Chapter 247: Tokyo Raid
The massive impact sounds and ground tremors instantly triggered the Arasaka Estate's most sensitive intrusion alarms.
Ear-piercing sirens tore through the night sky. Searchlights throughout the estate snapped on, beams sweeping across the landing zone like sharp swords.
"Multiple weapon locks detected! Enemy defense systems active!" Maria's voice rang out in the family's encrypted channel, carrying the tension of imminent combat.
"Proceed as planned." Margaret's cool and firm voice immediately took over, assuming the role of on-site commander. "I'll open the breach. Maria, cover the right flank with your fire, suppress their heavy weapons. Armiger units, follow my advance route, sweep infantry, and clear fixed emplacements along the way."
"Understood, sister!" Maria's response carried eager excitement.
"Lancer, advance!" Margaret declared, simultaneously piloting her mech to stand up abruptly.
The Ion Gauntlet Shield on her left arm activated instantly, forming a translucent blue barrier protecting the front of the mech.
The Shock Lance in her right hand emitted a low hum, its tip beginning to gather ghostly blue destructive energy.
"Punisher, commencing purification!" Maria's mech also rose with a boom. The barrels of the Punisher Gatling Cannon began to spin rapidly, preheating with a heart-palpitating sound. The Tempest Warblade held in her other arm also activated, energy fields hissing along the blade's edge.
In the eyes of the Arasaka guards, their forms were undoubtedly bizarre and terrifying.
The retro knightly style combined with massive steel bodies exuded an oppressive feeling alien to the technology of this era.
The first wave of attacks came from automated defense turrets.
Several laser turrets and heavy machine gun turrets hidden in the landscape turned their aim. Streams of scorching bullets and high-energy lasers instantly poured onto the newly risen mechs.
However, whether armor-piercing rounds or lasers, striking the pale blue ion shields of the Knight suits only stirred up circles of violent ripples before being deflected or absorbed, unable to shake them in the slightest.
Occasionally, attacks that slipped through hit the main armor, leaving only slight scorch marks without causing effective damage.
The generational gap in technology was displayed vividly in this moment.
"Counterattack!" Margaret shouted low. The "Lancer" began to take heavy strides, charging toward the estate's core area.
The Shock Lance in her hand thrust out fiercely. It was not physical contact, but a condensed ion beam that sprayed forth, instantly crossing a hundred meters to precisely hit a laser turret firing madly ahead.
BOOM! The turret exploded violently under the impact of ion energy, turning into a ball of burning scrap iron.
At the same time, Maria's "Punisher" opened fire.
The Punisher Gatling Cannon let out a dull roar. A string of high-explosive shells covered several defensive positions and a watchtower on the right flank like raindrops of death.
Continuous explosions turned that area into a sea of fire. The guards inside were torn to shreds before they could even scream.
The six Armiger mechs were like agile cheetahs, closely following the flanks of the main Knights.
Using their equipped light laser cannons and heavy stubbers, they precisely picked off Arasaka soldiers popping up from cover or destroyed teams attempting to fire anti-tank missiles.
Although their firepower was less than the Knight suits, it was more than enough to deal with infantry and light vehicles.
The defensive forces of the Arasaka Estate reacted quickly. More and more soldiers poured out, mixed with elite units equipped with advanced cyberware and weapons.
Several "Onimusha" power armors rushed out of the garage, raising heavy weapons in an attempt to block the advance.
But all this appeared so futile before the Knight suits.
Margaret's "Lancer" charged like a true knight. Her ion shield deflected all attacks, and her Shock Lance thrusted or swept. Every attack was accompanied by the explosion of an "Onimusha" or the collapse of a fortification.
Her movements were precise and efficient, carrying a cold beauty.
Maria's "Punisher" held steady in the rear, using the gatling cannon for suppression fire. Any enemy attempting to gather or build a defensive line turned into dust under her cannon fire.
Occasionally, enemies who broke through the barrage to get close were met with lethal slashes from the Tempest Warblade.
The battle presented a one-sided trend from the start.
Arasaka's meticulously arranged outer defense lines were torn apart as easily as paper before the absolute power and defense of the Knight suits.
The steel giants took unstoppable strides, advancing step by step toward the depths of the estate, toward the core building protected by layers of defense.
Tokyo, this "Kingdom" Arasaka had operated for over a century, was now being trampled by iron hooves from another world.
Firelight reddened the night sky. Explosions and the roar of collapsing buildings replaced the tranquility of the past.
A devastating strike against the heart of the Arasaka Empire had officially begun.
Arasaka Estate Core Area, Underground Command Center.
Ear-piercing alarms and scenes of destruction transmitted from external surveillance made the atmosphere here heavy to the extreme.
The aged Saburo Arasaka did not appear at the command seat. He remained in a deeper safe room, sustained by life support systems.
But his will was clearly conveyed via encrypted communication to the commander responsible for the estate's defense, and to a force directly under his personal command—the most mysterious and powerful Ninja Century.
"Enemy—unknown large-scale mecha units! Outer defense lines completely ineffective! Repeat, completely ineffective!" An intelligence officer reported with a trembling voice. On the main screen, dots representing defensive nodes were extinguishing at an astonishing speed.
The commander's face was ashen. He couldn't understand why the company database held absolutely no record of such terrifying weapons.
Where did they come from? How could they break through layers of defense so easily?
"Activate 'Shadow' Protocol." Saburo Arasaka's hoarse and icy voice came through the comms channel, devoid of any emotional fluctuation. "Stop them from approaching the Sanctum at all costs."
"Hai!" The commander bowed to accept the order, then turned to an independent communication channel. "Ninja Century, mobilize! Target: intruder mechs! Authorization to use all means granted!"
The moment the order was given, ghostly figures began to emerge from the shadows within the estate—under the eaves of faux-ancient buildings, and even from within the artificial landscapes of rockeries and water systems.
They were starkly different from ordinary Arasaka soldiers.
Their bodies were covered in matte black armor, streamlined designs maximizing profile reduction and reflection minimization.
They moved silently, like true shadows, yet with astonishing speed, clearly equipped with top-tier Sandevistan cyberware.
The weapons they held were varied, but all were high-tech armaments designed for assassination and armor penetration: high-frequency blades, thermal katanas, monowires, specialized armor-piercing shuriken, and special devices capable of emitting EMP pulses.
This was Saburo Arasaka's personal guard, the Ninja Century—a product combining ancient ninja arts with modern top-tier cyberware technology.
Every one of them was a master of slaughter, one in ten thousand, proficient in stealth, assassination, sabotage, and electronic warfare.
Over the past decades, they had successfully thwarted countless assassination attempts against Saburo Arasaka. They were the last and most solid barrier of the Arasaka Empire.
(End of Chapter)