Chapter 126: The Ultimate Order
Two grueling days had passed since the nightmare in the underground bunker. Against all odds, the freezing winds of the Northern Frost-Spire had failed to claim them. Ren and Mina had dragged themselves through the endless snow, surviving on pure willpower until they finally reached the extraction point.
Now, the howling blizzards were replaced by the sterile, humming silence of the Central Command Base.
In a massive, dimly lit briefing room made of polished steel and glass, Captain Mina Kimo stood at attention. Her uniform was clean, but her eyes carried the heavy, haunted shadows of the wasteland. Across the long obsidian table sat two figures of absolute authority: her father, General Kimo, and the formidable High-Up, Ms. Hima.
"Congratulations, Mina," Hima said, her voice smooth and devoid of any real warmth. She leaned back in her leather chair, her sharp eyes studying the young Captain. "You have successfully completed the Frost-Spire reconnaissance mission."
Mina kept her head bowed. Her hands, resting at her sides, curled into tight fists. "Why... why are you congratulating me, Ma'am?" Mina's voice trembled slightly, heavy with the ghosts of Team A and Team B. "Everyone is dead. My entire squad, Adam Lee's team... they were all slaughtered. I couldn't save anyone except Ren. We lost so many good men."
Hima let out a soft, dismissive sigh, resting her chin on her intertwined fingers. "You should be thankful that you survived, Captain. Survival in itself is a victory. When I was a Captain, I went on a mission just like yours. By the end of it, I was the sole survivor. Well... me and my little brother. We were just two kids left standing in a sea of blood. But let's leave the past where it belongs."
General Kimo stood up, his imposing figure casting a long shadow across the room. He walked over to Mina, placing a heavy hand on her shoulder. His face, usually carved from stone, showed a rare, fleeting glimpse of paternal pride.
"I am proud of you, daughter," Kimo said, his voice echoing in the large room. "You faced the Titans, you faced the cold, and you returned. I knew you had it in you. Because of your success, your final mission will be assigned directly by me."
Mina looked up, a flicker of hope in her tired eyes. "Final mission?"
"Yes," Kimo nodded, his expression turning deadly serious. "And compared to what you've just been through, this one is incredibly easy. Are you ready, Mina?"
Mina swallowed hard, her military training taking over. She stood taller. "Yes, Dad. I am ready."
Kimo pulled his hand away and looked her dead in the eye. "Good. The mission is simple. You have to kill Ren Vority."
The words hit Mina like a physical blow. The air in the room suddenly felt impossibly thin. Her heart stopped beating for a full second. She stared at her father, her mind refusing to process the command.
"What...?" Mina breathed out, her eyes wide with absolute shock. "Kill... Ren?"
Hima smiled a cold, razor-sharp smile. "It is a very simple task, Mina. You are just executing the man who kidnapped you in the Outer Sector. You are taking out a threat."
"No... wait!" Mina's voice rose, desperation leaking into her tone. "I don't understand! Why? Can I... can I at least ask for the reason?"
General Kimo's face instantly darkened. The brief moment of fatherly pride vanished, replaced by the wrath of a military commander. "Mina!" he barked, his voice vibrating with anger at her insubordination.
"Wait, Kimo. Give her a moment," Hima intervened smoothly, raising a hand to silence the General. She stood up and slowly walked around the table, her high heels clicking rhythmically against the floor. She stopped right in front of Mina, her gaze piercing right through the young Captain's soul.
"Listen to me carefully, Mina," Hima whispered, her tone chillingly calm. "Years ago, King Zero gave me a mission. He ordered me to kill my own little brother. And you know what I did? I killed him. Without hesitation. That loyalty, that willingness to pull the trigger on my own blood, is exactly why I am sitting in this chair today as a High-Up."
Mina stared at Hima in sheer horror. The woman standing before her wasn't just a commander; she was a monster wrapped in authority.
"And unlike my brother, you actually have a valid reason to kill Ren," Hima continued, her eyes narrowing. "Look at the facts. Ren Vority is unstable. He is half-human, half-feral. And from the reports of his vitals we just took, he has been exposed to a Titan's attack. His blood is tainted with the Void. It is only a matter of time before he completely loses his humanity, transforms into a feral Giant, and becomes a catastrophic danger to the entire Earth."
Hima leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "You are not just following an order, Mina. You are saving the Earth. So, here is your final directive: Go to his holding cell, kill Ren Vority, and bring us his severed head as proof."
Mina's entire world was collapsing. The man who had taken a bullet for her, the man who had fought a ghost of his own mother to protect her... she was being ordered to behead him. She looked at her father, begging silently for a different way, but Kimo's face was locked in an unyielding scowl.
Mina slowly lowered her head. The shadows in the room seemed to swallow her. She knew that if she refused, they would kill her right here, and then they would send someone else to kill Ren. She had to play their game.
She stood at perfect attention, her voice completely dead, devoid of all emotion. "As you order. I will go."
She turned on her heel and marched out of the briefing room, the heavy steel doors sliding shut behind her with a definitive thud.
Inside the room, Kimo turned to Hima, his brow furrowed with concern. "Will she actually do it? She looked... attached."
Hima walked back to her chair, picking up a glass of water. "She has to. If she doesn't, we will simply have to kill her too. Ren Vority must die, Kimo. His existence is an anomaly that threatens the balance." Hima paused, her eyes flashing with a dangerous secret. "Just ensure that this execution happens quietly. Prince Enoki must absolutely not find out about this. If he realizes we ordered the death of his plaything... it will cause a war within the court."
Outside the briefing room, the hallway was empty.
Mina walked a few steps away from the door before her legs completely gave out. She slumped against the cold, metallic wall, slowly sliding down until she was sitting on the floor.
She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. The strict, emotionless facade she had maintained inside shattered into a million pieces. She clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle her sobs, but the tears flowed uncontrollably, leaving hot, stinging trails down her cheeks.
She was trapped. If she didn't kill Ren, they would both die. And if she did... she would lose the only piece of her own humanity she had left.