Stand Against evil!

The military base was a storm of movement, a controlled chaos as soldiers rushed to their stations, war machines roared to life, and officers shouted over the blaring alarms. The sky above Marsnia was already thick with warships, their formations tightening in preparation for the inevitable assault. The battle was coming. And this time, there was no escaping it.

Inside the base, Arnik stood over a holographic war table, analyzing the enemy's movements. "They're attacking from multiple fronts. We're being deployed to the eastern sector." His voice was steady, but the weight of the situation hung heavy in the air.

Aika adjusted her staff, glancing at the display. "They're hitting us harder than expected."

Across the room, Kai and Rose were at it again.

"I carried you all the way back to base," Kai grumbled, crossing his arms. "You could at least say thank you."

Rose flicked her tail, scoffing. "I don't need to thank you! You should be honored to carry someone as amazing as me!"

Kai rolled his eyes. "Yeah, honored is the word I'd use…"

Aika smirked, exchanging a look with Arnik. She leaned in. "You two bicker like a married couple."

Arnik chuckled, crossing his arms. "Should we start planning the wedding?"

Kai and Rose instantly turned on them.

"Shut up!" Rose snapped, her ears twitching in irritation.

"Not funny," Kai muttered, adjusting his glasses.

Kai swung a playful punch at Arnik's shoulder, but the hit barely landed.

Rose grabbed Aika in a headlock, aggressively noogieing her. "Oh, you wanna talk about couples, huh? You little—"

Aika flailed. "Ow, ow! I take it back, stop!"

Then—

The alarms screamed.

The atmosphere shifted in an instant.

Arnik's smirk vanished. "Move out."

The hangar doors groaned open, revealing hell.

Fighter jets tore across the sky, weaving through incoming missile fire. The air was thick with smoke, the distant sounds of warships colliding in brutal aerial combat shaking the ground beneath them.

Soldiers ran past, their expressions tight, some barely concealing their fear.

The war was no longer a distant battle. It was here.

Aika swallowed. "This… this feels different."

Kai exhaled, his usual sarcasm nowhere to be found. "Because it is."

Markus checked his sniper rifle. "No one's talking like we can win this."

Arnik's jaw tightened. "Then we make sure it isn't lost."

Their transport ship was waiting, its engines already roaring. This was their deployment. No turning back.

As they climbed aboard, the metal ramp sealed behind them. The interior shook as the ship launched into the sky.

Kai leaned against the wall, exhaling sharply. "I hate this part."

Rose flicked her tail. "What, scared of heights?"

Kai shot her a look. "No. I just have a bad feeling."

Aika gripped her staff tighter. So did she.

Then—

BOOM.

The ship lurched violently.

The walls shook. Red lights flashed.

"Missile hit!" a pilot yelled. "We're going down!"

Another explosion ripped through the hull.

The ship spun out of control, metal screaming as flames burst through the cabin.

The ship spun out of control, metal screaming as flames burst through the cabin. Smoke filled the air, alarms blaring, the force of the impact sending debris flying across the interior.

"We gotta jump!" Arnik yelled.

"JUMP?! YOU'RE A PSYCHO!" Kai shouted back.

Markus, without hesitation, full-on sent it—straight out of the burning ship.

Rose blinked, then huffed. "Well, I'm not letting him show me up." She turned to Kai, eyes softer for just a second. "Kai… please come back alive."

Kai frowned. "Where's this coming from?"

She didn't answer. She jumped.

Kai took a deep breath, gripping his weapon tight as the wind roared through the open hatch. He exhaled. "Okay… I promise."

Arnik's voice cut through the chaos. "You and Aika jump together!"

Aika stood frozen, her knuckles white around her staff. Her breathing was shallow, panicked. "I—I can't—"

Arnik grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "Look at me."

Her wide, terrified eyes locked onto his.

"We will get through this," he said firmly. "We're going to see a lot of death… be prepared."

Aika swallowed hard, nodding slowly.

Arnik gripped her hand. "On three."

She tightened her hold.

"One."

The ship groaned, tilting violently.

"Two."

The flames behind them roared higher.

