"I might join them in a bit," you mentioned casually to Hoshina, who responded with a nod. With one hand on your hip and the other holding your polearm, its blade pointed downward, you scanned the fungal-type Honju ahead. Your gaze then shifted to the group of guys confidently leaping off the building, determination was palpable as they feel the air brushing against their skins.

Then, Hoshina erupted into laughter once more, unable to contain himself. "Is he serious?!" he exclaimed, pointing incredulously at Kafka who is carefully scaling down the side of the building. "Are you trying to be Spiderman now?!" He bent over, clutching his stomach with one hand and using your shoulder for support with the other, thoroughly entertained by the spectacle. His forehead leaning on the blades of your shoulder and you let him be.

You rolled your eyes playfully at Hoshina's antics and shook your head with a smile. "He is your comedic relief, after all." You quipped, a smirk playing on your lips. "And he somehow managed to lift the nervousness in everyone." Glancing at Kafka who was chuckling nervously as the others were playfully teasing him of how he had decided to go down.

You cleared your throat as you now refocus on the task ahead, you tightened your grip on your polearm, waiting for the right moment to follow the others. "There are too many Yoju swarming Sagamihara." You muttered underneath your breath, feeling Hoshina snaking his hands around the small corner of your back. "The recruits will be drained once the Yoju inside of the Honju began swarming." Glancing at the purple haired vice captain that stands close to you, he gave you a smirk, tilting his head to the side.

"Why not show off?" You raised an eyebrow at his suggestion. You twirled your polearm skillfully, then balanced it on your shoulders. Hoshina stepped back slightly, wary of the blade near his face, and you offered him an apologetic smile in return.

"Don't mind if I do," you replied with a grin, lowering your hand to your side and placing the other on your hip. Standing on the rooftop's edge, you felt the cool breeze tousle your hair as it swept past. With a final glance at Hoshina, flashing him a confident smile before leaping off the edge of the building.

As you descended, the rush of wind enveloped you, exhilarating and freeing. The ground rushed up to meet you, and for a moment, you felt weightless, suspended in the thrill of the leap. Landing with practiced ease, you rolled smoothly onto your feet, adrenaline coursing through your veins.

As soon as your feet touched the cold cemented ground, a Yoju lunged towards you. With a swift movement, you swung your arm, effortlessly slicing through the small creature as your blade cut through its core.

"Unleashed Combat Power, 80%," a voice announced in your earbuds as you swiftly redirected your focus. Without hesitation, you leaped towards a nearby building, seamlessly parkouring through the narrow alleys. Your senses heightened, scanning for any sign of the elusive Yoju lurking around Sagamihara.

Spotting a midsize Yoju and seeing some soldiers aiming their rifles at its body, trying to locate its weakspot. Running towards them with your blade facing forward, you leap through the air, you body flipping as you're on top of the Yoju. Your blade facing the crown of its mushroom cap head and you easily pierced through its soft flesh and heard a cracking sound of the core.

"T-thank you, [Name]-san!" They saluted at you and you just nodded st them before once again propelling yourself, and with the use of the combat power, you managed to run on the side of the building.

'There's no time to waste.'

. . .

"The Yoju's weakspot is at its neck, soldiers with not enough combat power should shoot them behind their back. Also, the Yoju had a reproductive organ on their rear, it is highly recommended to destroy them before their corpses spawn another swarm of Yoju." Hearing Okonogi's voice in your ear, announcing to everyone the weak spot of the fungal-type Yoju and also the most important part, the reproductive organs that they have.

You hum, slicing through its neck with ease, the core immediately got destroyed within seconds. Staring at its rear and seeing lump that is formed around it before poking your blade into it, hearing cracking noises as you swiftly swing your blade once again.

"They're more a menace than we thought, huh." Clicking your tongue on the inside of your cheeks when you saw a smaller Yoju greeted you when you had turned in an alley, your eyes catching a sight of a fallen Yoju and seeing smaller ones sprouting on its said reproductive organs.

A sigh escaped your lips, seeing that the spawn of the devil was coming at your way. They just won't stop coming. Licking your lips as you placed your leg behind the other, raising your polearm as you steadied your breathing, readying yourself to attack.

"[Name]'s style, Polearm technique, first form: Whirlwind Dance." Bringing your polearm down as you spin it rapidly, making a vortex of invisible cutting winds, sending the small Yoju flying and multiple slashing marks formed on its soft fleshes.

It was easy to do that when they're just small sizes, on the same height as your knee but it would be hard to immediately slash a midsize Kaiju with that technique.

"All Yoju had been defeated." Okonogi announces. "Ikaragu Platoon will advance, with Ichikawa and Furuhashi on the forefront." There was a harsh gust of wind that blew past you, making you put your hand on your hair as it swayed behind you.

