The ground trembled.
Five Elite Units stood in front of them.
Each one radiated the same crushing pressure—
But stronger.
More stable.
More controlled.
Arjun exhaled slowly.
"…This is bad."
Behind him, the three squad members stood frozen.
The girl tightened her grip on the knife.
"W-we can't fight that…"
The man with the metal rod swallowed hard.
"…We're dead."
Arjun didn't turn.
"Not yet."
The drone hovered beside him.
[Threat Level: Extreme ×5]
Arjun stared at the enemies.
Five targets.
One charge.
Low durability.
"…Think."
The system remained silent.
Good.
That meant:
👉 No restrictions.
The Elite Units moved.
Not together.
Individually.
Each one stepping into position—
Surrounding.
Cutting escape routes.
Arjun's eyes narrowed.
"They're coordinating…"
The drone confirmed.
[Behavior Pattern: Tactical Enclosure]
"…So they're not mindless."
The first Elite Unit attacked.
Arjun moved instantly.
Dodging to the side—
The beam missed by inches.
But a second beam followed.
Too fast.
Arjun activated Speed Boost.
Barely escaping.
The ground behind him vanished.
"…Can't keep dodging like this."
Another Elite Unit stepped forward.
Blocking his path.
The third moved behind him.
Trap complete.
Arjun clenched his jaw.
"…Alright."
He opened the squad interface.
[Command Menu Active]
"Listen carefully," he said without turning.
All three focused on him.
"You're not fighting them."
The older man frowned.
"…Then what are we doing?"
Arjun's eyes locked onto the map.
"You're distractions."
Silence.
The girl's voice shook.
"…Distractions?"
Arjun nodded.
"Move fast. Stay spread out."
"Make them split."
The man with the rod hesitated.
"…And if they attack us?"
Arjun didn't hesitate.
"They will."
Silence again.
Then—
The older man stepped forward.
"…Alright."
The other two followed.
Fear was still there.
But they moved.
[Squad Orders Assigned]
The three scattered in different directions.
Immediately—
Two Elite Units shifted focus.
Following them.
Arjun's eyes sharpened.
"Good."
Now—
Three remained.
Still too many.
But manageable.
The first Elite Unit charged again.
Arjun fired.
Plasma shots hit—
Minimal damage.
"…Still tough."
The second Elite Unit attacked from the side.
Arjun rolled.
Barely avoiding.
The third stepped in front of him.
Blocking movement again.
"…They're adapting."
The drone responded.
[Enemy learning pattern detected]
Arjun smirked slightly.
"…So am I."
He activated Threat Prediction.
The signals overlapped.
Multiple attacks.
Different angles.
"…This is messy."
He jumped back.
Creating distance.
The three Elite Units advanced together.
Slow.
Controlled.
Like predators.
Arjun looked at the interface again.
Orbital Strike Beacon.
One charge.
Five enemies.
Now three.
"…Still not enough."
He needed more.
He glanced at the map.
Two squad members were still moving.
Running.
The third—
Stopped.
Arjun's eyes widened.
"…Idiot."
The Elite Unit chasing him raised its arm.
The man froze.
Too slow.
Arjun reacted instantly.
"Drone—mark target."
[Target locked]
Arjun raised the plasma rifle.
Fired.
The shot hit the Elite Unit's arm.
Deflecting the attack.
The man collapsed to the ground.
Alive.
Barely.
"Move!" Arjun shouted.
The man scrambled up and ran.
The Elite Unit turned—
Back toward Arjun.
"…Good."
Now—
All attention returned to him.
Three Elites.
Closing in again.
Arjun exhaled slowly.
"…Enough testing."
He activated overload.
The plasma rifle glowed intensely.
[Weapon stability critical]
"Let's break one."
The first Elite Unit charged.
Arjun didn't move.
He waited.
Timing.
The moment it paused—
He fired.
Direct hit.
The armor cracked slightly.
Not enough.
The second Elite Unit attacked.
Arjun stepped in.
Closer.
Risky.
But necessary.
He fired again.
Same spot.
The crack widened.
[Damage increased: 14%]
"Still not enough…"
The third Elite Unit joined.
Three attacks.
Simultaneous.
Arjun moved.
Barely.
The shockwaves collided behind him.
The entire street collapsed further.
[Suit Integrity: 31%]
"…Running out of time."
He looked at the sky.
Then back at the enemies.
Then at the beacon.
"…Fine."
His eyes sharpened.
"Let's change the scale."
He activated the Orbital Strike Beacon.
The device materialized in his hand.
A small metallic cylinder.
Glowing faintly.
[Orbital Link Established]
The sky flickered.
The warship above responded.
Energy gathered.
A faint red targeting line appeared.
Connecting sky to ground.
Arjun smiled slightly.
"…Now we're talking."
The Elite Units sensed it.
For the first time—
They hesitated.
Arjun raised the beacon.
Aiming.
Not at one.
Not at two.
But—
At the center of all three.
"…This ends here."
The system confirmed.
[Orbital Strike Ready]
Arjun took a deep breath.
"…Fire."
The sky split open.
A massive beam of red energy descended.
And the world turned white.