Ursus Mobile City, Chernobog.
"A Squad, advance! B Squad, provide cover... Casters, attack!"
A hooded figure held a terminal in hand, continuously issuing commands through a communicator.
At this moment, Amiya and the Rhodes Island personnel were locked in a confrontation against numerous Reunion members.
Under the hooded figure's command, they were steadily pushing forward.
"Doctor, are you alright?"
After successfully driving back the enemy forces, Amiya noticed that the hooded figure Doctor was breathing heavily and looked extremely exhausted. She stepped forward in concern.
Since rescuing the Doctor, they had already gone through many battles.
The situation could only be described as terrible. Setting aside the fact that they had no way of contacting the outside world, the massive uprising of Reunion members throughout the city was already troublesome enough.
However, according to the operators who had come as reinforcements, Blaze, Rosmontis, Shirou, and the Penguin Logistics team had already gone ahead to investigate the cause of the rising Originium concentration nearby. Once they resolved the issue, they would immediately come to provide support.
So for now, all they had to do was hold out until reinforcements arrived, or slowly fight their way out.
And besides...
Reunion itself did not seem particularly united.
During every operation, they could see some Reunion members attacking their own allies, or even assisting Rhodes Island and civilians.
Although nobody was willing to trust them, they continued trying nevertheless.
"I am fine. Have the medical operators check everyone else's injuries first."
The Doctor shook their head and began directing the medical operators to treat the personnel who had participated in the battle.
"Understood."
Watching the Doctor continue to work despite their condition, Amiya raised her head and looked toward the sky.
There were dark clouds overhead, but that was not what she was looking at.
She was searching for signs of incoming aircraft, but there was no trace of them.
The medical operators had nearly exhausted their supplies. Thanks to the Doctor's command, only a portion of the team had suffered minor injuries and nobody had died.
But everyone was already exhausted.
If things continued like this, the situation would only grow worse.
"Do not worry. They will come."
Seeing Amiya staring into the sky, Ace shook the arm that had already been bandaged and spoke reassuringly.
He understood the current situation well enough and naturally knew what Amiya was worried about.
Still, since Blaze and Rosmontis had already taken action, it was only a matter of time before support arrived.
"I am worried that they may have run into danger. There are not many combat operators left outside."
Hearing Ace's words, Amiya finally lowered her gaze from the sky and voiced her concern.
Before departing, she had sensed uneasiness from Shirou. At first, she thought he was simply nervous, but it seemed his premonition had been correct.
Perhaps they should have acted sooner.
Even so, Amiya did not regret their decision. The Doctor was simply too important to Rhodes Island.
If anything...
They should have brought more personnel.
Most of the pressure was currently resting on the shoulders of the elite operators Ace and Scout, as well as Nearl and Dobermann.
"I do not know much about the situation outside, but I trust Blaze and Rosmontis can handle it. And even if they cannot, there is still that kid Shirou."
Seeing the serious look on Amiya's face, Ace deliberately avoided mentioning the worst-case scenario and instead began talking about Shirou's accomplishments.
At times like these, discussing something that could boost morale was far more useful, especially since Amiya's morale was particularly important as Rhodes Island's leader.
As he continued speaking, even Ace felt his own spirits rising.
It almost created the illusion that once Shirou arrived, everything would somehow start getting better.
"...Is he really that impressive?"
The Doctor, who had been eavesdropping for quite some time, raised a hand and asked.
At present, they did not have a clear understanding of individual combat strength, but Ace made it sound as though Shirou could destroy heaven and earth with a single strike.
With a casual wave of his hand, several swords would fly into the air.
Or he could wield a sword comparable in size to a building.
The Doctor simply could not quite understand it.
Leaving aside the question of why someone was so obsessed with blades, the idea of wielding a sword as large as a building sounded more like fantasy than reality.
Given the current situation, if Shirou's combat ability really surpassed the Ace standing before them, then he would indeed be a tremendous asset.
At that moment, the Doctor's mind began simulating battle scenarios involving Shirou, with most of the data coming from Amiya's and Ace's descriptions.
After quite some time, the Rhodes Island personnel resting on standby noticed a lone figure appearing at the far end of the street.
