Chapter 101: Coordination

“Then, get yourself ready before the battle. If anything comes up, just come and talk to me.”

Tachibana Sara didn’t speak, only nodded.

Ephnel reached out and stroked her hair again, then turned and left.

…

Yukina and Hanasou Kotone were helping to look after Nishizaki Yuuki.

Although they weren’t of much help, to be honest.

Or rather, more than helping, they seemed to be there to rest.

Even though it was temporary, the solemn air of this combat command post, which occupied the former funeral home, was still very oppressive, making it difficult for the two high school students to breathe.

Compared to other places, the temporary sickroom where Nishizaki Yuuki was located was relatively much more relaxed.

For Yukina, she actually wanted to stay by Naoko’s side more, but after the meeting, Naoko had something to discuss with Fushihara Ayaka, so Yukina could only come here.

On the hospital bed, Nishizaki Yuuki looked at the two young girls, her gaze then shifting to the cigarette box on the table.

She was still very weak now, but fortunately, her injuries were not in fatal areas.

She had just lost a bit too much blood, but there were no other major problems.

Even so, smoking was a prohibited activity.

She sighed, turned her gaze to Yukina, and asked, “Speaking of which… Yukina… are you still feeling unwell anywhere today…”

“I haven’t noticed anything…”

Just then, Ephnel pushed the door open and walked in.

“Yuuki, can’t you just rest properly? You’re the patient now.”

Seeing the hint of blame in Ephnel’s tone, a small smile tugged at the corner of Nishizaki Yuuki’s mouth.

“Yesterday I was the doctor, and they were both my patients. But today it’s the other way around… I really can’t laugh… I wonder if I can get some work injury compensation when I go back.”

“You can say all that after you’ve recovered.”

Ephnel sighed and came to Yukina’s side.

Looking at the young girl before her, Ephnel’s gaze immediately softened.

“Onee-chan…”

“Come here, I have something to tell you.”

Ephnel and Yukina went outside the door, where she took out a small black device.

This was the communication earpiece used by Agents.

Unlike the standard issue communicators, this earpiece was expensive to produce.

Its signal coverage was not wide, but its advantage was its higher resistance to Erosion interference, and it was also compatible with most signal types, so it was equipped for Agents to use as a combat communicator.

“Yukina, before the operation officially begins, I need to tell you some things you need to pay attention to. Although you only need to follow me in this mission, just in case, you need to know how to handle unexpected situations.”

Yukina nodded, then she saw Ephnel reach out and gently lift the hair at her temple, putting a communication earpiece on for her.

“This is our combat communicator. It’s specially made, so don’t lose it.”

Ephnel’s fingertips lingered on Yukina’s cheek for a moment, intentionally or not, and a ripple appeared in her eyes.

“Onee-chan…”

Ephnel cleared her throat and removed her hand.

“If we enter a battle, you must…”

Ephnel had only just said half of her sentence when a piercing alarm suddenly blared, almost piercing their eardrums.

“All Agents! An emergency has occurred. Erosion Organisms have appeared simultaneously on the south and north sides of the western line. Please prepare for battle!”

That was Fushihara Ayaka’s voice.

Although it was still uncertain whether this Erosion disaster was related to the Apostles, there was no doubt that this was a battlefield for Agents.

Yukina gripped Ephnel’s hand tightly.

Ephnel could feel the sweat in her palm, but there was no hint of retreat in Yukina’s eyes.

Ephnel took a deep breath and spoke into the earpiece, “This is Ephnel. All Agents, assemble at the helipad.”

“Received.”

“Received…”

The voices of the other Agents came in one after another.

…

A helicopter gunship took off from the temporary command post and flew rapidly towards the disaster site.

Ephnel, Yukina, Tachibana Sara, Kiri Mahiru, and Oguri Aya, a total of five Agents, sat in the aircraft.

While testing and confirming their communication equipment, Ephnel was making the final formation adjustments.

Besides them, there were also two pilots and the man in black whom they had met before.

At this moment, the man in black was constantly reporting the situation to Fushihara Ayaka, while in the back, Ephnel and the others were already wearing a set of wingsuits.

