Gaston adjusted his tie. He walked the main deck of the air carrier while keeping his legs steady. Janna hailed him. She sat on a black crate while trying to eat a snack. The explosions in the background made her look peculiar. Indifferent to the noises around her.

“You have time.”

“I have time, Gaston. What else can we do when they are saturating the place? Good job on getting the Constable out. Now every country has every right to be afraid of what may happen here. Don’t tell me you actually loved to be part of whatever it is happening around there?”

She took a bite of her snack. Gaston motioned her to scoot over and twisted his butt on the crate as well.

“That’s not what we are here for. Besides, I’ve gone all the way past my contract. I’m supposed to be the third-party for the Consortium and this Company.”

“And you went the extra mile.”

She thumped her shoulder. Gaston leaned on his thighs and looked at the distant explosions. Behind the clouds there was the sight of a giant belua, locally named as a Kaiju attacking fighters and Breakers.

“One hell of a fight.”

“We could join in. But that would not be going to our pay at all.”

She leaned her forearm on his shoulder. Gaston glanced at her and sighed.

“Indeed, it will not. When did the young us who clamored about saving the world go?”

“It died. They died the moment we understood that we need cash more than heroics. Look at you, so hardworking.”

Gaston stared at his palm. His hands produced electricity. Janna took another bite of her snack.

“You met the bitch?”

“Who?”

“Guess you didn’t. She was probably looking for bounties. Hoping to meet again and get her hips and legs weakened.”

“That so?’

Janna snorted. Gaston kneaded the back of his neck. He swung his right foot and then stomped it hard, making a loud sound.

“You dented it.”

“It can't be helped.”

Gaston pulled on his tie again. Janna finished her snack and took another one from her satchel.

“Wow, you could share.”

“Nope. I’m quite hungry.”

“You think that they’ll demand more of us after this?”

“Don’t think so. Unless the Lady wants to mess with two bloodthirsty Exemplars who could easily sell what they learn to others for a ticket exchange to Mars.”

“And then get blacklisted by every Breaker Company.”

“Haha, there’s that too.”

“They really aren’t holding out. These fuckers don’t want to think or care about whose land they razing.”

“The cult is dangerous. And whatever it is they are gathering energy for. It is no longer up to us.”

Gaston felt like he had contributed. Even if the world loses to the Cult this time. He felt like it was not his fault. He had done everything he could. It was originally their job in the first place. He was simply a freelancer working as an adjutant. If he wanted to be a Breaker Mercenary, he would have done that instead.

“That it is. Remember what Mestre used to teach us?”

Gaston thought back to the old Master. He was a lonesome man who had preferred simple things. His house only had a table to welcome guests and he had a clay stove where he would pick up wood.

He was a good man who climbed up mountains to harvest herbs and lived a simple life. The one thing that Gaston admired about him was that he was a peaceful man. And yet beyond that peaceful demeanor of his. He also let others know that he could break them with his bare hands. It was that humble strength that made him respected.

“He was a good man. A good man who managed to keep everyone… at least long enough alive.”

He saw the Mestre take on the beasts. He saw how a single man with his calm demeanor broke the monsters with his martial weapons. If that same Mestre could have the powers of a breaker. What would he do?

He would break.

But even that Mestre knew that monsters needed breaking.

Gaston had guessed that somehow he was able to become an Exemplar instead and perhaps even with that surge of power. He spent it protecting them. How else would two kids who did not know anything could survive during that storm?

Gaston recalled the painful memory. The Mestre placed both of his palms on their heads. Telling them that with only a calm heart and a clear head that they could survive.

After that they were in a military academy. Taught how to survive the world that had ended. It was a long time ago. But that image never left their heads.

“Well, Mestre would be happy that his students are so non-violent when it comes to others. Then again, we are also letting others do the job for us. But everyone has a role to play, and our role is to keep still.”

“As the world breaks itself?”

“Yes,” Gaston answered. He pulled on his gloves. The wind ruffled his hair.

Aerial Vehicles left the carrier. Fighter planes rushed to the location of the monsters breaking the world. He noticed that the crate they were sitting at had quite a view of the land.

Behold the people of the world protecting a foreign land. Not caring if they burned it to the ground in the process. They clawed the lands with fire. They burned the very air. Those who could command the ichor around them and in them fought.

The calm indifference.

The uncaring desire.

It was only right for him.

There was no need to have control over anything. The world doesn’t turn around on its own and if the people of the world could not protect the world they lived on and rely only on one.

Then what was the point? Trust them to defend the world. Gaston found it strange that there would be others who are willing to fight immediately.

After all, if those who fought first were defeated. Then who’d be left to defend if they fail? Gaston held no desire to fight so often and in the past days he had been out of his comfort zone.

