Terrifying Power

A pair of glowing red eyes watched Delion, who was on high alert. Her entire body tensed as her gaze was fixed on the terrifying figure—Envoy.

Its voice roared like thunder, deafening to the ears. With swift and precise movements, three pairs of green arms reached out, intending to capture Delion in their grip.

Delion immediately fired her rounds at the enemy. As she had feared, the shots had no effect. The bullets merely ricocheted off the steel-hard skin.

"Damn it…"

Realizing that this battle would not be easy, Delion slowly moved back but remained cautious. She was a Colonel, a valiant soldier who had faced many enemies. Though her body was weak, her determination was strong. She was also quite intelligent.

In moments like this, she had to trust herself.

She could not succumb to fear. If this was the end, then she would die honorably, like her comrades who fell in battle.

Envoy suddenly surged toward her. This time, it was faster than before. Its rumbling sound pierced through the night. Delion nimbly ran toward the edge of the beach.

She couldn't return to the base. That would be suicide—too far and dangerous, as it was close to civilian areas. She couldn't endanger the civilians.

Her only option was to face her fate amid the waves. In her mind, Delion wondered if the creature could survive in the water. She would find out the answer through this trial.

Envoy chased her, gliding low over the sand. Every time its serrated arms swiped at Delion, she dodged nimbly.

Delion managed to plunge into the water, hoping it would act as a barrier against the monster. Indeed, Envoy stopped at the water's edge, looking momentarily confused before turning away.

However, before Delion could breathe a sigh of relief, distant noises were heard. Two Tangs, followed by fully uniformed Japanese soldiers, appeared on the shoreline. Among them, Delion's crew was also seen armed and ready to fight.

"Get ready! Fire!" shouted a soldier.

A burst of bullets was fired, but all bounced off Envoy's body, having no effect. The monster remained floating in the air, completely unharmed.

Delion shouted to warn them. "Get back! Or get into the Tangs! Contact Zone F012!"

Unfortunately, the Japanese soldiers did not heed her. They were too confident in their military power. Only Delion's crew obeyed and fled, relying on their experience and trust in the Colonel.

The Japanese soldiers moved forward and continued shooting at Envoy. The Tangs were even prepared to launch a bigger attack.

"Just hold on! Don't attack! The weapons are useless! Contact Zone F012! We need an Esper!"

Once again, Delion was ignored.

The Envoy sped forward towards them. Its three pairs of arms stretched out, and in an instant, the soldiers' bodies split open, blood spraying in all directions. This horror triggered panic, the ranks of the Japanese soldiers immediately scattered, and fear overtook them.

---

Delion watched with a trembling body and wide eyes. Human lives vanished so quickly at the hands of the Envoy.

Delion had no time to ponder. She had to think quickly. She couldn't act recklessly. So, she tried to stay in the water while formulating a plan.

Delion's gaze was fixed ahead, observing the Tangs retreating while firing incessantly. Envoy was pursuing the armored vehicles from the front.

As Envoy flew away from the scattered corpses, Delion moved swiftly with a clear goal. She deftly collected weapons and communication equipment from around the bloodied uniforms. Each of her steps seemed to tread on death itself, but her speed and precision did not falter. She had to set aside her useless fear and doubt.

Once finished, without hesitation, Delion ran back to the beach. With trembling hands and gasping breaths, she tried to contact Zone F012 with the ID number she remembered.

Each broken call added to the weight in her heart. When someone finally answered on the other end, a wave of relief enveloped her.

"Emergency! Envoy has appeared on the western coast of Okayama, Japan. The coordinates have been sent. There are casualties. We need special forces, Esper, and Guider as soon as possible! Once again, this is an emergency!"

"Information received. Reinforcements will arrive. Evacuation will begin."

Since Delion felt this was not enough, she intended to contact any soldier IDs stored in the device.

However, the sand began to tremble again and the waves grew stronger. A red light suddenly reappeared. Unlike before, the crack this time was much larger. It then formed a hole.

"Envoy Gate…!"

The sound of buzzing like thousands of mosquitoes was heard. Large insect legs began to appear. Pairs of red eyes glared in every direction. This time, the Envoy was not coming alone but with a colony.

The rifle in Delion's hands would be useless as a weapon, but she would not give up easily. She would not let the colony advance further towards the settlement. There could be no more casualties. She had to be smart about buying time until reinforcements from Zone F012 arrived.

However, before Delion pulled the trigger, a beam of laser light came from a distance. The beam penetrated the darkness and cracked one of the Envoy's heads with deadly precision. One beam after another hit their heads, forcing them to scatter in confusion.

Delion stood frozen, trying to process what had just happened. "Reinforcements?" she thought.

Until one of the Envoy finally noticed Delion and was about to attack her. However, before the creature's arm could reach her, the creature's head had already been severed from its body.

Delion ran towards the source of the light. Her eyes squinted as she saw a young man floating in the air. His legs were shackled, as were his hands. However, these restraints did not affect his actions at all. From his fingertip, a thin, straight beam of light emerged. It was a laser that was eliminating the Envoy.

"Esper…" Delion murmured, almost in disbelief.

The young man turned and their eyes met. A pair of violet eyes with an orange gradient. There was something cheerful and reassuring in his gaze, as if saying that everything would be alright.

Delion vaguely caught the friendly smile the young man threw her way.

In her confusion, a strong and fearless feeling suddenly emerged. Not bravery, but hope. Perhaps, even if just for a moment, they—humanity—still had a chance. That terrifying power seemed promising. Human civilization and its glory might be revived.

And let's not forget her role as Colonel Walter. Perhaps she was a hero who would slowly be forgotten, but for now, her story was not over. She would still fight to the last drop of her blood.