Once the members of the Witch Division made up their minds, they took the initiative to strike, preparing to defeat the Black Fire Assault Squad that had descended upon the roof of Shijin Mansion. It was their new home, and they had to defend it with all their might.
"102" ran upstairs with her gunlance in hand, her face tense. She was clad in a witch armor of ebony hue. Its defensive capabilities were limited and certainly no match for her own skin, which had been strengthened by her magic power, but it nonetheless provided a substantial sense of security.
She was too scared. She felt uneasy. Just like "Shallow Dream," "102" was equally frightened, but she couldn’t show it.
As soon as the battle began, the situation became a hundred times more severe. To make matters worse, the weather was also playing havoc, with dense clouds overhead, a series of white flashes that repeatedly lit up the sky and earth, followed by the roaring of thunderstorms and torrential rain.
The urban camp establishment altered the regional weather conditions, with air heating, expanding, and rising, condensing into rain at high altitudes. Such inclement weather was unpleasant enough, but now it severely undermined the morale of the security personnel, triggering a collapse-like effect, with one building after another falling in the heavy rain.
Companies with insufficient security forces either quickly surrendered and signed agreements to cooperate or were bloodily purged.
With every building they captured, the Black Fire Assault Squad would set up black flares on the rooftops. By the time "102" rushed to the rooftop, she saw that half the city had been overtaken, with smoke billowing everywhere, which seemed particularly sinister amidst the stormy weather.
How could they drive the Black Fire Army away? "102" clenched her gunlance and aimed at the enemies before her.
The assault squad had already arrived—nine soldiers, plus one Battle Witch.
"Enemy spotted, prepare to engage!" the leading witch of the Black Fire Assault Squad commanded fiercely. She wore a black mask over her face, her eyes lighting up with deep purple magic power as she steadied her black main battle rifle and fired swiftly at "102."
After a series of gunshots, "102" had been hit by more than a dozen bullets, each piercing her armor but being deflected by her enhanced body, proving as ineffective as if they had struck armored steel.
"102" kept herself continuously suffused with magic power, significantly enhancing the function of her muscles, skin, and organs wherever it flowed. She only felt the bullets as harmless as toothpicks, leaving behind a faint sensation of pain but posing no real threat.
She lifted her heavy gunlance and fired at the crowd of enemies. The shell struck the floor and exploded instantly, with the shockwave carrying a destructive force in all directions, engulfing three soldiers who were either killed or injured on the spot, bleeding profusely with limbs shattered.
"Don’t retreat!" the opposing witch gritted her teeth and continued to shoot at "102" without stopping.
"Take her down!" another Black Fire soldier hefted an anti-armor rocket launcher, treating "102" as if she were an armored vehicle.
"Be careful!" "Shallow Dream" had been shivering at the stairwell entrance, and as soon as she spotted the threatening enemy, she quickly stopped time.
She had trained hundreds of times on what to do, and she was adept with her 7mm "Nail Shooter" handgun. Using the brief moment when time stopped, she aimed at the chest of the enemy, and as time resumed, she pulled the trigger simultaneously.
"Shallow Dream" fired continuously, with several bullets hitting the assault troop members. However, his chest was protected by a bulletproof vest with ceramic inserts, which saved him from immediate death. Gritting his teeth, he retreated and tossed the rocket launcher to a comrade.
In an instant, "101" appeared behind the assault squad, teleporting where they least expected and could not focus on. She descended from the torrential rain, alighted on the rooftop’s aluminum alloy air conditioning exhaust, and knelt to take aim at them.
"We have enemies behind us!"
"Return fire—" They turned to shoot back, but they only hit the air. "101" had already leaped back, vanishing just as suddenly, reminding them of creatures like Phase Demons.
"102" fired another shot with her gunlance, blowing several assault troops to pieces. A distinct crater appeared on the rooftop, with smoke billowing and charred remains on fire within.
"Watch out!" "Mizuiro Yoshioka" finally caught up with "102’s" pace and summoned a horde of Ink Beasts.
Countless ink creatures of various sizes surged out, attacking the remaining enemies. The Ink Beasts had a unique mode of assault, slamming into their bodies and turning into pools of living ink that seeped into clothes and then invaded internal organs, causing systemic organ failure.
"Damn it..." The opposing witch backed away, rapidly calling for backup on the radio, "Requesting reinforcements at Shijin Mansion!"
"We can’t stop her!" The rest of the assault troops shot at "102" in desperation, bullets hitting her continuously without causing any damage.
"102" alone bore the brunt of the attack for her comrades, her heart filled with confused emotions. Just half an hour ago, she was eating ice cream in the activity room, and now she was fighting enemies in a storm!
After joining Nestor Corporation, she found the environment very comfortable, which dulled "102’s" bloodthirsty nature, but now her long-dormant ferocity resurfaced. She charged forward, forcing the Black Fire Soldiers to retreat toward the edge of the rooftop until they had nowhere to go and were then wiped out one by one as "102" swung her gunlance, its blade sweeping through them, cutting flesh and splattering blood.
