The VTOL hovered above the city of Tokyo. A smoldering ruin that was once filled with lights. Gaston thought back to when he came into this Capital. A city filled with a myriad of light turned into this otherworldly flesh-infested hellhole.

Gaston sat on the cargo hold while keeping his eyes. When the VTOL reached the fortified area. He saw the BEHEMOTH-class being surrounded by a capture grid. Gaston looked down. He saw Janna leaping up and extending her hand. Gaston grabbed hold of her forearm and lifted her to a hold. She sniffed. Placed both of her hands on her hips. She adjusted the magnetic sheath on her back and snorted.

“I need a bath.”

“Yeah, you smell like shit.”

She looked at Gaston. Her eyes are weary. Her shoulders were sagged and she eyed the BEHEMOTH.

“You look like shit. Heard what happened in the comms.”

“Can’t be helped. I almost died, you know?”

“What do you think? Of all this?”

“It’s troublesome,” Gaston commented. “I’m not getting paid enough to do this kind of shit. Both of us aren’t being paid well-enough.”

“Views like this makes me think that maybe our dream isn’t so bad, Gato. A two-story apartment. And a view from above. Makes you think that we’re sane. Saner and smarter than the folks who wanted to stay on this planet.”

“Only if the fee ain’t so bad.”

Janna stayed silent. Gaston stayed in the cargo holder’s ramp until it landed. The two of them went to the supply hold and got themselves refitted. Gaston removed his favorite suit and wore a combat suit instead.

“I don’t like you wearing that.”

“I agree with you. I do this job because it is easy and I don’t have to fight and yet,” he adjusted his belt. “We still are fighting hard. Doing things that aren't in our paygrade. I hate this, really.”

Janna nodded. She approached Gaston and adjusted the suit. She circled around him and inspected the exoskeleton deployed on his boy.

“All good here. Still, why are you fighting?”

“Because they need me to confirm that they are dead. Once that’s done my job is to relay info on Ayumi to quickly register the resources to the name of the Babaika Lions.”

Janna swung her buster sword.

“They are making you do hard work.”

“I’m a damn freelancer, Janna. I don’t like being used as a combat personnel. I’m not competent enough for this.”

Janna snorted at him. She led the way and went to the mobile center. Without the blood and the smell of carnage around her. She had tied her hair to a ponytail. Her well-defined, curvaceous, fit body made the suit of hers stick well to her body. The same could be said to the broad-shouldered, tall, and muscular limbed Gaston had who didn’t lose out to the fit and well-built Breakers who were readying to fight.

They didn’t have time to socialize. Gaston and Janna went to their station and prepared themselves for quite a haul. It was then that Janna spotted a familiar figure looking at them. She stared at the woman for a long time before signaling with her eyes full of killing intent to leave them be.

Gaston looked in the direction and saw no one. He wondered for a moment what Janna was looking at before leaving. They went to a podium where an automatic broadcast system was relaying information. While they were finally connected, the channel they were connected to briefed them about the situation.

The nationwide attack against this country is made by international individuals of different races. After a unanimous decision the Sitra Ahra Cult became an Extremist Organization that had malicious intent. They are techno-rapturists who declared in their manifesto that they desire their end.

“Those who intend to block our goals shall be met with furious retaliation.”

Their manifesto said. It was arrogant. Full of confidence and yet Gaston knew that it wasn’t an unfounded one. He had seen what they could do. How they operate and how they reach their goals. They were a dangerous organization with tricks that are highly important.

Gaston could guess that many of the nations here wanted to know their secret. The technology that they possess and the ability to transport a giant object through the split-realm.

He wasn’t that naïve to think that they are doing to ‘secure’ and ‘protect’ this land. If anything they just want something out of this after the trouble that these cultists have made them go through.

The channels switched. Janna and Gaston waited for orders while keeping watch at the perimeters of the area. The KAIJU that had its scalp area split apart was visible. It was hard to tell which area they were after the destruction of the city.

On the side of the fortified area. Gaston saw men and women unearthing buried shelters. Most of them were wearing oxygen masks with filters. Next to the unearthed shelters are carcass wagons where they bag the dead. Although they were moving into the destination of the push. They know it too well with the recent information. That there are other places that might get hit. Many believed that this was only the first among many. Japan’s technological might and development is first-class. The fact that this nation held on despite the multiple-storming events and two BEHEMOTH-class attacking it is more impressive than tragic. Not to mention that they were besieged by deluded and irrational rebel cultists who are aiming to turn the world around them into their ideal world.

Profits and ideal worlds.

He was sick of fighting. No matter what he thought to himself that nothing can convince him otherwise.

Gaston remained motionless without a single crease on his face. His eyes remained calm. He stared at the mechanized units and the split-realm ships tearing through the in-between.

“Let’s go,” Janna thumped his shoulder and headed to where they were going to be deployed. Then she turned around and raised a single finger. “Tear them apart for once.”

Gaston stopped and stared at her seriously.

“Is that an order?”

“That it is. Don’t die here, Gato.”