The person walked toward them at a leisurely pace.
Many found themselves frozen in place, overwhelmed by the sheer pressure emanating from him.
"You are... Rhodes Island Pharmaceutical Company?"
As the figure drew closer, everyone could finally see his appearance clearly.
A towering Sarkaz.
He wore a helmet that completely covered his head and face, along with a suit of weathered armor that had clearly seen countless years of use.
The massive halberd in his hand looked old, but that did nothing to diminish the deadly sharpness it still projected.
His enormous shield was covered in scars, proof that this piece of equipment, taller and larger than a person, had accompanied him through innumerable battles.
And yet, this very shield, large enough to completely shelter an adult, reached only halfway up the Sarkaz's height when held in his hand.
It looked less like a tower shield and more like a one-handed shield in the grasp of this giant.
His voice was extremely deep. The way he spoke sounded somewhat unusual, but after noticing the old respirator built into his armor, it became clear why he spoke that way.
What drew the most attention, however, were probably the red cloth strips on his arm and the orange ribbons attached to his armor. The Rhodes Island operators had just been fighting people wearing orange armbands, so they naturally understood what those symbols represented.
"...Yes. We are Rhodes Island Pharmaceutical."
Faced with this towering Sarkaz, many Rhodes Island operators did not even dare meet his gaze, let alone find the courage to answer him.
In the end, Ace stepped forward, enduring the pressure and positioning himself in front of Amiya before answering the question.
The giant Sarkaz focused his gaze on Ace.
Although his eyes were hidden behind the helmet, the red glow shining through it made it obvious where he was looking.
"We have no intention... of fighting you. We came... to eliminate the traitors causing unrest."
Seemingly noticing how wary the Rhodes Island group was, the giant Sarkaz took the initiative to explain that he had no intention of fighting them and stated his purpose.
He did not want to engage in a meaningless battle.
Those Reunion members who had become pawns of the Black Snake were his primary targets.
Meeting Rhodes Island here was merely a coincidence.
Although he did not know why they were present, reports from his subordinates indicated that these people had not participated in the riots. In fact, they had been driving back and even eliminating the rioters.
That made them allies, at least for the moment.
"Is that so? The traitors you mentioned are those infected people running around destroying everything? If that is the case, they fled in that direction."
After hearing his explanation, Ace secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Avoiding a fight under these circumstances was naturally for the best.
After all, this was a Wendigo.
If they really fought, Rhodes Island would likely suffer terrible casualties.
Of course, there was no guarantee that the Wendigo was telling the truth, so the best option was still to get him to leave as quickly as possible.
Pointing in a different direction, Ace indicated the path taken by the fleeing rioters.
"..."
The Wendigo first glanced in the direction Ace indicated.
Then, carrying his massive halberd and shield, he began walking directly toward the Rhodes Island group.
The sound of metal armor colliding echoed through the street.
Combined with his imposing appearance, it was a terrifying sight.
Ace, Dobermann, Nearl, and the other operators who had not been overwhelmed by his presence immediately prepared themselves for battle.
Fortunately, the Wendigo simply walked past them.
It seemed he truly had no intention of attacking.
However, just as he was about to leave the area where the Rhodes Island squad was resting, something seemed to catch his attention.
He stopped.
Then he turned around.
The Wendigo's gaze first landed on the hooded Doctor, causing cold sweat to break out across the latter's body.
Then his eyes shifted to Amiya, who stood protectively in front of the hooded figure.
As he looked at her, the red glow within his helmet narrowed slightly.
"The leader... of Rhodes Island? A Cautus...?"
"No. You are not."
Looking at Amiya, the Wendigo began muttering to himself.
He appeared to recognize her status as Rhodes Island's leader, yet he seemed uncertain about her race.
He could sense a faint power within her.
But he could not be certain.
After all, she was a Cautus, not a Sarkaz.
"Amiya!"
Although nobody fully understood his behavior, one thing was clear:
He seemed hostile toward Amiya.
Ace, Nearl, and the other operators immediately moved in front of her.
Even the Doctor pulled her behind them.
