CRASH!
The door exploded inward with a deafening bang.
A white blur moved into the room. It was Astria. "Stay down!" she shouted. Her pistols were already in her hands. She fired a stream of blue plasma shots at the creature's face, forcing it to stagger back.
The Hemengo screeched, shaking the whole building. Astria's eyes scanned the room quickly. she saw Elbro. "Kid, listen to me! You're going to be okay. Just stay right there!" She charged the Hemengo head-on, blades snapping out from her wrists.
The Drake-class Hemengo turned its attention away from Elbro and focused on Astria. Its glowing green eyes narrowed. It snarled something in a twisted, inhuman voice. "Clocus… locus…"
Its arms reshaped themselves into long, blade-like extensions. With a screech, it slashed at Astria.
She jumped to the side just in time. The blade missed her by inches, carving deep into the wall. Without wasting a second, she raised her pistol and fired straight toward the creature's eyes.
The plasma bullet struck near Its face. The Hemengo let out an ear-splitting scream. Then...
BOOM!
The roof above them exploded. Over a dozen Mindless-class Hemengos dropped into the room like nightmarish rain. Their twisted bodies snarled and writhed as they landed around Astria and Elbro.
Elbro froze, unable to move, his body shaking uncontrollably.
Astria's eyes widened in shock. "Thirteen of them…?!" But she didn't panic. Instead, she pulled her second pistol and stood her ground.
Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang!
In a blur of precision, she gunned down the incoming Hemengos. One after another fell. In under twenty seconds, twelve of them were dead.
But the last one had leapt toward Elbro.
"No!" Astria shouted. The Hemengo slashed across Elbro's face, leaving a deep claw mark. He screamed in pain, blood mixing with tears.
Astria dove forward and fired her final shot. The bullet struck the creature directly in the head. It fell back, dead.
But the Drake-class Hemengo was still alive. It roared and slammed into Astria, throwing her against the wall with massive force. She grunted in pain, her pistols knocked from her hands.
As she struggled to stand, the Hemengo raised its bladed arms. It was preparing the final blow.
Astria smiled.
Click.
She pressed a hidden button on her right pistol. A sleek, glowing blade extended from the barrel. As the Hemengo lunged, she surged forward. With a single, clean motion, she sliced through its chest. The blade cut straight into its glowing blue crystal.
CRACK!
The Hemengo let out a distorted scream as its body shattered into pieces, vanishing in a burst of dark mist.
Astria fell to one knee, breathing hard. She quickly turned to Elbro, who was curled in pain, blood running down his face. "Hey… hey, stay with me," she said softly, kneeling beside him. "You're going to be okay."
Tears streamed down Elbro's cheeks. He couldn't speak. Astria picked him up carefully and carried him outside. To her relief, a medical hover unit had just arrived.
She handed Elbro off to the medics. "Treat him fast...he's in shock." One of the medics nodded. "We've got him. Thank you."
Astria stood up again, loading her weapons. Without another word, she ran back into the city.
Sector 6 was quiet now.
Chrom Leo stood tall amidst the ruins. The streets were littered with the bodies of dead Hemengos. Smoke rose from the broken buildings. Not a single civilian was harmed. One of the medical officers looked around in disbelief.
He cleared all of Sector 6… alone?" His partner nodded slowly. "Thirty-nine Hemengos. No injuries." The first medic shook his head. "Who is this guy…?" "His name's Chrom Leo. Member of Squad 0. One of the four A-Regiment elites."
The first man blinked. "Oh… the strongest Hemengo neutralizer in terms of raw power. Now it makes sense."
Meanwhile, in Sector 9…
Rowan and Zeronn sat on the road, breathing heavily, their weapons resting nearby. Their suits were scratched, and they were both covered in dark stains...but they smiled. "So," Zeronn said, "what's your final kill count?" Rowan leaned back, smirking. "One hundred thirty-six."
Zeronn raised an eyebrow. "Tch… I only got one hundred twenty-three. Guess you win this time."
Rowan laughed. "Better luck next time." Zeronn nodded. "Don't get used to it. I'll beat you in the next round, brother."
"Yeh… but try your hardest," Rowan said with a grin. They both looked up at the darkening sky above A-Zoju City.
The scene shifted to the heart of the Hemengo Neutralization Organization...HNO Headquarters.
A massive structure, the main building towered into the clouds with eight colossal spires, each one crackling faintly with blue energy as they pierced the sky. A translucent, shimmering invisible barrier pulsed around the facility, visible only when it shimmered like a mirage against the wind. It was said to be impenetrable...one of the last remaining safe zones on Earth.
