"MOVE! FALL BACK!"
Akane stood his ground—frozen, unsure of what to do.
A soldier suddenly grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out of the trench.
"Don't freeze up—run!"
Akane didn't resist.
His body moved instantly, following the soldier as they sprinted across the frozen battlefield.
Gunfire roared behind them. Screams echoed through the snow.
Their line had completely collapsed.
They ran through the storm, boots crunching against ice and snow.
Ahead—massive walls came into view.
Aegis District.
But something was wrong.
"…Wait," Akane muttered quietly.
The gates were open.
Smoke poured out from inside.
And—
Figures.
Too many.
The district was already overrun.
"GET INSIDE! MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!" a commander near the entrance screamed.
Soldiers flooded toward the gates, firing wildly as they ran—
not looking back at the fallen.
Akane and the soldier beside him pushed forward, shooting the infected no matter the distance.
Their platoon was gone.
"Keep moving!" a soldier shouted.
Akane fired again—
Precise.
Controlled.
Why does this feel so normal…?
Inside the Collapsing District
They crossed the gates.
It was worse inside.
Explosions lit up the streets. Barricades were shattered. Bodies lay everywhere.
"Hold the line!"
"Don't let them through!"
"We're being surrounded!"
Akane's breathing grew heavier.
Not from fear—
But from something deeper.
A pressure.
Like something inside him was trying to wake up.
Akane froze for a split second.
"LEFT SIDE! HOLD IT!" a soldier in charge screamed.
Snapping back to reality—
Akane moved.
He was pulled into a group forming a defensive line.
They fired in unison, trying to push back the wave.
For a moment—
It worked.
Then—
The ground shook.
A massive figure emerged from the smoke.
A giant infected.
Its body is twisted and unnatural, towering over everything in front of it.
"…What the hell is that…?" a soldier shouted.
"Focus fire!" someone yelled.
Gunfire erupted.
But it didn't stop.
The creature charged forward—
—and smashed through the formation like it was nothing.
"FALL BACK—!" someone screamed.
But it was too late.
More infected poured in from every direction.
Their escape route was blocked.
Akane fired again and again—
But they kept coming.
From all sides.
The soldier beside him was dragged down.
Another disappeared into the swarm.
"DAMN IT—RUN!" someone screamed.
Akane turned and ran, heading toward another route.
His heart pounded.
His vision narrowed.
Everything blurred—
Except movement.
He dodged.
Fired.
Moved without thinking.
This isn't right…
Why can I do this…?
Escape
Ships were preparing to launch.
"LAST CALL! GET ON!"
Akane sprinted toward the nearest one.
Behind him—
Screams.
Gunfire.
Then… silence.
He didn't look back.
He jumped onto the ship just as the doors slammed shut.
"TAKE OFF!"
The engines roared.
The ship lifted—
Leaving everything behind.
Inside the ship, silence filled the air.
Only a handful of soldiers remained.
Some injured.
Some shaking.
Some are completely still.
A soldier near Akane breathed heavily.
"…We made it…"
But something felt wrong.
New Orders
A voice came through the ship's system.
Cold.
Controlled.
"This is Supervisor Command."
All the soldiers looked up.
"You are not returning to base."
Murmurs spread instantly.
"What…?"
"You've gotta be kidding…"
Akane narrowed his eyes.
"You are being redirected to the 21st District of Stellar," the voice continued.
"Your objective: retake the primary armory facility currently occupied by mercenary forces."
Silence.
Then—
"…We just barely survived that!" someone shouted.
"We don't even have enough men!"
The system didn't respond.
Akane stood still.
Listening.
Processing.
Not going back…?
Another mission… already?
His grip tightened.
Through the ship's window—
The ruined battlefield faded into the distance.
But ahead—
Another war waited.
Akane closed his eyes for a moment.
Then opened them.
Calm.
Empty.
Ready.
Even if he didn't understand why.
As the ships began their descent—
Suddenly—
Explosions lit up the sky.
"INCOMING FIRE!"
The ships shook violently as blasts struck around them.
From below—
The armory facility opened fire.
They were expected.