"Everyone..."
Watching everyone throw themselves in front of her without hesitation, Amiya pressed her lips together.
"So that is... how it is."
Still muttering to himself, the Wendigo took a step toward Amiya.
The operators gathered in front of her tensed their bodies.
Weapons were gripped tightly as they stared at the Wendigo, who had suddenly become hostile.
The atmosphere around him grew dangerous.
At the same time, the respirator built into his armor began operating at full capacity.
That meant he was getting serious.
The massive halberd swung down.
It slammed into Ace's shield.
The sudden, overwhelming impact sent numbness through Ace's arms.
The next moment, sparks erupted from the Wendigo's helmet alongside the sound of metal striking metal.
It was a sniper shot from Scout in the distance.
The bullet struck the Wendigo's head but failed to inflict any damage.
Scout had intentionally aimed for the eyes and respirator, but the giant shield was not merely decorative.
Its immense size covered most of the Wendigo's body.
Meanwhile, Ace and the others standing before him looked like children by comparison.
"We will hold him here. Nearl, take Amiya and the Doctor and get out. I will keep him occupied."
Looking at the bandages on his arm which had already been wrapped but were now soaked red after reopening under the force of that strike Ace decided the others should retreat first.
This was a Wendigo.
Numbers meant nothing against one.
There was a saying that three Wendigos could conquer a small city.
Ace had always treated it as a joke.
Only now, standing before an actual Wendigo, did he realize it might not be a joke at all.
Still, he was an elite operator of Rhodes Island.
He could not let Rhodes Island lose face.
"...Fall back! Everyone, fall back! The kitty just launched Shirou over here!"
Just as Ace was preparing to engage the Wendigo in battle, Blaze's voice suddenly came through the communicator.
Without hesitation, Ace raised his shield and rapidly retreated.
"Hm?"
Seeing the man in sunglasses carrying a shield abruptly withdraw, despite apparently intending to hold him off alone while the others escaped, the Wendigo showed little concern.
At this moment, he only wanted to determine whether that Cautus was truly what he suspected her to be.
The feeling was vague, but he knew he could not have mistaken it.
Just as the halberd was about to launch a second attack, he noticed his opponent retreating. At the same time, he seemed to sense something.
He immediately halted his attack, stepped backward several paces, and raised his shield defensively.
A moment later, an object roughly the same size as the Wendigo himself descended from the sky and slammed into the ground precisely between him and Ace.
Calling it a boulder would not be entirely accurate.
It had a grip that could be held, and its edges had been sharpened into blade-like surfaces.
It resembled an axe, yet also looked somewhat like a sword.
Its savage appearance made it difficult to imagine it as a weapon an ordinary person would wield.
But if it belonged to that person...
Then it made sense.
As it struck the ground, a massive cloud of dust erupted into the air, cutting off both sides' vision.
Immediately afterward, another crimson figure descended from the sky at incredible speed, landing within the swirling dust.
"You all retreat first. I will catch up shortly."
Although they could not see him clearly, his actions and voice made his identity obvious.
It was Shirou.
"...We are counting on you. Please be careful. A Wendigo is incredibly powerful."
Ace had originally intended to stay and fight alongside him.
However, after considering Shirou's combat ability and mobility, both of which seemed far superior to his own and remembering the injuries he was already carrying, he changed his mind.
Realizing that remaining behind might only make him a burden, Ace decisively chose to withdraw from the battle.
After retreating some distance, he spotted Amiya struggling in Nearl's one-armed carry, along with the other operators preparing to evacuate.
"Has Shirou arrived?"
Seeing Ace return, and recalling the urgent message Blaze had transmitted over the communicator earlier, Amiya knew their reinforcements had finally arrived.
But...
Could Shirou really handle a Wendigo?
"Have faith in him. After all, he is the guy Rosmontis threw from several hundred meters up in the air."
Seeing the expression on Amiya's face, Ace immediately understood what she was worried about.
That was only natural.
The legends surrounding Wendigos were famous throughout Terra.
But Shirou was no ordinary person either.
After all, he was someone whom Rosmontis could literally hurl across the battlefield with her Originium Arts.