“I can say the same.”

***

They were conjuring some sort of ichor-based machine as its protective shield. Each machine releases an unknown defensive weapon that prevents the main forces from flanking or attacking directly.

This weapon comes in the form of hand-sized bolts that attack, deflects, and defends. It was an all-round weapon that could intercept weapons. It resembles an iron dome system, but far terrifying in a way that it could simultaneously defend and attack.

Gaston noticed that these weapons were installed on the defense grids. They took the defenses and made it their own with improvements on it. From the looks of it they made it modular. Allowing it to be installed in the grid around the area they were holding up.

From the data that Gaston had received. They were trying to unearth a new technology protected in one of the safest vaults in Tokyo. It was a vault that could withstand the hammer of god, a nuclear blast, and even the mouth blast of a BEHEMOTH-class firing a concentrated blast of ichorium energy.

Most of the battles were an exchange of gunfire and sparticle-blasts. The Lancer Units were deploying mortar rounds constantly on the center while the rest of the units that came to support the JSDF in the area had deployed artillery cannons that were hitting the flanks of the area.

The area they were protecting was once the Japan National Stadium. It became a defense grid relay years ago, but there were still a lot of spaces where they occurred. They were naturally defended with their forces strategically placed all over the arena.

The area was a no-fly zone. The anti-air capability of the Cultists inside the arena was no joke. When one of the JASDF planes tried to drop a cluster bomb. It was shot down by a mounted railgun that burned the fuel of the jet, causing it to plummet on the Koshu-Kaido Avenue.

Even the VTOl and Split-realm Ships were not allowed to enter the airspace until they had permission to do so. The thing is that there was a total area 3.88 square kilometers that they were fighting on.

Behind them was Chiyoda. The forces occupied the Imperial Palace. Most of the troops were fortifying the Hanzōmon Gate. There was a distance of 2.74 km that they needed to cross if they wanted to reach the stadium. The best path to take for the troops was to make a beeline for the Akasaka imperial property. The area was reduced to rubble. There was also a sniper nest on Minami Motomachi that made it impossible for ground units to cross without suffering casualties.

On the Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue there was a defense fortification where the cultists were scattered around Meiji-Jingū Gaien.

Aerial recons before they were down noticed that there were similar devices, found in Lake Sanaru on Sakura Baseball Field. From the footage that Sparrows have recorded and dug from the CCTV cameras around this area. They were using the baseball field as a supply point.

Most of the battles are happening in Motoakasaka. The techno-cult has dug in. The forces in Hanzōmon Gate were unable to advance because of the STORMING event happening in Akasaka and Roppongi.

The JSDF and the YDF have been able to contain the situation in Roppongi, but from the communication channels Gaston could tell that Akasaka has become a nest and the forces there were barely holding back the wave of split-realm abominations.

“The monsters here are surging in.”

Janna handed a data feed of the belua entering through a space tear in Akasaka. There were Breakers who were not affiliated to any Company taking care of streets.

“These fools are still streaming?”

“They are. We’ve somewhat made sure that they aren’t when inside this area. Everything gets blocked since we don’t want the enemy figuring out what we are trying to do. And they somewhat understand who are the ‘bad guys’ this time.”

“Bullshit. These clout-chasing bastards won’t be able to resist talking about where they are.”

“There are reasons why we aren’t letting them in this area.”

Gaston adjusted his exoskeleton before taking out his MF-weapon. He changed the form of his pistol into that of a hiltless sword. He held the sword in front of him before holstering the pistol.

“This is SPARROW, are you copying?”

“This is Adjutant Hardy, I’m copying you, SPARROW.”

“Enemy movements coming from Yotsuya and Ichigaya. OVERLORD is requesting reinforcements in the following UTM coordinates.”

“That’s a negative, SPARROW. BRIDGE CECIL wants us to standby while Akasaka is experiencing an infestation. Can you divert any forces?”

“Negative. There is no ground unit to spare. We require the assistance of the Babaika Lions.”

Gaston switched channels.

“Is that an order?”

“It is. We will now demand the Babaika Lions to follow this demand. Of course, the Babaika Lions can reject this request and the contract will end. They will be issued a warning. You will not be penalized. Though expect reprimands for not doing your duty.”

“Just tell it to me straight, Ayumi.”

“We need them to hold back while the Lancer Units and a Fireteam will be dropped in Kitaaoyama to detonate the devices in the baseball field. We will use this chance to push an assault and we demand the Babaika Lions to do this.”

Gaston looked around.

“Copy that, SPARROW.”

Gaston switched channels.

“This is Adjutant Hardy, Identification Code S10003, Callsign Vermell. Requesting reinforcements in the following UTM coordinates. I repeat to all Babaika Lions. According to the contract signed between the Company, the Earthside Consortium, and the Ministry OF Defense. The Babaika Lions are now to be sent to the following UTM coordinates.”

It was a demand that came straight from the Earthside Consortium, and the Ministry OF Defense. A demand to defend the area in hopes that they could reach the goal for themselves.