roared as if alive, drawn to the strike about to come.
Time slowed.
Every detail etched itself into the world—the tension in his arms, the blaze of his eyes, the glowing steel about to tear through alloy and circuitry.
He slashed.
The twin blades crossed in a clean, flaming arc.
The robot's head separated, rising a fraction before gravity took over.
Then—
BOOM.
The explosion lit up the battlefield, and the headless robot collapsed with a metallic scream, shaking the earth.
Finally, Kanda-sama turned toward me—his intense gaze locking onto mine as he shouted over the chaos,
"Maya! Take the prototype weapon from Claris—your team will need it to handle the ones outside. That weapon can cut through their defenses, but don't get reckless!"
"Yes, Kanda-sama!" I responded firmly.
I rushed over to Claris, who was kneeling beside a silver briefcase. Without a word, she popped it open and revealed a row of sleek, glowing blades.
"These are infused with vibration-enhanced edges," she explained quickly. "They'll break through their barrier tech—just aim true."
I nodded and distributed the weapons to my squad.
"Listen up!" I barked. "These are our countermeasure. We'll engage the enemies individually first. If you're overwhelmed—call for backup and tag-team it. Got it?"
"Yes, Ma'am!" came the synchronized response.
The enemy robots were closing in—less than 100 meters away now.
"Then what are we waiting for? MOVE OUT!"
We scattered instantly, each member charging toward a target. I engaged the nearest robot, blade drawn. As I flung a hidden weapon toward it, a thin, glowing barrier flickered across its body, deflecting the strike.
"Tch… Barrier tech."
It swung its blade at me—I caught it with mine, steel clashing violently. With my free hand, I lobbed a grenade toward its legs and dove back.
The explosion lit up the ground—but as the smoke cleared, the robot stood completely unharmed.
Then—my comm buzzed.
"Maya, can you hear me?" It was Claris, breathless. "Kanda-sama forgot to mention—these models have a weakness. The back of the neck—it's the only spot their barrier doesn't cover!"
"Understood! Thank you!"
I quickly relayed the information to my team, then refocused.
Alright… one more time.
I lunged in, feinting a frontal attack. The robot responded—exactly as I hoped.
In that instant, I sidestepped, dashed behind it, and slashed at the back of its neck with all my strength.
CRACK!
The blade bit deep—metal split—and a second later, the entire unit erupted in flames behind me. I rolled away just as the explosion rocked the ground.
Then—one after another—explosions echoed across the battlefield. My team had adapted fast. One by one, the enemy robots fell.
In under five minutes, we had wiped out the entire squad.
As smoke drifted across the scorched field, our reinforcements arrived—just in time to see the aftermath. We regrouped quickly, then made our way into the building.
Inside—chaos.
The building was barely holding together. The air was thick with smoke and the acrid stench of burning metal. Scorch marks lined the walls, and the floor was littered with debris and shattered pieces of fallen enemies.
And in the center of it all—stood Kanda-sama.
Barely.
His silhouette emerged through the haze, his body swaying as he kept himself upright. Blood trickled down his arms, his hands still gripping his black twin blades, now dulled and scorched from the intense battle. The proud blood-red military coat he wore earlier was gone—burned away—leaving only his torn and battered combat gear from earlier.
His long red hair clung to his face, soaked with sweat and soot.
He looked like a warrior pulled from hell.
"KANDA!!!" Several voices cried out at once—some with panic, some with disbelief, all with fear.
We rushed to him. My heart pounded as I pushed through the smoke.
Kanda-sama glanced toward us. His eyes—normally so sharp and commanding—now looked hazy, but still burning with determination.
He took a step forward—then staggered.
"Kanda-sama!" I shouted, tried to catch him but someone was faster than her as they catch Kanda-sama from falling.
I ccould see that our reinforcement had arrived as Eris-sama and Aoi-sama caught Kanda-sama after his transformation starts to slowly dissipate.
END OF THE CHAPTER.