"Three."

They jumped.

As they fell, the battlefield below came into full, horrifying view.

It was like nothing they had ever seen before—pure hell unleashed.

Mutants clashed violently against the machines, their enhanced bodies weaving through the chaos, striking with everything they had. Explosions erupted across the ruined cityscape, turning buildings into fiery graves.

Mars' warships fought desperately against Lionel's forces in the sky, their cannons lighting up the darkness as enemy ships tore through their defenses. Fighters spiraled out of control, crashing into the streets below, sending debris and bodies flying.

It was a bloodbath.

Lionel's forces weren't just winning—they were slaughtering.

Markus gritted his teeth, his grip tightening around his weapon. The wind howled as he plummeted, gravity pulling him toward the carnage below.

He reached for his blade mid-fall, the chain rattling as it snapped into position.

"Activate maximum armor," he commanded.

The energy shield wrapped around him in an instant, reinforcing his suit just in time.

BOOM.

He crashed into the ground like a meteor, sending up a shockwave of dust and debris.

Nearby human soldiers turned, wide-eyed with horror. "Not another one!"

The dust cleared.

Markus stood tall.

His body ached from the impact, but he didn't falter.

One of the soldiers gasped. "It's—It's an Angel Squad member!"

Their hope reignited.

Arnik hit the ground hard, rolling with the impact before springing back to his feet. His armor absorbed most of the fall, but his bones still rattled from the force. Dust and fire filled the air, the scent of burning metal thick in his lungs.

Gunfire and explosions surrounded him. Soldiers—human and mutant alike—fought desperately to hold their positions, but Lionel's forces were overwhelming. Machines pressed forward in unrelenting waves, cutting down anyone in their path.

Arnik's comm crackled to life. "Status report! What's the situation?"

A frantic voice answered through the static. "Lionel's demon users are here! And they've been a huge problem!"

Arnik's eyes narrowed. Of course, they were.

"The mutants and top mages are the only ones clearing them out!" the soldier continued. "But there's only so many of us! We're getting torn apart out here!"

A group of human soldiers had taken cover behind a collapsed transport vehicle, firing desperately at the advancing enemy. Their bullets barely scratched the machines' armor. They were trapped—moments away from being overrun.

Arnik clenched his fists. No time to think.

He dashed forward.

Lightning surged through his body, his mutation roaring to life.

One of the demon users spotted him mid-charge, grinning as he raised a jagged blade coated in dark energy. "Another fool trying to play hero—"

CRACK.

Arnik's fist collided with the demon's face before he could finish his sentence, the sheer force sending him crashing through a nearby wall.

The soldiers behind the wreckage gawked as Arnik turned toward them, energy crackling around his body.

"You all still breathing?" he barked.

One of them, a young lieutenant, swallowed hard and nodded. "Y-Yeah."

"Then get moving! This position's compromised!"

Before they could respond, more enemies swarmed in—a mix of machines and another demon user charging straight for them.

Arnik wasn't about to let them get any closer.

He slammed his palms into the ground.

A surge of lightning erupted outward, splitting the battlefield with raw energy. Machines sparked and convulsed before their circuits overloaded, collapsing in heaps of twisted metal.

The demon user lunged at him, but Arnik was faster.

He dodged to the side, grabbing the enemy by the wrist before twisting sharply. A sickening crack echoed through the air as the demon howled in pain.

Arnik didn't stop there.

He sent a brutal kick into the demon's chest, sending him hurtling into an oncoming machine, both of them exploding on impact.

The soldiers he had saved stared in shock.

"Move!" Arnik barked. "Find another position and regroup with the others! We're not dying today!"

They scrambled to their feet and ran.

Arnik exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders. The battle was just beginning.

…

The wind howled past them as Kai and Aika plummeted toward the battlefield below. The world was chaos—fires raged across the city, warships clashed in the sky, and the streets were painted in blood.

Aika's breath came in short, panicked gasps as she gripped her staff tight enough to make her fingers ache.

"Kai!" she shouted over the wind. "This is way too fast!"