Squinting your eyes when you saw a figure on top of a building, and you saw that it was Captain Ashiro, holding her cannon as a white visor was placed on her face. She was aiming at the Honju and was ready to attack now.

"Honju had reached the designated combat initiation point. JSDF ground and other air forces are requested to withdraw." Giving another order, Okonogi tapped her fingers vigorously on her keyboard, assisting the captain.

Goosebumps spread over your body as you saw the blinding green light escape from her cannon's mouth. The beam rapidly found its mark in the middle of the Honju, forming a massive hole and exposing its core. She was truly the captain of the Third Division Unit.

"Honju's vital signs have disappeared!"

Another gust of wind accompanied the second round, making the Honju collapse to its knees with a loud thud that reverberated throughout the vicinity. The third shot followed swiftly, piercing its lower side that faced the direction of her aim. The sheer power and precision of her attacks left you in awe.

You crossed your hands over your chest, watching the Honju lay motionless. "Honju has taken critical damage and has stopped moving entirely." Your eyes widened in surprise and admiration when yet another round was fired at the fallen creature, ensuring its complete annihilation.

"Show off." You couldn't help but chuckle as the fourth round was launched. Twirling your polearm, you walked slowly down the alley, already preparing yourself for another round of battle. The uncountable numbers of Yoju that would soon swarm Sagamihara would be a challenge. The air was thick with anticipation, and you could basically hear the distant roars of Yoju echoed ominously, signaling the relentless fight that lay ahead.

"This would take till sun down."

. . .

"We had lost connection with Ichikawa Reno and Furuhashi Iharu, and we couldn't detect their vitals." You let out a huff as you had jab your blade into the Kaiju, your arms feel strained already, exhaustion was creeping up on you. And you learned that information right now, licking your lips in concentration when you felt the presence of Yoju behind you and without a word, you had whip your blade and it immediately cleave through its muscles and into its core.

You've been leaping, swinging, running, and killing Yoju for the past hours. Going into the front lines to lessen the Yoju that the new recruits will have to neutralized, they're probably tired. This is too much neutralization for their first mission after all.

"Where's.. their last location?" Tapping your earpiece as you question her. Okonogi probe into the information you're looking for, seeking where was they last seen in the radar. "It's between Sector F and Sector G." She immediately respond to you, letting out a hum as your brows once again furrowed as you thrusted your blade onto the Yoju's fibre, hitting its core.

Even if they're smaller, or almost the same size as you, they're still such a nuisance. There are a lot of them, which makes fighting them too tiresome.

"[Name]!" Ikaruga loudly called out your name, waving his hand at you before it goes back to his rifle, pulling the trigger as he aimed it at the five meter Yoju. He wants to ask you something, but it would be right after they manage to kill the Yoju.

Propelling yourself up in the air for the nth time for the night, you bent your kneed when you manage to land on the side of the wall and thrust blade forward, launching your figure towards the Yoju and letting your blade sink down into its tissues until the tip of your blade made contact with the core, shattering it from the impact.

"What is it, Platoon Leader Ikaruga?" You asked, staring at the Yoju under your feet and made your way towards the platoon leader, the polearm is resting on your shoulders and you felt the stares of the other soldiers on your figures. "Have you seen Ichikawa and Furuhashi?" Bringing down his rifle as he put his respirator mask down and hang it on his neck.

"No, Okonogi just announced that they lost connection with the two." Your eyes shifted to the sky, hearing a distant thunder in the vicinity, and there was flash of blue lightning, Ikaruga stared at your expression and seeing how your brows are knitted together. "What's wrong?" He tried looking at where your eyes were focused on. "Nothing, I just heard a thunder.. it might just be the Yoju." You just brushed it off.

"Also, they were last located between the Sector F and G." You informed him, he was the one who is handling the two of them and other new recruits. Ikaruga just nodded at you, putting back his respirator mask since the fungal-type Yoju was emitting some toxic gases.

Ikaruga and his troop members left you there, runnijg off to find other Yoju that is around the premier and will neutralize one they make contact. Even if you only release 80% of your combat power, going at the Yoju for hours truly drained your energy.

And there are still mushrooms that just keeps sprouting everywhere, you were worried for the two new recruits, it is worrying to have their communication be lost in their first mission. Your thoughts go back to what happened in the examination, thinking that if the same Kaiju that suddenly appeared is right here.

Even if you wanted to go towards the two recruits, you still have to support the other troops. Surely, everyone is already exhausted but you have to keep at it, even if it will take till sun down.

And it's quite frustrating to only fight these small fries.

♡︎༄,'; ALSEPHINA'S NOTE:
INTOXICATED! I wanted to write her meeting with Kaiju no. 9, but she would immediately see no. 8 aka Kafka. And she would immediately put two and two together.. er..