Gaston remained on the mobile operating center deployed by the Helicarrier Cecil. The mobile operating center was surrounded with JSDF, YDF, and Breaker Companies taking a rest after an excursion.

Most of the Breakers who took part in the big push were wounded. They were sitting on the ground waiting for their regeneration factors to kick in.

Gaston pilots a sparrow drone. A T3 Drone that could deploy mini-missiles and mini-machine guns. He flew the Drone around the makeshift camp until he found the Rook Squad entering. Boris looked like he wrestled a bear. Yumina and Shion Jin had soot around their faces.

Behind them was a scorched landscape. After the SPARTICLE bomb was released everywhere. Each storming event-infected landscape was neutralized forcibly. The situation on the side near Tokyo was far more terrible compared to Hamamatsu.

Gaston leaned back on his chair. He accessed his bracer and made a data-link with the mobile operating center. Gaston pressed a finger on his earpiece.

“This is Adjutant Hardy, Rook-1, come in.”

“Copy, that, Adjutant.”

“Look for a sparrow.”

Boris spotted the sparrow. He gestured for the Rook Squad to follow the sparrow into the mobile center. Outside of the door. They entered while smelling like they were half-burned. Boris’s bio-shield generator was like a thin membrane.

“Auto-med on the back. Supplies on the crate,” Gaston pointed out. “Recharge your generators. Stock on ammunition. Also,” Gaston threw them cold drinks, “you still have a lot of fighting to be done.”

Shion Jin went first. He unrobed his top and had his torso patched up. Boris drank his cold drink while Yumina sat near the crate, checking his multi-functional weapon. Gaston went to the console. He started activating the systems. The ichorium generator filling up the portable-generator strapped around their waist.

Shion Jin was struggling in an auto-med capsule. Yumina pulled the bolt on her multi-functional weapon and put it down. Boris put his drink in the crate.

“How much we lost, Adjutant?”

“We’re still counting. SPARTICLE bombs deployment made contact irregular. The branch here is in defense mode and since we have a contract with the UEDF. The Babaika Lions are ordered to stand their ground here. How many did you fight?”

“Battalion size probably. Mostly TYPE-2’s so it was easy to pick them off. We had artillery support from the YDF. Other than that there are freelancing breakers who are going wild there.”

“Make sense. Checked the streams. Seems like they are making a lot of money while folks here are dying. Most of these streams are being mined and then checked for additional info.”

Boris nodded. Shion Jin went out of the capsule. Yumina went in and had her body checked for any taint. Gaston leaned on his thighs. Boris looked up.

“How long until we pick a real fight with those cultists?”

“Not long. We need to secure the areas around the center before everyone does a full attack. The storming events are preventing split-realm transfers. So we can only love through the usual routes. Thing is that they are herding the TYPE monsters to blockade routes.”

What terrified everyone was their ability to open storming-events. From the looks of it they were making use of their ‘technique’ to summon creatures. The appearance of the cultists resembled that of robed wizards. If anything the techno-cult was using such coordinated appearance to strike fear.

Of course the real possible reason for their attack is to transform this area of Japan into the world they envisioned. Madmen or not. They were going to cost the lives of many.

News was blaring out that they needed to ‘cleanse’ the regions of Japan. The BEHEMOTH was already making a lot of damage. The last piece of news that Gaston got from his associates in the BRIDGE of the Helicarrier Cecil had said that the Red Valkyrie was wounding the BEHEMOTH slowly while Jakob Stoll was keeping the cultists from her back. The rest of the storm vanguards of the Black Lions of Babaika were keeping the infantry of the cult at bay. Fighting madmen and monsters. Gaston was glad that there were competent people fighting the main threats. Despite this threat. Gaston thought to himself that this was normal. He still believed in the role that he has to play. It was the height of arrogance for anyone to think that he’d be able to do something beyond the role.

He had heard from soldiers who saw him fight. How they insisted on keeping around. Gaston said to them that it was not his role to play. He was hired as an Adjutant. A Freelancer contracted to make sure that the UEDF and the Babaika Lions get along.

Gaston kept his personal feelings in-check. He remained professional in his role. He had been doing this job for seven years. Some may feel that it was cold of him. But being calm, collected was always one of the traits needed. He also felt that it was rather disrespectful to those who can fight. He is an Exemplar, but that didn’t give him the right to judge himself as superior nor will he ever have thoughts. In the end Gaston was here to be paid.

Putting himself into unnecessary danger. Even finding Constable Yu was already beyond his paygrade. But he wasn’t unfeeling. If it comes to it he would act. But knowing that there are good people fighting out there. Gaston wasn’t worried yet. Not when even the two rookies inside this mobile operating center of his still had their fighting spirits light up. Even Boris who had fought for hours still looked ready to fight on.

“I will be handling the UTM coordinates. Waypoint will be marked once you redeploy to the field,” Gaston checked the time. “About twenty minutes until then. So take this time to get patched up. May the wind be at your back, friends.”

Gaston went back to his seat. He connected his bracer on the computer of his operating center and plugged himself into the network around the Hamamatsu grid.

***

Lake Sanaru became an important place. The Lake itself wasn’t a defensive place.

“Defend the Lake.”

That was the objective of their defense. Eight of the pipes connected to this lake are filtered to shelters all over Hamamatsu. Boris and his group were placed in the north-east of the Lake. The Lotus Company, an active Breaker Company, was guarding their backs.