This was combat gear specially designed for Agents.

Compared to the thick and heavy standard issue wingsuits, this equipment was lighter and more flexible.

Moreover, after being specially modified for the physical abilities of Agents, this equipment could be quickly detached or discarded via a control button on the waist.

The parachute had also been optimized to some extent, making it more suitable for Agents to quickly enter the battlefield.

This set of equipment was not cheap to make and was specially designed for Agents’ high-altitude drop combat operations.

It was meant to be used in conjunction with the Agents’ powerful physical abilities and skills like “steps.”

If an ordinary person were to wear and use it, they would undoubtedly be smashed into a meat patty.

They sat in a circle, and Ephnel unfolded the electronic map and zoomed in.

On the map, two conspicuous red dots were located on the back and south sides of the western line’s Boundary Monument, not too far from each other.

“Alright, Ayse, you and Canary will be responsible for the ones on the north side.”

“Yes!”

“I’ll handle the ones on the south side with Fifina. The Erosion Organisms that have appeared this time are not a particularly difficult type to deal with, and their numbers are not large, so we will split up and destroy them simultaneously. After completing the mission, we will hand over the follow-up processing to the people on the western line, and we will immediately return to this position to regroup.”

Ephnel pointed to a spot on the map and then sent it to each of their electronic bracelets.

The general situation of the Erosion disaster had been understood through the video footage sent by the soldiers dispatched by Fushihara Ayaka.

Just like the previous three large-scale disasters, the alarm for this Erosion disaster came very suddenly, and by the time the alarm was issued, the Erosion Organisms had already invaded the area inside the Boundary, giving them no reaction time at all.

By the time Ephnel and the others boarded the helicopter, the disaster had already spread to other areas inside the Boundary.

Because the disaster occurred at the location of the “defensive line,” where a large number of military personnel and management staff were stationed, once an Erosion disaster occurred in such a densely populated area, it could be greatly affected.

Casualties had already occurred in the first moments of the Erosion disaster.

The transformed people became Remnants and then would attack others.

The only fortunate thing was that the number of Erosion Organisms that appeared this time was not as large as in the previous three times, and they did not have the ability to fly.

Moreover, Fushihara Ayaka had contacted the western line in advance, and a disaster response had been quickly implemented.

Relatively speaking, the losses and the scope of the disaster’s spread were limited.

Ephnel looked at Tachibana Sara beside her and said, “Erincia, our communications can’t maintain such a long distance. I’ll have to ask you to stay on the helicopter and be ready to move at our rendezvous point.”

Tachibana Sara nodded, indicating her understanding.

Ephnel glanced at the location on her bracelet and said again, “Please be cautious in this mission. Once the destruction task is completed, immediately return to the assembly point and wait for further instructions. If you find anything suspicious, report it to me and Erincia at that time.”

“Understood!”

“We will now begin the operation. May fortune favor us in battle!”

Time was of the essence.

Ephnel pulled Yukina to the wide-open cabin door and pushed it open forcefully.

A biting wind rushed in with a whoosh, like a knife cutting across their faces, lifting Ephnel’s long hair.

This was the high altitude near the area outside the Boundary.

The sun had almost set.

Behind them was the brightly lit urban area of Seikyo City, while ahead for thousands of miles was the vast and desolate area outside the Boundary.

In the far distance, there were some dimly lit villages, the “satellite cities” of Seikyo City, small towns just like Maesagawa.

Looking down from here, the city of Seikyo, which seemed like a behemoth in one’s memory, was like an insignificant pebble on the roadside in front of the endless white mist of the White Hole Erosion.

“Yukina, this is the first time you’ve seen such a view, right?”

Ephnel held Yukina’s hand tightly.

Through the gloves, Ephnel could clearly feel the trembling in Yukina’s palm.

She looked at Yukina.

Yukina’s face was pale, and her trembling teeth were about to bite her lip until it bled.

“Seeing it with my… my own eyes… it is indeed the… the first time…”

“Is it beautiful?”

“It’s all just a vast expanse of white… not very beautiful…”

Yukina’s voice trembled a little.

Looking down from such a high altitude had drained all the strength from her body.

