Chapter 302 : The Endless Battlefield
Chapter 302: The Endless Battlefield
It was war.
There had not been the slightest warning.
Not even a minimum declaration of war.
No one had expected it.
No one had prepared for it.
And so, the city collapsed without any means of resistance.
The first to respond to Chairman Drake Stingray's sudden preemptive strike was Millennium Technology.
Having learned from their defeat in the previous war, they had thoroughly prepared themselves to fight the Stingray Group at any moment.
Thanks to that, they were able to convene an emergency Board of Directors meeting in less than five minutes.
"Please report the confirmed damage."
"According to radar observations, at 14:48, we confirmed that sixty-two Stingray offensive satellites simultaneously altered their orbits. Twenty-three seconds later, a total of 1,529 projectiles entered the atmosphere."
"So what did we do?"
"Following Project 'Harpoon,' we successfully intercepted ninety percent of the projectiles launched from the Stingray satellites toward our Colonies. However, the remaining ten percent destroyed Colonies No. 291 and No. 159, along with five additional medium-sized Colonies."
"Two of our super-large Colonies were wiped out?"
"Yes. We are still calculating the estimated losses, but they are expected to exceed at least 24 trillion Credits. Furthermore, Colony No. 291 was our primary military weapons production facility, so our supply chain has also suffered severe disruption."
"Damn it. This is troublesome."
Chairman Vladimir Kharitonov of Militech muttered as he pressed a hand against his forehead before speaking again.
"What about everything else?"
"A total of 452 Colonies belonging to corporations allied with us have been destroyed. It would not be an exaggeration to say that our allied camp has been annihilated."
"Those insane Stingray bastards! They really want blood!"
"Please sit down, Director Nishimura. Don't let your emotions dictate your judgment."
"M-My apologies, Chairman."
"In any case, the conclusion is simple. Their surprise attack inflicted considerable damage on us. We took quite a hit."
As Chairman Kharitonov let out a low groan, the presenter cautiously continued.
"Chairman. There is still one matter I have yet to report."
"……Go ahead."
"Our investigation has revealed that our side was not the only one damaged by Stingray's attack."
"What do you mean?"
"We have confirmed that seven Colonies belonging to our company and 452 belonging to our allied corporations—a total of 459—have been destroyed beyond recovery. However, we have also confirmed that 153 Colonies owned by the Stingray Group and its allied corporations were likewise destroyed."
"They attacked themselves?"
"Yes. We do not know the reason, but among the destroyed Stingray Colonies was the manufacturing facility for their latest cyber-cortical Cyberware product that had been scheduled for release in the second half of the year."
"What in the world......"
"As a result, the Stingray side is also estimated to have suffered losses of at least 10 trillion. Considering the recent instability of the Stingray Group's stock price, the actual losses could be even greater."
"Everyone heard that, didn't you? How should we interpret this?"
"……."
The Chairman asked the Board members, but they merely hesitated, unable to answer.
What kind of lunatic fired missiles at his own side the moment a war began?
Why?
What exactly was his objective?
"Come now. Someone say something."
"Perhaps it was merely a malfunction......"
"They may have prepared an excuse in advance. Perhaps they'll later claim their satellites were hacked......"
"None of those explanations fit. We should first question whether this intelligence is even accurate."
Various opinions were offered, but Chairman Kharitonov felt that none of them were correct.
When the Chairman remained silent, the Board members began arguing more forcefully among themselves.
The meeting room gradually filled with raised voices.
Then, another report arrived.
"Chairman. We have new information."
"Report it immediately."
"It is estimated that at least 1.5 million people have died in Stingray's surprise attack. In addition, during the Stingray Annual Shareholders' Meeting, Chairman Drake Stingray's Personal Ninja Unit reportedly appeared, kidnapping or killing those in attendance. Several individuals from our side were among the victims."
"Unbelievable...... 1.5 million? This just keeps getting worse."
"That's not all. Immediately after the incident, Aaron Stingray was seen attacking Chairman Drake Stingray."
"Aaron Stingray attacked Chairman Drake Stingray?"
Wasn't Aaron the Chairman's own son?
The current Chairman of the Stingray Foundation.
The man Vladimir despised more than anyone else.
And likely one of the strongest combatants in the entire city.
Then why?
Instead of using such an ultimate weapon in the war...
They were fighting each other?
For what reason?
