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PART I — Arrival at the Crater of Death
Sector 59 was gone.
Where homes once stood, there were now craters.
Where roads existed, there were now trenches deep enough to swallow an apartment block.
The sky itself seemed torn by dust and lightning.
And in the very center of the devastation…
Ragnar Vermis writhed like a living mountain.
A titanic worm, plated with obsidian chitin that reflected firelight.
Acid dripped from its rows of fangs.
Every time it moved, the ground boomed like artillery.
The first Slayer dropship tore through the clouds.
Aiden, Fushiguro, and Adolf watched from their evacuation transport, staring out the window in horrified silence.
Aiden whispered:
> Aiden: "I've never… seen something so big."
Adolf: "If that thing sneezes, an entire block disappears…"
Fushiguro: "Please tell me we're not fighting it."
The Slayers, however, had no room for fear.
The moment the dropships hit the ground, they deployed into formation.
At the front stood Director Helena Voss, cloak whipping in the wind, her visor projecting tactical grids across the battlefield.
Behind her:
Lady Eve drew her twin katanas, their edges steaming faintly.
Samurai activated his exosuit boosters.
Squad Valkyrie, experts in aerial weaponry, armed their rail-platform drones.
Squad Tempest, known for heavy artillery, set up mortars and anti-chitin cannons.
Everyone braced.
Because Ragnar Vermis roared.
The sound alone shattered windows half a kilometer away.
---
PART II — The Strategy of Helena Voss
The Slayers regrouped behind fallen rubble as Director Voss mapped out the battlefield.
A hologram of Ragnar Vermis spun above her wrist console.
> Voss:
"Do NOT approach it at close range.
Its acid, bite radius, and subterranean burst will annihilate anything nearby."
She marked three glowing points on the hologram.
> "It has three confirmed weak points:
1. The spiracle vents along its sides — release combustion gases.
2. The unarmored throat when it roars.
3. And the inner lining of the tail-mouth — less plated than the front."
Samurai stepped forward.
> Samurai: "We'll need long-range immobilization before we strike the vents."
Lady Eve added:
> Eve: "I can cut through the throat, but only if it is forced open and held steady."
Voss nodded.
> Voss:
"Valkyrie Squad, aerial bombardment.
Tempest Squad, heavy artillery from range 400 meters.
Recon drones will lure the worm above ground.
DO NOT let it burrow.
If it tunnels under the city, the casualty count becomes catastrophic."
The ground shook again—
the monster was already seeking new prey.
> Voss: "Slayers—MOVE!"
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PART III — The Trainee Mission: Evacuation
While Slayers charged toward the living calamity, the trainees sprinted toward the residential zone.
Captain Lin led the evacuation team.
> Lin: "Cadets! Every second someone dies!
Keep your heads down, keep civilians moving, and watch for ground collapse!"
The three boys split up:
Aiden handled mapping collapse paths and spotting trapped survivors.
Fushiguro used his drones to scan underground pockets where people might still be alive.
Adolf physically carried anyone who couldn't run.
But then—
A panicked mother grabbed Aiden's arm.
> Woman: "My daughter—she's still inside! The house sank into the ground!"
Her voice broke.
"My husband… didn't make it."
Aiden froze for half a second—but then nodded firmly.
> Aiden: "Show me."
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PART IV — The Sunken House
The house was half-swallowed by the earth, tilted at a 45-degree angle.
Smoke rose from snapped power lines.
The roof had collapsed.
One corner hung over a sinkhole.
Aiden activated his comm.
> Aiden: "Fushiguro, Adolf—I need backup!"
Fushiguro arrived first, sending four drones into the broken structure.
Infrared mapping flickered through his visor.
> Fushiguro: "One heat signature. Small. Breathing shallow.
She's under the staircase."
Adolf cracked his neck.
> Adolf: "Then let's get that kid out."
---
⚙️ The Rescue
The house groaned with every movement, threatening to collapse into the sinkhole.
Aiden slid through a broken window, glass cracking beneath him.
Inside was dark, dust-choked, and reeking of gas leaks.
Fushiguro guided the drones:
> Fushiguro: "Left corner… past the broken table… now under the fallen beam."
Aiden saw a tiny hand sticking out from debris.
> Aiden: "I found her!"
The staircase above them creaked ominously.
Adolf ducked in.
> Adolf: "Aiden, move—let me lift that."
He planted his feet and heaved.
Veins bulged.
Wood snapped.
He held the entire broken staircase on his back.
Aiden pulled the girl free.
She was unconscious, bleeding from a cut on her forehead.
The house suddenly shifted—
the sinkhole widened beneath them.
> Fushiguro: "The ground is collapsing! MOVE!"
Adolf roared:
> Adolf: "GO! I got this!"
Aiden sprinted out with the girl in his arms.
Fushiguro yanked Adolf's collar as the house finally gave way—
They dove out just as the structure slid into the abyss.
Aiden knelt beside the girl, performing emergency stabilization.
Her eyes fluttered open.
> Girl (weakly): "Mom…?"
Aiden's voice softened.
> Aiden: "She's safe. You're safe too."
Fushiguro smiled, relief washing over him.
Even Adolf—covered in dust—sighed.
> Adolf: "That felt like a whole workout set… without rest."
And somewhere behind them, another explosion echoed from Ragnar Vermis.
No time to breathe.
---
PART V — The Battle Against the Titan
The worm burst from the ground like a missile.
Valkyrie Squad peppered it with rail-rounds, carving sparks off its armor.
Tempest Squad's mortars detonated around its spiracles, forcing the behemoth to recoil and scream.
Lady Eve landed on a building ledge, swords drawn.
> Eve: "Open the throat!"
Samurai fired a charged rail shot into the worm's mouth as it roared—
the blast forced its jaw to lock open for half a second.
Just long enough.
Eve leaped, slicing across the unarmored flesh inside—
a spray of dark fluid hissed into the air.
The beast bellowed—
a roar that shook the entire district.
Director Voss coordinated everything with calm precision.
> Voss: "It's weakening. Keep hammering—don't let it burrow!"
But Ragnar Vermis was not just strong—
It was angry.
It whipped its colossal body, knocking Valkyrie drones out of the sky.
Its tail-mouth lunged and swallowed an entire Slayers' barricade whole.
Acid rained across buildings, melting rooftops into sludge.
The sky glowed with fire and lightning.
The ground cracked under its weight.
The Slayers fought, but the beast was still far from dead.
And Aiden, watching from the evacuation sector, felt the chill of realization.
> Aiden: "Humans can't keep fighting alone.
Something worse is coming… I can feel it."
He was right.
Far away, in the dark—
Zenn watched the battle from atop a ruined tower.
His third eye glowed softly.
> Zenn: "Good.
Burn your strength on this worm.
The real war begins after."