After reviewing the video recording Syuen had handed over, the Commander reached a decision. Leaving the relative safety of the outpost behind, he led a strike force back toward the site where the Eradicator Mk 1 had detonated. Beside him Rapi, Neon, and Anis alongside Wardress Squad.
They arrived at a scene where eradicator mk 1 self destructed.
"Commander, are you sure this is the place?" Anis asked, squinting through the dust at the massive, scorched crater opening up in the ground before them.
"Yes. This is where that machine exploded," the Commander confirmed, stepping toward the center of the crater.
Before they could begin a proper sweep, his comm-link crackled. It was Shifty.
"Commander, there's something wrong here," her voice came through, laced with sudden static.
The Commander frowned. "Mhm? What's wrong?"
"Co-mma-nder! Som-thing is h*cki o*r comm*niatio@£##@!"
Shifty's warning fragmented into garbled digital noise before abruptly dropping out completely. The line hummed with dead silence for a single beat then a entirely foreign voice hijacked the frequency.
"Hello, Commander. Mind if I tap into your communication systems for a bit?"
The tone was unnervingly casual, dripping with light amusement.
"I have to admit, seeing your forces fighting against the Raptures and my Eradicator was quite a sight. A costly battle... but with your forces drained, I think it's my time to intervene, don't you think?"
A brief pause echoed over the frequency.
"I'm sending a scout force some of them you might even remember. So don't lose to them, m'kay?" Before ending the communication
"Commander! I am sensing multiple Raptures coming!" Rapi shouted, her rifle already raised.
From the surrounding rubble, a swarm of Servant-class Raptures burst into view. But these were no ordinary raptures their outer plating glowed with abnormal energy, heavily modified and more lethal.
High above the field, Xenon observed the entire engagement through a floating holographic display, broadcasted in real-time by a cloaked reconnaissance drone.
"These Raptures were captured and reprogrammed with some upgrades, of course," Xenon said watching the squad scramble into defensive positions.
"Along with a fail-safe, just in case the reprogramming failed or something else tried to take them over. Reprogramming them took time, sure... but by utilizing Void and Calamity energy, it became much easier."
Down in the crater, the battle was fierce.
"These Raptures are quite different from regular ones, Commander!" Rapi called out. She leaned out from behind cover, delivered a precise burst of fire into an advancing unit, and immediately ducked back as counter-fire tore through the air.
"Yeah! They seem to be way more powerful and stronger!" Anis yelled.
She aimed her grenade launcher straight at an approaching Servant and fired. The explosive hit squarely on the target's chest, detonating in a flash of heat yet as the smoke cleared, the modified Rapture was still standing, advancing without pause.
"Keep attacking! We can defend against them!" the Commander bellowed over the roar of gunfire.
For minutes, the air was filled with the deafening sound of continuous shelling, tactical coordination, and heavy artillery. Through grit and raw firepower, the squad finally managed to bring down the last modified construct.
"Quite interesting," Xenon murmured, still tracking their movement on her monitor. She tapped her console to patch through to the Commander once more.
"Hello again, Commander. These Raptures were a disappointment... just like you."
"Who are you?" the Commander demanded, his breathing heavy as he looked up toward the sky.
"I am Doctor Xenon. Best to remember it, Commander."
"What is your goal for all of this?"
Xenon smirked behind her screen. "My goal? You'll be seeing it soon enough. Best return back to your Ark they're going to need you. Ahahaha!"
With a cold, echoing laugh, the connection cut out completely.
"Ah! I'm back! Commander! Are you there?!"
Shifty's voice suddenly burst back through the comms, clear and frantic.
"Ah, Shifty. Did something happen back at the Ark?" the Commander asked, wiping the grime from his face.
"No, Commander, nothing's happening, but... Oh no."
"Shifty, what's wrong!?"
"There's—!"
Static slammed across the channel like a physical wall, severing her voice mid-sentence.
"Shifty! Do you read me?!" the Commander called out.
Nothing answered except static.
"We have to return back to the Ark now!" he ordered, turning toward his squad.
Meanwhile inside her command center, she turned away from the scee.
"I always wondered... if the Raptures are so advanced, why can't they find the Ark?"
She dismissed the idle thought, shaking her head to refocus on the main phase of her operation. Stepping up to hee primary terminal, she looked directly at the main screen.
"Plague Doctor, begin the attack on the Ark," Xenon commanded calmly.
"Understood, Doctor Xenon," came the deep reply. In the background of the channel, the thunderous roars of Eradicators and the heavy chatter of automatic weapons were echoing.
"Xscientists, send that Commander a gift," Xenon added.
"Understood, Doctor."
Meanwhile, the Commander and his squad were racing back toward the Ark, which was now actively under siege.
However, their path was abruptly blocked. Standing in the middle of the transport route was a line of revived Nikkes reconstructed and augmented using Power Straps laced with Calamity energy. These modified units were vastly superior to both standard mass-produced units and the specialized Nikkes.
"Commander, they're too strong! We can't defeat them!" Neon shouted, holding down the trigger of her weapon as rounds bounced uselessly off the enemy's reinforced armor.
"Tsk... Even with Mihara and Yuni pushing alongside us, we can't break through!" the Commander thought bitterly, analyzing the tactical deadlock.
Suddenly, a sharp, high-caliber gunshot rang out from above.
One of Xenon's upgraded Nikkes dropped instantly, its head shattered by a single round.
Standing tall on the ledge of a ruined building above was Snow White, surrounded by the rest of Pioneer Squad. Before the enemy could react, Scarlet leapt down from the roof, landing in the center of the hostile formation. In a flash of silver steel, her blade carved through the air, cutting down Xenon's modified units with effortless elegance.
"Alert. Multiple units down. Beginning retreat," one of the remaining hostile Nikkes droned out.
The surviving members of Xenon's nikke squad immediately turned and disengaged, retreating away from there position.
"Thanks for the aid," the Commander said, exhaling a sigh of relief as he approached Scarlet.
"It is no problem," Scarlet replied, sheathing her blade with a soft click. "But you need to go."
Before he could answer, the ground shuddered violently. A Eradicator Mk 1 crashed down directly between them and the path ahead, accompanied by reinforcements.
"Right. Stay safe," the Commander said, knowing every second counted.
Leaving the rest of Pioneer Squad behind to hold off Xenon's force alone, the Commander and his team head back to the arc.