An Adjutant must remain as an Adjutant. He wasn’t paid to fight and kill. He was paid to communicate with two parties.

The two watched the view before leaving for the bridge. Gaston took a seat in one of the vacant spots while Janna stood on the side holding on to an airphone. The Bridge Command of the Babaika Lion’s was certainly advanced. The Handlers and Operators on the bridge managed the squads and groups that were assigned to clear the storming events and take out the TYPE monsters and the NAMED ones that appeared.

Janna leaned on the panel while keeping an eye on the Red Valkyrie and Jakob’s team.

“You are their handler now?”

“You may not like it, but I am quite a far better operator than you. I worked for UEDF, remember?”

“Oh, I do.”

Gaston tuned in to the signal of the Rook Squad. Boris led his rookies to destroy TYPE 1-2’s and keep the shelters safe. On Janna’s side she was constantly informing the Red Valkyrie and her team on the opponents coming their way.

Gaston followed Rook Squad with the sparrow drone. He scanned the bio signatures. The Rook Squad followed a more traditional operation unlike the other Breakers who made use of their powers to break the shell of the monsters. The bio-energy generator on their left forearm and the bioshield around their waist kept them alive as the ichor from the bodies of the monsters tained the land.

“Bio-energy meters are rising exponentially. Chubu, Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu-Okinawa have started to experience a transmutation event. I repeat. Chubu, Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu-Okinawa have started experiencing a transmutation event.”

“BEHEMOTH class is opening fire. I repeat BEHEMOTH class ‘Kaiju’ is firing.”

On the left Gaston saw how the BEHEMOTH opened its pores on its back and fired four superheated energies that melted a city.

“Kamakura has been neutralized. The defenses of Kamakura have been neutralized. Estimating Breaker and Mercenaries casualties. All squads near Kamakura are ordered to retreat. Sending out VTOL to extract squads from Kamakura.”

“San'ya is experiencing unusual amounts of ichor. Cultists have been sighted in its area. There… are four hundred confirmed cultists attacking San'ya. I repeat. All squads in San'ya are to observe from a distance.”

“The Yamato’s Defense force stationed in Chubu has been decimated. I repeat. Chubu’s Yamato Defense Force has been neutralized. The JSDF is commencing a saturating run. All forces of Chubu are requested to evacuate the area. I repeat.”

“The Kaiju has entered a berserk state. Captain Jakob is currently pinned down by the Sitra Ahra Cult. The Red Valkyrie has been isolated and is now facing enemies with the same levels of bio-energy. All units are advised to stay away from the location of the Red Valkyrie.”

Janna leaned on her other arm.

“Looks like they are having time.”

“Everyone is,” Gaston said calmly. “From the start the Sitra Ahra Cult has always been one step ahead from everyone. They thought of the Cult as a joke. A neutral faction that did not interfere with the world. They did not show intent. And because they were invisible that their plans were invisible to others as well.

And when they showed their fangs. They bite hard. Gaston had heard of the Cult and had seen cultists. But the techno-cult of the Sitra Ahra was advanced.

He thought that it was not a surprise that they were winning. That they were succeeding on whatever it was they were doing. Gaston had a gist of what they were doing. Nevertheless, he thought to himself again that he had no control over this.

Even if he did know. What could have been done? It was already good enough that Constable Yu had been retrieved. If anything the true cause of this was thinking that the Cult was not a threat at all.

And now every citizen of this nation. No, the citizens of the world were getting a reminder that not everything was so calm. That the surface was still at the mercy of those who held malice and the world itself.

Gaston could hear it. The cries of an already dead world crying out in pain. The operators who wore professional demeanors were cracking. Those who were staring at the monitors held on to their trembling hands. Those who listened to the continuous reports calmed themselves by busying themselves.

Gaston remained steady. He did not find his hands shaking. He continued on scanning the Rook Squad while keeping them alive. Inaction meant nothing in times like these. What good would it do if he felt scared now? He eyed Janna and saw her assisting the Red Valkyrie. They met eyes. She nodded and continued on doing what she could for the Red Valkyrie.

Inaction itself was evil.

The indifference that they showed towards the cult had finally shown its result. The cult that had repeatedly shown their cunning and competence. The cult that had time again and again disregarded everyone as they kept themselves hidden from the world.

Scheming until they had laid out their plans. Laying a good foundation and keeping their cards hidden from everyone. Now that they showed their cards and revealed themselves.

Gaston truly wasn’t surprised that they were succeeding. From the first place, even if those who knew had tried to get rid of them. The fact that they are doing so much damage meant that they did better. It was not about whether they did something right or wrong. It was about how hard they tried to win

And the one winning right now was the cult. The one losing hard was the citizens of the world who had failed to truly see the harm that these cultists could do to them.

The monsters were winning.