Inside the command building, the air was cold, clean, and mechanical. The sound of distant footsteps echoed along a vast corridor lined with doors, each guarded by silent humanoid security robots, their glowing eyes scanning every movement.
An elderly man walked briskly down the corridor...his white hair swept back, and a neatly trimmed short beard giving him a stately, commanding presence. His name was Chief Albert, the current head of HNO operations. Though his back was slightly hunched with age, his presence was formidable, and his eyes were sharp and observant.
Beside him walked a woman in her early thirties with shoulder-length black hair and a professional demeanor...Rebeca, one of HNO's lead analysts. A younger man followed a few steps behind her, tapping data on a tablet as they walked.
Rebeca glanced at her screen and spoke in a calm voice.
"Chief Albert, the operation in A-Zoju City has been fully secured. Squad 0 and Squad 1 of the A Regiment handled it efficiently."
Albert nodded slightly. "Casualties?"
She hesitated, her voice growing heavier.
"The city had a recorded population of 127,982. By the time our squads arrived, over 50,000 civilians were already dead. Not a single squad member submitted any injuries during the mission."
Albert's eyes narrowed, his tone growing grim. "And the number of Hemengos?"
Rebeca responded immediately. "346 total Hemengos. Among them, 49 were Drake Class. The rest were Mindless Class. No signs of higher classes were reported."
Albert's steps slowed. "That many… appearing all at once?"
He turned to look at Rebeca directly. "Any idea how they managed to invade a city that quickly, and in such numbers?"
Rebeca shook her head slowly. "Not yet, sir. Our intel teams are still investigating. There were no prior breach signals, no seismic activity, no warning signs. It was as if they… appeared out of thin air."
Albert stopped walking, his mind racing. Something about this wasn't normal. Not even the older incursions had happened this fast or with such scale.
"Keep me updated," he said finally, his voice low and filled with concern. "If this wasn't a coincidence… it might be something much worse."
The corridor led Albert and Rebeca to a tall set of secure doors guarded by two sleek, humanoid robots. Their silver exoskeletons gleamed under the soft corridor lights. As Albert stepped forward, a red scanner beam swept over his hand. The system beeped.
ACCESS GRANTED.
With a mechanical hiss, the doors slid open. Inside was a massive chamber unlike any other in the facility.
Rows of scientists and engineers moved swiftly between terminals and large digital displays. In the middle of the room stood something both eerie and awe-inspiring: a colossal heart...at least ten times the size of a human's. It floated in a strange, translucent blue liquid, suspended inside a reinforced glass chamber. Numerous cables and wires connected to its surface, pulsing with energy.
The heart beat slowly.
Thump… Thump…
Its rhythm echoed faintly through the room, sending low vibrations into the metal floor.
One of the technicians, noticing Albert's presence, approached quickly. His uniform bore the insignia of the Core Division. "chief Albert," he said, saluting respectfully. "what is the reason for our visit?"
Albert looked up at the massive heart. "No specific reason. Just came to check on the core. Everything working as it should?"
"Yes, sir," the technician replied confidently. "The core is stable. Energy extraction is functioning at optimal levels." Albert nodded. "Very well, then…"
Rebeca, who had been looking at her tablet, suddenly stopped. Her brow furrowed as she zoomed in on one of the data spikes.
"Sir… I think we may have a clue regarding the Hemengo surge in A-Zoju."
Albert turned toward her sharply. "Explain."
She held the tablet up for him to see. "These spikes...these extremely deep signal dips...they're not natural. I've run simulations, and they're all across the A-Zoju perimeter. They began just moments before the invasion started."
Albert studied the map displayed on her tablet. Red points glowed all over the city's borders. "You're saying they didn't emerge from underground… or from nearby biocores."
Rebeca nodded. "There's a very high chance… the Hemengos came from outer space." Albert's jaw tightened, and his voice lowered. "Then someone… or something… sent them."
Scene shifted again...to the makeshift medical camp in the heart of A-Zoju City.
Inside a sterile white tent, rows of injured civilians and soldiers were being treated. Medical bots moved between beds, scanning patients and administering automated care.
On one of the beds, a young boy lay motionless.
His face was wrapped in thick white bandages. Dry blood had soaked through parts of the cloth. His breathing was steady but shallow.
Suddenly, his fingers twitched.
His eyes slowly opened.
They were glassy with fear and confusion, darting around the unfamiliar surroundings.
It was Elbro.
He was alive...but the world he had known was gone forever.