anwhile, at the train station in Yokohama City, within the Dungeon world.
"Shoot him dead, God Gun!"
Kaguya Shinomiya's long sword snapped forward, extending like a spear as it pierced straight through an enemy wearing a mobile unit combat uniform. The mont the blade withdrew, she retreated behind the corner wall again.
Bang!
Almost the instant she took cover, the spot she had been standing in was shredded by a storm of bullets. Concrete dust and fragnts burst from the floor and walls, scattering across the corridor.
"Damn it…"
Kaguya rarely let emotion show on her face, but now she couldn't help cursing under her breath.
She glanced at Fujiwara Chika and Hayasaka Ai beside her. Her red eyes flickered, as if she'd just made up her mind.
"Help distract them. I need to use that ability."
"Okay."
Hayasaka Ai nodded. She reached into her pocket and took out a delicate little puppet. With careful hands, she set it on the ground.
The puppet expanded rapidly. Its shape stretched, its contours shifting as if molded by invisible fingers, until it beca Kaguya Shinomiya.
Then it dashed out from behind the corner.
Bang!
The dozen or so Abyss Man Counterasures Bureau mobile unit mbers instantly aid and fired at the moving "Kaguya."
Under that concentrated gunfire, the puppet was torn apart in seconds, riddled with holes like a sieve.
But at the mont it collapsed, a dazzling light detonated from within its body.
Boom!
The mobile unit mbers instinctively looked away from the blinding white flash, their shooting halting for a brief, precious gap.
That was all Kaguya needed.
The real Kaguya stepped out from cover. Her long sword transford in her hands, reshaping into a long bow. She drew the string back to its limit.
A shimring arrow of energy ford instantly.
"Bow and Arrow of the Hundred Ard Giant!"
The arrow shot forward.
It carried a terrifying fluctuation that made the air itself feel scorched. The space it passed through warped, heat rippling like a mirage.
When it reached the mobile unit, the world seed to pause.
No sound.
Only a rapidly expanding sphere of light that swallowed everything in its path.
The mobile unit mbers were lted in an instant. The surrounding walls and ground followed, liquefying like spring snow under a rciless sun.
Bang!!
Two or three seconds later, the station finally caught up to reality. The entire structure shuddered as a roar like an explosion rolled through the air.
"Kaguya!"
Hayasaka Ai reacted imdiately. She grabbed Kaguya and pulled her back, supporting her before she could fall.
Kaguya's red eyes had dimd, dulled by the massive ntal energy drain. Hayasaka's expression tightened with worry and a faint ache.
"Are you okay?"
"Mm… I'm fine."
Kaguya tried to straighten and pull away from Hayasaka's support, but she couldn't summon any strength. Her voice dropped, quiet and strained.
"I didn't expect to use that skill this early in the Dungeon. My plan was flawed. The official agencies in this world responded much faster than I imagined. They sealed the station before we even arrived…"
"Don't talk about that now."
Fujiwara Chika, usually cheerful and carefree with a smile glued to her face, was dead serious for once.
"Hayasaka, carry Kaguya. We're leaving."
Chika's eyes swept the station, sharp and alert.
"We can't go back into the city. We go along the tracks and enter the mountains nearby. Buy Kaguya ti to rest."
"Okay."
Kaguya's pride scread against being carried, but she had no choice.
After using Bow and Arrow of the Hundred Ard Giant, her ntal energy and stamina had been drained to the edge. Fighting was impossible. Walking was barely possible.
So she climbed onto Hayasaka Ai's back.
As Hayasaka carried her into the shadows beyond the station, Kaguya silently reviewed her mistake.
After entering the Dungeon, the three of them had also encountered agents from the Abyss Man Counterasures Bureau. Through interrogation and threats, they learned that the Abyss Man Research Institute base was in Chiba Prefecture.
Like Asagiri, Kaguya chose to take the train. It was the fastest way to conserve stamina and reach Chiba.
The sa choice.
Completely different outco.
There were two fundantal reasons.
First, Asagiri's team had Kato gumi. With Phantom's presence reduction, the four of them could slip past station guards and board cleanly.
Second…
Kaguya's team wasn't fast enough.
Before the Counterasures Bureau began its official search operation, Kind Mita's hacking had already narrowed down the research base's location. After encountering agents, Asagiri used Crazy Mita's exclusive ability to pull data directly from their phones, then imdiately headed to Tokyo's station.