As the questions only continued to multiply—
"We have confirmed that Aaron Stingray is currently engaged in battle against Chairman Drake Stingray's Personal Ninja Unit approximately four kilometers west of New Valhalla City. Furthermore, the shockwaves generated by this incident have agitated nearby [Mystics], causing—"
"Wait."
Chairman Kharitonov interrupted him.
"Repeat that. What did you just say?"
"Yes. The large-scale missile attack launched by Stingray has agitated nearby [Mystics], triggering a massive Monster Wave. It is expected to reach the city's western wall in approximately four to six hours."
"……!"
Now he understood.
No...
There was still far too little information to say he truly understood.
But at least he could roughly guess Chairman Drake Stingray's objective.
He had no concrete evidence.
Only the intuition of a man who had spent decades leading a Megacorp rivaling Stingray.
"What are your orders, Chairman? If you give the command, we can immediately mobilize all forces and seize every major Stingray Group facility within three hours—"
"No. Absolutely not. Dispatch only enough troops to keep the Stingray forces occupied. Have everyone else prepare alongside the City Defense Force to stop the monsters."
"A-Are you certain, Chairman?"
"Of course. Destroying the Stingray bastards isn't our priority right now. If we continue fighting each other, this city itself could collapse. We have no choice."
He ground his teeth.
"And......"
"Bring Vladimir...... my son. Immediately."
The members of Chairman Drake Stingray's Personal Ninja Unit were undoubtedly weapons honed to the absolute extreme.
Then just how grueling was the process required to earn recognition as a true Ninja and receive both a mask and a personal weapon?
Their selection process itself was extraordinary.
First, they had to have no parents or relatives.
Second, they had to have killed another human being.
Third, they had to have experienced such overwhelming misery that life and death had become indistinguishable.
Fourth, they had to possess the necessary genetic and physical aptitude to pass every examination.
Children who fulfilled all these conditions were plentiful within the Fallen District.
There was never a shortage of recruits.
Those selected under the strict standards of the unit leader were secretly transported to a location roughly six hundred kilometers outside the city.
When they had traveled approximately five hundred kilometers, the convoy abandoned the children in the middle of a desert.
Each child was given one day's worth of food and water.
Basic weapons.
The location of a secret training base.
And an explosive collar around their neck.
From that moment onward, they had to survive the relentless attacks of [Mystics] and reach the secret training base entirely through their own efforts.
Only thirty percent survived that journey.
Yet even passing the first trial did not earn them a happy life.
What awaited them afterward was hell.
The moment they entered the training camp, they were injected with Nanomachines.
From then on, their Replacement Rate increased at a terrifying pace.
Some underwent surgery to receive specialized Cyberware.
Others were fitted with vast numbers of Modules.
Normally, installing or removing Modules required an adaptation period.
If one's Replacement Rate changed too drastically within a short period, their cells would collapse, often resulting in death.
Children were especially vulnerable.
But such common sense meant nothing within the training camp.
Anyone who failed to raise their Replacement Rate by the required amount every single day was eliminated.
Left behind.
Forced to gamble with death every day as they inserted increasingly powerful Modules into the socket at the back of their necks.
In less than a month, monsters whose Replacement Rate exceeded the legal limit of seventy percent were born.
Though their bodies remained those of children, the countless weapons implanted within them possessed enough firepower to obliterate an entire Colony.
And that was only the beginning.
They trained more than eighteen hours every day.
They were taught every conceivable method of killing.
Sometimes information was directly uploaded into their brains through wires.
Sometimes drugs were used to enhance their memory.
Within the simulation rooms, they fought endless virtual battles against monsters and humans alike.
Learning only how to kill.
Inside the indoctrination classrooms, children wearing headgear were repeatedly exposed to specific frequencies, flashing lights, and words until they entered a state of near hypnosis.
Many children went insane.
Many died from the side effects.
But those children had merely been "weak."
Even when comrades they had trained alongside until yesterday collapsed and died, no one mourned them.
No one even looked their way.
Each simply continued following the curriculum in silence.
By the time those boys and girls reached eighteen years of age...
Every trace of emotion had vanished.
Only puppets remained.
Puppets who obeyed Chairman Drake Stingray's orders with absolute loyalty.
Once they received their masks and personal weapons, they officially joined the Ninja Unit.
There was no fear in their hearts.
No longing.
No love.
No affection.
Only infinite pride in the Stingray Group.
Boundless devotion to the company.
And reverence toward the Chairman.
Even if the Chairman gave the meaningless order,
"Kill yourself."
Simply because he wanted to watch someone die...
They would end their own lives without hesitation.