"No kidding!" Kai yelled back. His coat whipped violently as he struggled to stay upright in freefall. "Unless you've got a plan, we're about to be smeared across the pavement!"

Aika gritted her teeth, forcing herself to concentrate. The panic clawing at her chest threatened to take over, but she shoved it down.

"I've got this!" She tightened her grip on her staff and thrust it downward. "Gravity Shift!"

A deep violet glow pulsed from her staff, and suddenly the force pulling them down lessened. Their bodies slowed midair, the magic wrapping around them like an invisible cushion.

Kai exhaled in relief, adjusting his trajectory as they descended at a much safer speed. "Remind me to thank you later."

Aika barely had time to respond before the battlefield rushed up to meet them. They landed softly atop a ruined skyscraper, the last of Aika's magic dispersing like smoke.

Kai rolled his shoulders. "Not bad."

Aika staggered slightly, gripping her staff to steady herself. "That… took more energy than I thought."

Kai helped her up, his gaze scanning the hellscape below. Lionel's forces were overwhelming—machines marching in unrelenting waves, demon users carving through soldiers with terrifying ease.

Aika swallowed. "This is worse than I thought…"

Kai exhaled sharply, adjusting his glasses. "Yeah. We're in deep."

His comm crackled with static before Arnik's voice came through.

"Kai? Aika? Status."

Kai tapped his earpiece. "Landed. No major injuries. What's the situation?"

"Demon users are here," Arnik said grimly. "They've been a huge problem. Only the mutants and top mages are clearing them out, but there are only so many."

Aika's hands tightened around her staff. "Then we'll take one out."

Kai smirked. "That's the spirit."

Below, in the midst of the battlefield, a single demon user stood, effortlessly cutting down squads of soldiers with pure magic alone. His eyes glowed with eerie amusement as he raised a hand, conjuring a black flame that turned anything it touched into nothingness.

Kai's smirk faded. "Yeah. That guy's bad news."

The demon user turned his gaze toward them, sensing their presence. He grinned, a cruel and knowing expression.

Kai cracked his neck. "Alright, Aika, time to go to work."

Aika took a deep breath. "No holding back?"

Kai flipped his weapon into position. "Hell no."

They leaped down.

The demon user laughed as they landed before him, unbothered by their presence. "Humans always throw their lives away so easily," he mused, flexing his fingers as dark energy crackled between them.

Kai dashed in first, his weapon shifting mid-swing. The demon user moved to block, but Kai's blade morphed into a spear at the last second, stabbing toward his throat.

The demon user barely dodged in time, the tip of the spear slicing his cheek.

He staggered back, eyes widening. "Tch. That was close."

Kai grinned. "What's wrong? Thought it was just a normal hunk of metal?"

The demon snarled and retaliated, reinforcing his body with magic before lunging at Kai. "You die first!"

Kai braced himself.

Before the strike could land—Aika flashed in front of him.

Her staff glowed red.

A shimmer cloaked her entire body.

"Arcane Veil."

The moment the demon's attack connected, Aika absorbed the force, redirecting it instantly. A massive explosion of magical energy shot forward, sending the demon flying into a heap of debris.

The battlefield went silent for a moment.

The soldiers who had been cowering behind cover suddenly found their resolve. They stood, gripping their weapons with renewed vigor.

"They're holding their own!" one soldier shouted. "Let's back them up! Angel Squad is fighting—so should we!"

Gunfire erupted. The soldiers opened fire on the demon user, but their standard magic bolts barely did anything.

Kai gritted his teeth. "No, you idiots! Use heavy weaponry! Magic energy-based rounds! Regular bolts won't do a damn thing against demon users!"

One of the commanding officers shouted back, "Understood! Switching to heavy ordinance!"

Turrets shifted. Cannons hummed with energy. The battlefield rumbled as the first high-powered magic-infused blasts tore through the air.

The demon user groaned, standing up from the rubble. His wounds already beginning to close.

"Tch. Annoying little pests."

Kai and Aika didn't give him a chance to recover.

They rushed forward.

Something had changed.

They were getting stronger.

And they weren't done yet.