Her legs were so weak she could barely stand, and her whole body was trembling uncontrollably.

Yukina took several deep breaths but couldn’t make herself look more relaxed.

But even so, she had no intention of backing down.

Because her Naoko was right beside her.

She had chased after Naoko with great difficulty to stand here, and she didn’t want to back down no matter what.

“It’s indeed not very beautiful, but this is the real world.”

Ephnel gazed at the area outside the Boundary, which was gradually falling silent under the setting sun and shrouded in white mist.

She gave the buckle on her waist two hard tugs and then fastened it to Yukina’s belt.

“Put on your goggles. We’re about to jump. Make sure to hold on to me tight.”

Yukina obediently put on her goggles, moved closer to Ephnel, and wrapped her arms around Ephnel’s neck.

This way, her waist and neck were “secured.”

She glanced down at the high altitude beside her again, gritting her teeth tightly and adjusting her breathing over and over again.

“Don’t look down.”

“O-Okay…”

Yukina quickly retracted her gaze, but in doing so, her field of vision was now filled with only Ephnel.

Ephnel’s face was so close, so close that she could see every single one of her eyelashes.

Yukina tilted her head up slightly, watching her without blinking.

Sure enough, she wasn’t so scared anymore.

“Senpai, we’ll go first!”

On the other side, Canary shouted and jumped straight down.

Ayse looked back at Ephnel and Yukina with some surprise.

Ephnel and Yukina’s conversation had not been deliberately quiet, and she had heard every word clearly.

But she didn’t think much of it and followed Canary, jumping down.

“We’re going too.”

Before Yukina could mentally prepare herself, Ephnel leaned her body slightly, and her feet lost the solid feeling of being on the ground.

“Aah—?!”

In an instant, the world spun, her sense of direction was thrown into chaos, an immense feeling of weightlessness rushed into her chest, and her mind went blank.

Yukina almost fainted.

She hugged Ephnel tightly and let out a piercing scream.

…

Agents needed to strictly manage the Power of Order stored within their bodies.

If they entered the battlefield on foot in their banished form, they would undoubtedly lose a lot of time and a portion of their own Power of Order, which was very uneconomical.

This was the reason why they chose to use wingsuits to enter the battlefield.

After an unknown amount of time, Yukina felt a pain in her ears as if they were being pricked by needles, and she could barely breathe.

Her heart felt as if it had been pushed into her throat, an unbearable feeling.

At this moment, she didn’t hear what Ephnel said in her ear, only feeling a huge force on her waist, and their falling speed suddenly slowed down a lot.

The parachute had opened, and Ephnel was able to free one hand to hold Yukina.

This fall was a bit too fast, and it was difficult for Yukina, who had not undergone training and had no relevant experience, to adapt.

“Are you alright? We’re about to land.”

“Mmm…”

Yukina nodded and buried her face in Ephnel’s neck.

Although she could barely smell Ephnel’s unique scent at this moment, this position made her feel at ease.

She spent ten seconds slowly adjusting her breathing and got a little used to it.

“Yukina, look up. As I told you, use this time to memorize the terrain of the combat zone, the characteristics of the Erosion Organisms, the extent of the disaster, and the evacuation situation. Gather intelligence on the combat zone.”

Ephnel’s eyes were crimson.

While teaching Yukina, she was also using the Power of Order to enhance her vision and observe the battlefield.

“Mmm…”

Yukina took another deep breath, released her grip on Ephnel’s neck with one hand, and looked down.

Although the sun had almost completely disappeared, the dimness of the vision was not an obstacle for Yukina.

She looked down at the ground below.

Compared to when she was on the helicopter, she could now see the situation on the ground more clearly.

Looking down from their position, the trees, roads, people, and vehicles looked like a landscape display case on a table.

Where there was damage, where people had not yet evacuated, and where Erosion Organisms had appeared, were all clear at a glance.

“Memorize everything you see. Where the crowds urgently need support, how many Erosion Organisms are on the battlefield in total, their respective locations, and their distinct characteristics… Because communications will be interfered with, we Agents won’t always have dedicated operators to assist us.”

…