Chapter 249: Killing Saburo
The execution of the Area Purification Protocol cleared the Ninja Century and all peripheral defenses with unstoppable efficiency.
Margaret and Maria piloted their steel giants over the smoking scorched earth and molten metal wreckage, finally arriving at the Arasaka main residence, a fusion of traditional and modern styles.
Under a full-power blast from the "Lancer's" Shock Lance, the main residence's alloy gates twisted and tore like paper, revealing the luxurious yet empty main hall inside.
"Scan indicates life signals concentrated deep underground," Maria reported. The "Punisher's" sensors penetrated layers of structure, locking onto an area protected by high-intensity energy fields.
"Find him. End the mission." Margaret was concise, piloting the "Lancer" to step into the building first.
The mech's heavy steps landed on the marble floor, emitting heart-palpitating booms. Wherever it passed, exquisite screens and antique furniture turned to dust under the metal feet.
Any loyal guards attempting a final resistance inside the building appeared laughable before the absolute size and firepower advantage of the Knight suits.
Armigers cleared every corner with precise shots, sweeping the path for the main Knights.
Following the scanned path, they forcibly breached one emergency blast door after another, finally arriving at a secret chamber deep underground, filled with various life-support equipment and monitoring screens.
In the center of the chamber, Saburo Arasaka, the old man who had ruled the Arasaka Empire for nearly a century, was sunk deep in a custom life-support chair.
Connected to countless tubes, his aged face looked exceptionally withered under the cold light of the instrument screens. Yet, in those sunken eye sockets, a stubborn and cold rage still burned.
He stared fixedly at the steel giant invading his final sanctuary, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something.
Margaret gave him no opportunity to leave last words or activate any unknown backup plan. The Sage's directive was clear and absolute—eliminate the target.
The "Lancer's" right arm raised, the tip of the Shock Lance aiming at the old man in the chair.
No shouting, no declaration, only cold, efficient execution.
Ghostly blue ion energy erupted instantly, swallowing the aged figure.
Extreme heat vaporized the life-support chair along with Saburo Arasaka within a split second, leaving not a trace behind. The soul of the Arasaka Empire was thoroughly annihilated here.
"Target eliminated," Margaret reported calmly in the channel.
"Target life signal disappearance confirmed," Maria verified synchronously.
However, the mission was not over. Joric's directive explicitly required precautions against Arasaka's potential "Soulkiller" technology to prevent consciousness upload.
"Next target: Arasaka Tower data center," Margaret issued the new command. "Destroy all data storage facilities."
Two Knight suits and six Armigers quickly withdrew from the structurally unstable Arasaka mansion, returning to the ground level of the estate, now reduced to ruins.
Their sensors turned in unison toward the center of Tokyo, where the towering Arasaka Tower remained striking amidst the night and firelight.
Just as Margaret and Maria left the estate ruins and stepped onto the broad main road leading to the city district, the dense roar of engines, sounding like rolling thunder, came from the distance.
On the horizon, a true army appeared.
The Arasaka Reaction Force—the regular army. After confirming the attack on the estate and especially the disappearance of Lord Saburo's life signal, the final reserves stationed around Tokyo were fully activated and poured out in full force.
These were no longer security forces limited to the estate or covert units for special missions, but the organized regular military units equipped with the most advanced weapons that the Arasaka Empire could mobilize on its core territory.
On the ground, sharp-lined Main Battle Tanks arranged in a wedge offensive formation. Iconic monocular sensors flashed red, electromagnetic turrets hummed low, and slender railgun barrels raised in unison, pointing at the mountain-like steel giants in the distance.
Heavy armored personnel carriers followed closely. Even before the hatches fully opened, the killing aura of the soldiers packed inside could be felt.
But what truly displayed their technological prowess was the shadow of death looming over the battlefield.
Several massive, ferociously styled "Hachiman" class heavy armed aerodynes hovered behind the battlefield like growling steel beasts. Their belly missile bays were wide open, and multi-barrel pulse laser turrets were charging, emitting despair-inducing energy fluctuations.
Surrounding them were small attack drones dense as a migrating flock of birds. Emitting high-frequency hums, they wove a three-dimensional net of fire in the air with elusive trajectories, ready to dive down for suicide attacks or unleash micro-munitions at any moment.
On the flanks of the ground forces, an unsettling unit was silently deploying—Arasaka's Bionic Robot Cluster, the latest to be put into actual combat.
They had thoroughly abandoned the human form, presenting pure slaughter configurations.
One type possessed a low, multi-legged chassis resembling a metal spider, climbing and leaping among ruins with astonishing stability, its mounted rotary cannon locking onto the distant steel giants.
The other type mimicked the streamlined structure of a cheetah. The quadrupedal body displayed explosive sprinting speed, and the individual missile launchers on its back were ready to fire.
The movement of these mechanical creations carried inhuman precision and synchronization. Optical camouflage distorted their outlines slightly in the air when activated.
With efficiency and coordination far exceeding human soldiers, they spread rapidly along both sides of the street like a deadly metallic tide. Cold sensor arrays constantly scanned the defensive formation of the Knight suits, trying to find frequency weaknesses in the shield systems or structural vulnerabilities.
This was the ultimate manifestation of Arasaka's domestic defense system in Tokyo—a destructive force fusing heavy armor, three-dimensional firepower, and intelligent mechanical clusters. Its firepower was sufficient to turn the core area of a modern metropolis into scorched earth in an extremely short time.
"Large-scale enemy force approach detected. Scale—far exceeds previous encounters." Maria's voice carried a trace of gravity. Despite her confidence in the Knight suit, facing such a massive torrent of steel, the pressure remained.
"Maintain formation, continue advance." Margaret's command remained steady, as if what faced them was merely a slightly larger storm. "Armiger units, protect the flanks. Maria, prioritize clearing aerial threats and heavy armor."
"Understood!"
The battle erupted in an instant.
The Arasaka army had evidently received a death order. Without any warning, the first volley arrived.
In a flash, the area where Margaret and Maria stood was thoroughly swallowed by continuous explosions and soaring pillars of fire. Scorching heat waves rolled, and shrapnel and shockwaves tore madly at the air.
However, this saturation attack, sufficient to destroy an army, only stirred up more violent, denser energy ripples upon hitting the Knight suits' pale blue Ion Shields.
The shields flickered steadily, deflecting and absorbing all attacks, like a reef standing immovable in a storm.
The "Lancer" didn't even stop its steps. Margaret's exquisite piloting skills were displayed vividly at this moment.
She controlled the mech to evade with minimal amplitude, always letting the ion shield meet the fiercest attacks at the optimal angle. Although her energy readings fluctuated, they maintained within safe thresholds.
The "Punisher" then began its performance.
Maria stabilized her frame, and the Punisher Bolter Cannon let out a dull, continuous roar.
With every bolt fired, a tank turret in the distance was blown off, or an APC turned into a ball of fire.
The six Armiger mechs fought equally hard.
They formed a mobile defensive line, using laser cannons and heavy stubbers to precisely clear infantry and light vehicles attempting to close in.
Although their individual shields were not as powerful as the main Knight suits, they appeared more than capable when facing conventional small arms and man-portable rocket launchers.
The battle seemed to present a one-sided crush.
(End of Chapter)