That was what made them so troublesome for Aaron.
Persuasion didn't work.
Deception didn't work.
Psychological warfare didn't work.
Slash.
Aaron flicked a finger once.
Around ten bodies were instantly severed apart.
Someone lost an arm.
Someone was cut clean through the waist.
Someone else's head separated from their torso.
Yet not one of them hesitated.
Not one stepped back.
Slash.
He flicked his finger again.
An enormous fissure split the ground apart.
Many suffered fatal injuries from the resulting shockwave.
Yet they still did not stop.
Slash.
One Ninja Aaron was certain he had already killed suddenly appeared behind him.
Having crawled over unnoticed with all four limbs severed, it latched onto his back.
The moment it opened its mouth, a dagger shot out.
Aaron sliced it apart at the last possible instant.
Slash.
To his surprise, they accurately perceived the invisible threads.
Merely observing those threads should have consumed an immense amount of energy.
Yet they calmly predicted their locations and launched counterattacks.
Slash.
Their weapons were troublesome as well.
Though they couldn't compare to the True Techblade, they were still sharp enough to leave scratches upon Aaron's durable Tungsten Skin Armor.
In other words...
They possessed enough power to pierce even an ordinary tank.
And the greatest problem of all—
"……There's no end to them."
No matter how elite these Ninjas were...
Defeating Aaron one-on-one was virtually impossible.
Aaron was the only Adaptee in the world capable of wielding two or more Game-Breaker-Class Arcane Modules simultaneously.
On top of that, Omega's cells had already enhanced his physical abilities.
He possessed the powerful Modules [Corpse Eater] and [Black Out].
He had even used Tickets to equip an unprecedented Lv.6 Arcane Module.
If the Stingray Ninjas had been "raised" into human weapons...
Aaron Stingray had been a human weapon from the moment he was born.
Their origins were different.
Their genes were different.
Their talent was different.
Aaron surpassed them in every conceivable way.
And yet...
The battle never ended.
No matter how many Ninjas Aaron sliced apart...
Cut down...
Crushed...
Destroyed...
Tore apart...
Or killed...
They simply charged at him again.
Every time he believed he had already "dealt with" one and shifted his attention elsewhere...
That very Ninja would somehow return completely unharmed, swinging its weapon like a Zombie.
'What's going on?'
For the thirty-second time...
Aaron slit the throat of the same masked Ninja and frowned.
At first, he assumed it was merely a counting mistake.
Or perhaps reinforcements had arrived.
Or maybe he himself had simply been mistaken.
But after personally killing each of the forty-nine Ninjas—excluding the Fox Mask—five separate times...
He realized there had to be another secret.
'They're dragging out the battle.'
He still hadn't even released the True Techblade's true form.
He hadn't used the Plasma Cutter.
His internal energy reserves remained abundant.
He didn't even feel tired.
Naturally, he had no intention of losing.
Yet...
He couldn't see himself winning either.
It felt as though he were endlessly slaughtering enemies in an infinite survival mode.
If things continued like this...
Eventually, even he would reach his limit.
Aaron possessed enough energy to single-handedly power a small Colony.
But that didn't mean his energy was infinite.
Little by little...
It would eventually run dry.
Even if that didn't happen...
Once the Monster Wave reached the city a few hours later...
This battle would inevitably end without resolution.
Aaron disliked that outcome.
'What exactly is the secret?'
How were they continually restoring themselves?
Was it the power of a specific Arcane Module?
Or was there some other trick?
No matter how much he increased his sensors to maximum sensitivity...
Or how thoroughly he analyzed the situation with the assistance of his Cybernetics Devices...
He found no answer.
More than anything...
What irritated him most—
'They have no intention of defeating me either.'
It was as though they believed that as long as they stalled for enough time, everything would work itself out.
And in truth...
They were right.
Whether Aaron captured Chairman Drake Stingray or not...
Once the time came...
He would have no choice but to leave them behind and confront the Sky Dragon.
'This won't do. The longer they delay me, the lower my chances of capturing the Chairman become.'
Shiiing!
As Aaron effortlessly deflected the barrage of flying daggers, his mind never stopped working.
He carefully observed every movement of the Ninjas rushing toward him, led by the Fox Mask.
He scrutinized every detail, searching for even the smallest clue he might have overlooked.
It wasn't easy.
Several times, his excessive concentration on observation nearly placed him in danger.
Then, at last—
"……Could it be?"
A single thought flashed through Aaron's mind.
It was the moment the tide of battle began to turn.