Minori had joined the boot camp even later than Kevin. She too was a survivor from the Far East during the Third Honkai Eruption.
It was said that she had originally been scheduled to be sent to Australia for treatment. However, due to an unexpected chemical leak at the Australia Psychological Rehabilitation Medical Center, her treatment plan was forcibly changed and she was transferred to MOTH's medical department instead, which delayed her for quite some time.
By the time she joined boot camp, Kevin's teammates—those enthusiastic, self-sacrificing good comrades of his—had just been sent off to Dr. Mobius' laboratory. In order to fill the vacant slots in the squad, Minori was stuffed into Kevin's team.
Aside from Minori, who was more or less there to make up the numbers, there was another recruit in Kevin's squad—but she was absent today.
Yes, absent on such an important occasion.
If Kevin were to report it, that girl would absolutely be treated as a deserter and sent straight to a military tribunal.
Fortunately, Kevin did no such thing. After all, everyone has something urgent at times. Even if she had truly run away on purpose, that was only human.
Kevin himself was no stranger to fear of the Honkai. The horrific scenes of the Third Honkai Eruption lingered in his mind like an inescapable nightmare.
Perhaps the Herrscher could only control a limited number of tornadoes. In North America, the tornadoes were sparse. Though each one was more powerful and broader in scope than those in New Zealand, across the vast landmass of North America, they were hardly enough to cover everything. (In reality, most of them had been blasted apart by Vill-V's Prison Great Spear missiles.)
Relying on a maneuver jokingly nicknamed "Whirlwind Charge Through the Tornado," the fighter jet pierced through storm and lightning, landing—without real incident—in the greenbelt on the outskirts of El Paso.
The reason it was described as landing without real incident was that during the descent, the fighter had forcibly plowed a runway straight through the greenbelt of El Paso. If not for MOTH's aircraft being more advanced and sturdier than standard military jets, it likely would have shattered into pieces on the spot.
Kevin gripped the MOTH emblem tightly and pinned it to his chest.
He then unfastened his safety belt, hoisted the massive, heavy metal equipment case onto his back, and stepped off the transport aircraft with a cold expression.
Behind him, Minori staggered out, her eyes hollow and gray, her expression utterly drained.
"Eh? There are two Captain Kevins... Huh? Now there are three Captain Kevins... Wow, so many Captain Kevins..."
The light around them was dim. In stark contrast to the flying sand and swirling debris in the distance, here it was strangely calm.
Kevin raised his arm and activated the miniature combat computer on his sleeve. "No Honkai energy detected."
The electronic voice had barely finished when a howling gale suddenly swept in front of Kevin. The computer issued another alert. "Honkai energy detected. Twenty-eight HW."
"Twenty-eight Honkai Welt of radiation? Still within safe levels."
Humans themselves possessed a degree of resistance to Honkai energy. Since ancient times, humanity had coexisted with Honkai energy in this world and had long developed some tolerance—though some people had higher resistance, and others lower.
Under most circumstances, radiation below 120 HW was considered safe.
When radiation reached 130 HW, caution was required. Exposed wounds had to be avoided, lest Honkai erode the body.
Once it exceeded 180 HW, Honkai energy could penetrate the skin.
At 200 HW, even brief exposure could result in Honkai Sickness.
And when radiation climbed as high as 800 HW, even standard protective suits could not provide defense.
Only about five percent of people could endure Honkai energy above 200 HW. Those capable of withstanding over 300 were exceedingly rare.
Such was the helpless reality of the Previous Era. Humans of that age, without genetic modification, had pitifully low resistance to Honkai energy.
Typically, at the epicenter of a Honkai outbreak, the energy level ranged between 300 and 600 HW, decreasing by ten HW per kilometer outward. This meant that roughly 20 to 50 kilometers beyond the center fell within the range humans could endure.
Only during a Honkai Eruption involving a Herrscher would concentrations exceed 1,000 HW. There were exceptions, however—if the Herrscher personally absorbed the Honkai energy, the surrounding concentration could instead become extremely low.
"The wind is so strong..." Minori muttered, clutching her sleeve.
Flap.
Caught off guard by sudden warmth, she found a coat draped over her shoulders.
"Captain..." Minori looked at Kevin gratefully.
White-haired Captain Kevin stood there in his fitted tactical bodysuit, unmoving despite the intermittent gusts. Steady as a pine tree, he appeared incomparably imposing and handsome, as though the biting cold winds could not shake the blazing resolve within his heart.
When Minori thought Captain Kevin looked cool, Kevin also thought he looked cool.
Kevin: "Cool..." (trembling voice)
Kevin and Minori split up, one rescuing surviving civilians, the other searching for intelligence on the Herrscher.
"Energy level at the Honkai epicenter confirmed: 2,600 HW."
"According to confirmation from the observation hub and the intelligence department, this Herrscher holds authority over 'wind.' MOTH has officially designated it the Herrscher of Wind. All squads are to remain vigilant against the effects of 'wind.'"
As Kevin listened to the updates transmitted from MOTH's Strategic Command Center through his earpiece, he vaulted between buildings, leaping from one rooftop to another.
The single-soldier combat suit developed by MOTH was remarkably comprehensive. The boots were equipped with high-pressure jet devices and a cushioning air system, allowing soldiers to leap like superheroes.
However, the training required to use these devices had cost the recruits dearly. A single miscalculation could result in far worse than a broken bone. In severe cases, it meant instant death.
With Kevin's talent, though, using these devices was as effortless as drinking water. He had even applied to the engineering department for more extreme test equipment. Of course, the primary purpose of that request was merely to find excuses to visit the engineering lab more often—to see Mei.
"Hm? There's someone over there... a kid?"
Kevin spotted a small figure crouched on the rooftop of a building, staring intently at the distant tornado.
Several days earlier, Kosma had done his utmost to persuade the people of his hometown to leave North America. But no one believed the frantic warnings of a twelve-year-old boy. They merely treated him as a mischievous child crying wolf.
It was only today, when they saw the tornadoes in the distance, that they realized their mistake and truly believed the caped boy shouting, "Get out of here!"
But they had missed the best chance to flee. The Fourth Honkai Eruption had already erupted across North America.
Fortunately, at that time, Honkai energy had not yet spread to this forgotten frontier town. And Kosma had already prepared an escape route for them—ten old school buses long since decommissioned due to age, loaded with food, medicine, and emergency supplies.
Watching the buses carry away his friends from the orphanage, Kosma did not leave. Instead, he chose to stand before the storm and face the approaching Herrscher of Wind.
Because the civilians had missed their best chance to escape, the enemy's tornadoes would not stand still. On the contrary, they were rapidly closing in at a speed visible to the naked eye—far faster than the rickety buses.
Staring at the swiftly approaching tornadoes, Kosma murmured nervously, "The enemy is over there. I need to buy everyone a little more time."