"We're almost there. Prepare for combat."
Zed, who had been leaning against the wall to rest, suddenly straightened up and walked over to the hatch as he spoke.
Hearing Zed's words, Roland and Lucy nodded and tightened their grip on their weapons.
"Oh, right—one more thing. Death here will feel very real. Don't take it too seriously, but don't treat it too lightly either. The sensation of dying is extremely unpleasant."
Roland suddenly remembered something and spoke up to warn them.
The reason for that reminder was simple. During the early stages of this technology's testing, there had been several real deaths.
Thanks to the contributions of certain "reformed" Scavengers, the technology had only recently been extracted from the system store. It was something obtained after the Apocalypse.
Because of that, Apocalypse training had never used this system.
When testing first began, Roland hadn't told those Scavengers that the environment was virtual. Once the scenario started, the overwhelming realism led directly to fatal incidents.
Of course, the system had since been adjusted. Deaths should no longer occur, but a bit of caution was still necessary.
Lucy gave a slight nod at Roland's reminder and stepped toward the hatch as well.
Whoosh—
Once the three of them were in position, the hatch burst open. Violent winds surged into the cabin, yet none of their expressions changed. They simply lowered their heads and surveyed the battlefield below.
The situation beneath them was grim.
Countless orange streams of energy streaked through the air. Many came from PROJECT's security robots, yet very few managed to inflict any meaningful damage on the enemy.
Several hostile figures moved freely among the security robots. Every pass through the formation resulted in heavy casualties.
The only one capable of dealing effective damage, Heavenly Eye, was barely holding on under the combined assault of three opponents. He had no room to counterattack at all.
Seeing this, Zed wasted no time. He leapt straight down toward the battlefield.
Roland and Lucy followed immediately, though unlike Zed, they did not plunge directly into the center. Zed could slip into the Shadow Realm—neither of them could.
The moment Zed appeared, he instantly drew the attention of Thunder, Fire, and Mountain.
Thunder abandoned Heavenly Eye without hesitation. With a sliding step that left an afterimage behind, several bullets infused with terrifying energy tore through the air toward Zed, who was still mid-descent.
Just as Zed was about to intercept the attack, Roland brought two fingers together in front of him. A sharp burst of compressed air rang out.
Roland, who had been sliding down the wall with his sword embedded in it, vanished in an instant, leaving behind only a deep indentation.
Several orange sword afterimages flashed past, intercepting every bullet. In the next breath, a streak of orange light crossed dozens of meters and appeared directly in front of Thunder.
The Alpha Double-Blade, radiating razor-sharp intent, swept toward Thunder's face.
Clang!
At the critical moment, a clear, piercing collision rang out.
Roland's pupils contracted sharply. Sensing danger, he didn't hesitate for a second, forcefully pushing off the ground and retreating backward.
Swish—
Almost the instant he pulled back, a blade wrapped in storm-like energy tore past, carving a horrifying gash into the ground.
"You've chosen the wrong path, Light."
Yasuo flicked his katana and held it horizontally in front of himself, lowering his stance as he spoke in a low voice.
Roland rotated his wrist slightly. The earlier clash had caught him off guard, leaving his hand numb for a moment, but he had already recovered.
As for Yasuo's words, Roland had no intention of responding. He wasn't the real Light to begin with—and facing someone like this, speaking would only be a distraction.
The opponent before him was nothing like the one he had created. In terms of willpower, skill, and combat instinct, Yasuo far surpassed that imitation.
This was a fight that allowed no room for carelessness.
At that moment, Zed emerged from a nearby wall, clinging to it as he observed the situation.
Lucy slowly moved to Roland's side.
Thunder gave Yasuo a slight nod, as if thanking him for the earlier intervention. After a brief exchange of looks, he bypassed them and headed straight for Zed.
Fire and Mountain followed close behind, clearly identifying Zed as the strongest threat present.
Heavenly Eye glanced at Roland and Lucy, then shifted his footing and began climbing the surrounding buildings. He was moving to support Zed.
"Looks like the situation isn't in your favor right now."
Roland spoke calmly as he watched the others leave.
Yasuo didn't respond. Instead, he stepped forward sharply, closing the ten-meter distance between them in an instant, leaving barely a meter of space.
Boom!
Roland reacted in time, but the defense was rushed. The overwhelming force sent him staggering backward.
Lucy's expression changed. She immediately hurled her daggers. The two blades transformed into purple-red streaks of light, shooting toward Yasuo's back.
Crack!
Yasuo glanced over his shoulder, then kicked hard at Roland's blocking arm. At the same time, he flipped backward and snapped his wrist. A wall of energy rose instantly out of thin air, stopping Lucy's daggers.
Swish—whoosh—
Thud!
The moment the daggers fell, Lucy seemed to cross space itself, appearing directly in front of Yasuo and driving a kick toward his temple.
Yasuo raised his arm and blocked it. White shockwaves burst outward from the point of impact.
Just as Lucy was about to press the attack, Yasuo flicked his wrist again. The scabbard in his other hand shot forward, slamming into Lucy's abdomen and sending her flying.
"Damn it!"
Pain exploded through her stomach as Lucy found herself suspended helplessly in mid-air. Yasuo, of course, didn't miss the opening.
Cold light flashed along the blade in his hand.
Steel Slash!
The katana cleaved through the air, energy rippling outward in concentric waves. A terrifying orange arc of blade light surged straight toward Lucy's chest.
Swish—