"Die! Die!" The enemy witch kept shooting at "102," with one bullet piercing through the protective goggles of "102’s" helmet and hitting her eye. Her vision immediately became cloudy and dark on one side, and the pain was unbearable. The parts of her enhanced by magic power had enhanced vision, but the defense was still poor.
The fear of death caused 102’s body to convulse and transformed into towering fury. She rapidly fired at the opposing Witch. As the barrage came in, the Witch tried to dodge but was still hit by the shells, her body exploding and flying off, with pieces scattering in all directions.
"Ah!" After defeating the Witch, 102 stumbled toward the center of the rooftop, in excruciating pain. Blood kept pouring from her damaged eyes, mixed with cloudy tissue and metal fragments as she knelt in the pouring rain.
"Be careful!" 101 had just returned to the rooftop when she saw 102 injured, "Come here quickly!"
A high-speed fighter jet swept over their heads and dropped two missiles onto the rooftop’s surface. 101 hurriedly grabbed 102 and pulled her away as the missiles hit the floor and blew two huge holes in it. Thankfully, the floor was thick and reinforced, preventing damage to the internal structure, while rainwater quickly accumulated.
sobbed and cried, and 101 cradled her into the automated doctor in the activity room to treat her injuries. Other Witches came running, the military action by Black Fire Innovation casting a shadow over their peaceful lives.
Only now did they fully realize the importance of Xu Yang and Lady Farosa. Without their protection and guidance, they were terribly lacking a backbone on their own.
"We’ll be okay," 101 said, comforting herself while watching 102 rapidly healing inside the automated doctor. She believed in 102’s excellent constitution and that she would recover quickly. However, 101 also deeply felt the brutality of the war, recalling the time they were trained during Black Fire Innovation, where human life and blood were dirt cheap, kindness, and goodness, discarded like old shoes.
The gruesome death of that Black Fire Witch on the rooftop represented the inevitable fate destined for the sisters. Contemplating this, 101’s heart wrench with sorrow and she felt utterly heartbroken. She knew all too well they could never escape the war in life, but when it flared up before her eyes, it still struck a chord, highlighting the capriciousness of fate.
"Here they come again!" Mizuiro Yoshioka checked the report. A distress signal had been sent by the Black Fire Assault Troops before, and now a second assault squad was descending rapidly, better equipped and led by two Battle Witches. Their equipment, far more luxurious than the common soldier’s, included rare Ion Swords that could slice through Armor in one strike.
"We need to go," 101 stood up as if struck by lightning, dazed, "Mizuiro Yoshioka, we need to leave."
"Knowing Lila’s temperament, she’ll definitely punish us," Mizuiro Yoshioka lamented, "She acts as if she wants to send us to a military court."
"But what else can we do if we don’t leave?" Miyazato Kazama, who was startled by the warfare while still brushing his teeth, now only wearing a lab coat, looked worried, "Can we really withstand wave after wave of powerful attacks?"
"We have to at least hold the line! Wait for 102 to be revived!" Shallow Dream clenched her teeth, "We can’t bow to the enemy!"
"...Let’s go!" Mizuiro Yoshioka ran upstairs.
In the blink of an eye, Black Fire Assault Squad members had occupied the rooftop entrance, guarding the staircase. When Mizuiro Yoshioka appeared around the corner, a volley of bullets shot toward her, scaring her out of her wits. She stared at the bullet holes close at hand and immediately backed off. Two grenades and two flashbangs were thrown in—
The shockwave and heatwave sent Mizuiro Yoshioka flying, tumbling her over the stairs. She rolled down three or four steps, her Armor preventing her from being killed instantly but leaving her in severe pain with her head buzzing.
"Move out, move out!" The Black Fire Assault Troops, well-trained, bellowed, preparing to take over the staircase.
Mizuiro Yoshioka wore a bitter expression.
"Don’t come up!" She quickly told Shallow Dream below to retreat, "Run away fast!"
"What about you?" Shallow Dream was startled.
"Lady Farosa will bring me back," Mizuiro Yoshioka declared, ready for death. She summoned multiple Ink Beasts to accompany her, appearing especially lonely and helpless.
A flash of light dazzled. The assault troops looked to the side, only to see a sudden appearance of a rune in the air above the rooftop, written in Secret Script and glowing with the brightness of moon-silver. Floating for a moment, a wide portal then appeared.
They were instantly alert, firing at the rune and portal with dense bullets, but unable to inflict any real damage.
"To hell with you!" A large, black shadow passed through the portal, swooping down like a Giant Eagle, plunging into the crowd.
"Pan Ruiyi!" The battle-hardened Black Fire Witches turned pale with shock.
"The one coming is me!" Pan Ruiyi, with Iron Wings on her back, spewed flames doubling her speed. She blinked and pounced on a Black Fire Witch, kicking her fiercely and sending her flying off the rooftop, plummeting from the high altitude!