The demon user sneered, his crimson eyes flickering with disdain as he wiped the blood from his cheek. "This demon user is clearly weaker than the one we faced before," Kai muttered, analyzing the way his opponent channeled magic. The energy output, the structure of his spells—it was nothing like the monstrosity they fought before.

Kai cracked his neck, gripping his weapon tighter. "Based on the magic he's using… he's very low-ranked. I can take him."

Aika, standing at his back, looked over the battlefield. The human forces were scattered, struggling to hold their ground against the relentless machines and demon users.

"I'll clear the area! Aika, heal as many soldiers as you can!" Kai ordered.

Aika hesitated for a second but nodded. "Got it!"

She turned, immediately focusing on the wounded soldiers around them. As her staff glowed with soft violet light, a wave of restorative magic pulsed outward, knitting wounds and giving the human troops the second wind they desperately needed.

Kai exhaled and put his sword to his forehead, beginning a chant.

The demon user's eyes narrowed. "Idiot! Don't leave yourself open!"

With a vicious grin, the demon rushed in, claws outstretched.

Then—he ripped Kai's head clean off.

Blood sprayed into the air.

For a split second, the battlefield froze.

Aika's heart clenched. "Kai—?!"

But something was wrong.

The blood disappeared. The body dissolved.

The demon's eyes widened.

"What?!"

It was a decoy.

A sharp whistle echoed through the battlefield.

The demon user spun, instinct screaming at him to move—

But Kai was already there, completing his incantation.

The ground trembled. The dust and rubble at his feet twisted, morphing into humanoid shapes. Dozens of figures formed, rising from the very land beneath them—Mars' clay soldiers.

Doll magic.

A magic that required absolute precision.

Kai exhaled as his creations solidified. "Doll magic is incredibly precise. It takes someone with great focus to activate."

The clay soldiers straightened, their weapons forming from the stone in their hands. Each of them carried the skill of their creator—Kai. However, they only held half his strength and durability.

The demon user scoffed, regaining his composure. "Pfft. I can take on a hundred of you."

Kai smirked. "You demons really do think too highly of yourselves."

Seven clay soldiers lunged.

The demon barely had time to react as they surrounded him, attacking from all sides. He parried one, dodged another, but the sheer numbers overwhelmed him. Blades scraped against his reinforced skin, cutting deep.

"Gah—damn you—!"

Kai moved.

Launching himself into the air, his weapon morphed once more—a magic-infused spear forming in his grip.

"Die."

With a sharp thrust, he drove the spear straight through the demon user's chest.

The creature gasped, blood spraying from his lips.

The magic spear pulsed—then detonated.

The demon's body shattered apart, his essence ripped from reality.

The battlefield fell silent.

Kai landed lightly, flicking blood off his weapon before shifting it back into a neutral stance.

Aika turned, her breath unsteady. "You… you killed him."

Kai adjusted his glasses. "Of course I did."

The remaining soldiers, those who had watched the fight unfold, hesitated—then erupted into cheers.

"He took down a demon user!"

"Angel Squad really is something else!"

The morale shifted.

For the first time, the battlefield didn't feel completely hopeless.

Aika planted her staff into the ground, her eyes burning with determination. Magic pulsed from her like a heartbeat, raw energy swirling into the air as the very earth beneath them began to shift.

Kai's eyes widened as stone and metal pulled together, shaping into something massive.

"Aika?! Seriously! I knew you had a lot of magic power, but this—"

Before he could finish, the structure completed itself—a fully formed medical shelter, standing firm amidst the chaos of war.

Aika took a deep breath, wiping sweat from her brow before yelling out, "Bring me all the injured! I'll be your medic!"

Soldiers didn't hesitate. They rushed forward, carrying the wounded, their faces filled with renewed hope.

Kai exhaled, rubbing the back of his head. "Guess that means I'm on guard duty."

More soldiers arrived, a few demi-humans among them, their magic weapons shimmering under the broken sky. They weren't out of this fight yet.

One of them grinned at Kai. "Looks like we've got our work cut out for us."

Kai tightened his grip on his weapon.

"Yeah. Let's get to it."