After spending over a week in the 5th Institute with Dr. Mobius, Adam finally returned to the Australia Branch HQ.
The rotor blades slowed, dust swirling across the helipad as the helicopter touched down. The moment Adam stepped onto the concrete, a familiar voice greeted him.
"Welcome back, Adam."
It was Hua.
"I'm back." Adam replied evenly, though his eyes lingered on her longer than intended. Her stance was straighter, her expression sharper—she carried herself with a new confidence.
"W-What's wrong?" she asked, catching his look. Her tone was cautious, but the faint pink on her cheeks betrayed her nerves.
"…Nothing," Adam said coolly, locking away his thoughts before they slipped out. He shifted the topic. "Are you here to pick me up?"
"Y-Yes!" Hua straightened, forcing her composure back with a cough before adopting her usual seriousness.
"Captain Himeko has ordered you to immediately assume command of the Assault Team. You're to reinforce the 2nd Squad, currently handling an eruption at one of Fire Moth's arms manufacturing complexes."
"Hmn?" Adam arched a brow as they walked deeper into the base. "Is there a reason they need me specifically?"
"Yes." Hua's answer was crisp, but the weight behind it showed in her tightened grip on the datapad. "The eruption gave birth to an Emperor Class Honkai Beast. A medium-scale eruption near the logistic city base has forced Captain Himeko and all other top combatants to focus on containing it."
Adam immediately understood. Normally, Fire Moth would rely on overwhelming firepower to wipe out Honkai threats, but this time the logistic base stored a large shipment of clean nuclear warheads from Eagle Nation. Heavy bombardment was out of the question.
That explained the manpower drain and the desperate need for containment. But it also left Adam wondering: which Emperor Class was giving them such trouble?
He almost smiled at the thought. Unlike the usual beasts, Emperors weren't just brutes—they wielded unique abilities. The last time, he'd technically fought one, but the Imperator ranked among the weakest of its kind.
This would be different.
---
Fully geared and with his team assembled, Adam boarded the transport aircraft bound for battle.
The inside buzzed with chatter. His squad, relaxed as though this were another routine sweep, even joked among themselves. Adam exhaled through his nose, half in amusement, half in exasperation. Who told him to be too competent? After countless missions where he singlehandedly crushed enemy forces, his comrades had grown used to being little more than spectators.
The exception was Hua. Unlike the others, she carried an edge—an unyielding drive. She pushed herself to grow stronger, refusing to be just a shadow at his back.
When she felt his gaze, Hua tilted her head, puzzled.
"I want the latest battlefield update," Adam said, covering his slip before she could ask.
She nodded, all business, pulling up fresh data on her datapad and handing it to him.
Adam's eyes scanned quickly until he froze on the image of their target. An aerial Emperor, its body shaped like a massive bird, wings of bluish-green crystal that glittered ominously. Each shard could shear through steel like paper, launched in barrages that shredded the battlefield below.
No wonder the troops struggled. Few could match it in the air, and conventional weapons barely scratched its carapace.
Adam spent the half-hour en route dissecting combat footage, replaying its flight patterns, attacks, and moments of hesitation frame by frame, searching for cracks in its armor.
---
When they finally touched down at the logistic base, the situation was clear. The air reeked of gunpowder, and the thunder of artillery rolled in waves. Smoke rose in pillars beyond the walls, the battle already at a fever pitch.
Himeko waited on the landing zone, her coat tattered, her hair sticking slightly from sweat. Yet when she saw Adam, her lips curved into a tired but bright smile.
"You're back just in time," she said, patting his shoulder. "If you hadn't returned, I'd be stuck dealing with that damn bird myself." Her scowl betrayed just how much the fight had dragged her down.
"We'll handle the Beast and the fallen soldiers," she continued. "The rest is yours."
"Yes, Captain." Adam saluted, then rallied his team.
According to Himeko's plan, the remnants of the 2nd Squad and Himeko's own 5th Squad would hold the base, while Adam would lead his unit alongside two elite teams to strike directly at the Emperor. Decapitation. Cut off the head, and the tide of beasts would collapse.
It was the first time Adam commanded more than his own squad. Normally, his Assault Team—twelve elites who could each down a Chariot—was tailored around him as the spearhead. The other elite teams followed similar doctrine, though their leading fighters lacked his overwhelming output.
Now, he stood at the center of a larger force. And some weren't ready to follow.
---
At the rendezvous, the plan was laid out. When Adam suggested handling the Emperor alone, reactions split immediately.
The 5th Squad, veterans of his strength, offered no objection. But the 2nd Squad bristled, their leader stepping forward. A scarred man with a fierce glare, he barked a laugh at Adam's words.
"You? A green brat, barely grown, wants to take on that monster alone?" His voice was loud enough to turn heads, his team sneering behind him. "Save the jokes for after the battle."
He jabbed a finger toward Adam. "The Captain of the 2nd Squad died to that beast. Half of the squad wiped out with him. And you think you can kill it alone?"
Adam remained calm, though the man's words carried a sting of truth. This wasn't mockery out of spite, but the frustration of a veteran who'd seen too many young lives wasted.
Still, his squad bristled instantly. Hua's eyes narrowed, Kyoka appeared and took a step forward, her expression sharp enough to promise trouble for doubting her Master.
Adam raised a hand, holding them back. His reply was steady, his gaze unflinching.
"Whether I can or can't is for you to decide. But don't measure my strength with the yardstick of your own self imposed limits."
With that, he turned and walked away.
"Ceh. Ungrateful brat," the man muttered, shaking his head. But he said no more. He'd spoken his warning. If the kid wanted to die, so be it.
Adam, however, felt none of that doubt. To him, this Emperor wasn't a death sentence. It was a chance. A stepping stone.
If he wanted to climb higher, to attract the eyes of the higher-ups, he needed feats that couldn't be ignored.
---
The ground shook as another wave of Honkai Beasts pressed the siege. Guns rattled, artillery cracked, screams echoed. Overhead, dark clouds spiraled unnaturally and ominously, the winds howling with malice.
"Eyes up!" someone shouted.
Every soldier turned skyward as a storm split the heavens.
The Emperor Class Honkai Beast declared its arrival with an ear piercing shriek.
While the soldiers trembled in fear and helplessness, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
[Emergency Task Issued!
Objective: Defeat the Emperor Class Honkai Beast.
Reward: Master Swordsman—Zanjutsu Comprehension.]
"The System never disappoints," he muttered, eyes gleaming as he lifted his head toward the massive crystalline bird above. His blood boiled, anticipation coursing through his veins.
For the first time in a long while, his heart thundered in his chest—not from fear, but from exhilaration. Without even noticing, he had started to develop joy and anticipation against formidable enemies like a true battle maniac.
————
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