He wasted no ti.
Kaguya, Hayasaka, and Chika had to interrogate and threaten agents to extract information. That delay was enough.
By the ti they reached Yokohama station, the Counterasures Bureau had already recognized the threat these suspicious individuals posed. They deployed fully ard mobile units to defend key locations like train stations.
The team of Kaguya Shinomiya, Hayasaka Ai, and Fujiwara Chika was indeed one of the strongest Player teams at this stage.
But Hayasaka Ai had only just beco a Player.
And this was her first Dungeon.
As for Asagiri, Yuuki Asuna, Iwanaga Kotoko, and Kato gumi…
Whether in individual strength, coordination, or Dungeon clearing experience, that four person team was undoubtedly the strongest.
…
A little later, in a high rise building in Chiba City, inside a room that resembled a war room.
"Mr. Tozaki!"
A subordinate in a suit burst through the door, breathing hard.
The white haired man seated at the head of the room, wearing a white suit and glasses, frowned. He didn't scold the interruption. He simply asked, voice calm but edged.
"Have you caught those four Abyss n?"
"N no… not yet…"
The subordinate shook his head, fear leaking into his voice.
"The mobile units we stationed at the train platform… have all lost contact…"
"What? Lost contact?!"
Tozaki Yu's face changed. He slamd his palm onto the table and stood up.
"Were they wiped out? How is that possible? Did they send anything before going silent?"
"Yes, but…"
The subordinate swallowed and answered carefully.
"The on site commander reported they were preparing to launch an assault… and then there was nothing after that."
"They lost contact without even reporting the target?" Tozaki muttered, disbelief written across his face.
"How can a mobile unit not even have ti to send a situation report before being erased…"
His eyes tightened.
"They were only four Abyss n. How could this happen…"
"Um, Mr. Tozaki…"
The subordinate hesitated, then forced the words out.
"The mobile unit at Yokohama station… has also lost contact."
For a mont, Tozaki Yu went still, as if the repeated shocks had numbed him.
"Heh… Yokohama too."
His gaze sharpened, mind racing.
"Could it be that Hat guy… No. Even he couldn't wipe out a mobile unit that quickly."
"And this happened in two places…"
He took a slow breath.
"Did we capture any suspected Abyss Man targets?"
"Yes, we did, but…"
The subordinate's voice faltered.
"After we killed them, they didn't revive. The agents on site concluded they were not Abyss n."
"Not Abyss n…"
Tozaki's brow furrowed deeper. He stared at the tabletop, silent for dozens of seconds, the room holding its breath with him.
Then his eyes lifted.
"Suspend all pursuit of suspected Abyss Man targets for now."
His voice was low, decisive.
"We can't keep letting agents die for nothing. Transfer the most elite and experienced mobile units from every city to the area around the research base."
He clenched his fist.
"Based on their route, those people are likely heading for the research base. We cannot let them succeed."
He looked straight at his subordinate.
"Strengthen the base defenses. The Abyss Man we finally captured with great difficulty must not be taken from us."
…
On the other side, within the mountain forest of Chiba Prefecture.
"The general situation of this Dungeon is clear now."
Asagiri leaned against a large tree, facing Yuuki Asuna and the others. His voice was steady, controlled.
"A little over ten days ago in this world, a high school student nad Nagai Kei was involved in a traffic accident."
He paused, letting the key point land.
"And he revived in front of everyone, exposing his identity as an Abyss Man."
"There was no news report, but the reality is this," Asagiri continued. "He has been captured and taken to the research base. The Anti Demi Human Special Operations Group is using him as material for scientific experints."
Iwanaga Kotoko nodded, expression unreadable.
"Then how strong is the research base's defense?"
"Too difficult to brute force."
Asagiri answered without hesitation.
"They call it a research base, but it's basically a military fortress. Security is tight, and the route to the core area is blocked by multiple tal doors."
His eyes narrowed.
"Doors that even bombs can't budge."
He continued calmly.
"And we still don't know where the experintal data is. Even if we did know the route, we wouldn't be able to reach it reliably."
Then, suddenly, Asagiri changed the topic.
He looked at Kotoko, Kato, and Yuuki Asuna. A faint smile surfaced, sharp and confident.
"However…"
"I already know what will happen in twenty hours that will let us break through the research base's defenses."
.....
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