The corners of the lake are surrounded by YDF and JSDF troops. The Lancer Units were strategically placed. On their backs were mini-missile launchers and on their shoulders were extra firepower. The heavy mortars. They were carrying kinetic shields while some were forming shield walls with their lancers ready.

One of things that became popular in this world were the fighting tactics of the old. Formations. Phalanxes. Pike and Shot tactics dominated when there was a rush of monsters coming out of a tear in the i

“Warning, Split-realm openings.”

Gaston shifted the camera of the Sparrow to the split-realm opening. He held on to the sticks of the controller, flew the Sparrow fifteen-foot off the ground.

“Running trackers. Detecting TYPE TWO and THREE classes entering earthside. I repeat. Detecting TYPE 2’s and 3’s entering earthside. Rook Squad and all forces in Lake. This is callsign Vermell, prepare for combat.”

“Copy that.”

“Rook Squad, preparing for engagement.”

“This is Lotus Company, preparing for overwatch.”

The rest didn’t answer. Gaston flew the Sparrow while making a count of the monsters appearing in the vicinity of the lake.

“This Blau, do you copy?”

“Copying.”

“There is a legion-size force entering the scorched mountains. I repeat, there is a legion-size force entering Tenryū Ward, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka.”

“Relaying information through data-link,” Gaston shared the information through a shared channel around the lake.

“Units are to defend the lake. The objectives remain unchanged,” Gaston switched to a private channel. “Janna, how many do you think are going to flood here?”

“A hundred k if we are being hopeful. Get ready to extract. I will be retreating with the Skiritai Unit to rendezvous point B. I’ll send the UTM coordinate if it comes to it, Blau out.”

Gaston switched back to the operation channel. He flew his Sparrow and waited for the signal. The proximity detectors started going red.

“Weapons free. I repeat weapons free.”

With those words the guns of every fighter in the vicinity rang out. Gaston stared at the familiar scenery. The belua coming out of these tears in spaces. It was an image straight from a nightmare. An image that Gaston had grown to be familiar with. He retreated his Sparrow and kept an overwatch of the Rook Squad.

Most of the Lancer Units held the tide. Their kinetic shield created an interconnected shield wall that kept the bigger TYPE monsters from entering. The boosters on their backs pushed the horde while the Overwatch group were picking the monsters off with high-caliber rounds. They were targeting the ‘brain’ of the monsters.

The rest of the Breakers were picking off every monster that gets around the shieldwall. The Rook Squad and the rest were keeping the flank from breaking. In terms of efficiency the Babaika Lions were tearing enemies who were rushing at them.

“Keep in line, do not forward unless told!” Boris commanded. Shion Jin cleaved his way through everything while keeping Yumina in-check.

“Rook-1 incoming flier.”

Boris looked up. He maximized his bioshield and prepared for impact. A trooper shot the flier while a Supresser executed it. A Storm Vanguard rushed in for a kill and went back to formation.

Gaston operated the Sparrow and started targeting the low-level belua who are prone to cling to the soldiers. Because of the distortion happening from the SPARTICLE. The bioenergy readings around the lake increased.

Gaston was about to report when he felt another tearing. He pointed the camera of the Sparrow drone to the location and saw a TYPE class monster entering. Seeing the appearance of the monster. Gaston immediately issued a retreat command only for the Sparrow drone to malfunction. The mobile operating center short-circuited. Gaston activated the backup energy only for a sudden bio-blast to tear through the shielding.

Gaston elbowed the reinforced door before pushing with his shoulder. He spotted the TYPE 4 monster being held back by the Lancer Unit. Gaston punched the side of the mobile center, recovered the core and then put it aside. He took cover, recalled operating controls of his Sparrow and broadcasted.

“This is Vermell, the mobile center is neutralized. A Type-5 belua is near the Lake. Is anyone copying?”

There was only static. Gaston looked around and found a signal booster. He tore through the panel with his gloved hands, connected a wire on the internal battery and started it.

“This is Adjutant Hardy, Call-sign Vermell. Lake Sanaru is experiencing an influx of monsters. Bridge, do you copy?” He switched to a local channel. “This is Adjutant Hardy, identification code S18003. Do you copy?”

“Copying you Adjutant.”

“I need a signal boost. Repeating message. There is an influx of belua. Judging by the readings, it will become a storming event.”

“Sending.”

There was a moment. Gaston saw a blast coming. He swiped his left hand and shielded himself. His bioshield generation made a humming sound. Boris and the Rook Squad crippled the monster. The rest of the fighters in the lake took turns in butchering the monster.

“Message sent. Relaying channel.”

“This is BRIDGE CECIL. All units are to defend the defense lines. I repeat, all units are to defend the defense lines.”

Gaston was about to push his earpiece when his senses screamed. He ducked, and instinctively thrusted his right hand forward. There was someone who was holding an MF weapon shaped like a rod. The familiar garment and the tree inscribed on it made Gaston identify who the assailant was. There were four more who suddenly appeared around the vicinity. They were surrounded and from the looks of it, they were hoping to take out the mobile center and catch the group off-guard.

All eyes were on Gaston as he pulled his arm out of the cultist’s chest. He pushed the cultist down and the half-mask around his face was deployed. The exoskeleton he was wearing made red and dark static electricity.