"Captain~~ You forgot to turn in your report again. Vice-Captain Cipher is not happy."
"Ah, sorry, sorry. It completely slipped my mind."
Posius apologized in a hurry, though there wasn't the slightest hint of remorse in his voice.
Standing before him was a girl with short golden hair and brilliant golden eyes. She radiated all the youthful energy one would expect from a sixteen-year-old.
"Tia... he isn't that angry, is he?"
"He said if you don't apologize within an hour, you're dead."
"You've got ten minutes left."
"Oh no."
"I'd better get over there."
Posius immediately ran off, only to suddenly stop and turn back.
"Tia."
"Your hairstyle looks really nice today."
"Just go apologize already!"
Tia grabbed the nearest object and hurled it at him.
Over the past year, Posius had slowly guided Tia, helping her open her heart once more.
It had taken tremendous patience.
Night after night during that first month, he accompanied her through late-night training sessions, talking to her little by little.
At first, she would only respond whenever the conversation involved combat.
Then she gradually began answering questions unrelated to training.
Eventually...
She smiled again.
Only Posius truly knew how much effort it had taken.
Now, a year and a half later, Tia had fully blended into life within the First Squad.
When the clock struck nine, training officially began.
Even during ordinary practice sessions, the other squad members were still amazed that the youngest girl on the team possessed such incredible strength.
"Quent, couldn't you go a little easier on me?"
Tia chatted with her sparring partner as she whipped a kick toward his head.
"If I hold back even a little, you'll knock me flat."
Quent ducked beneath the kick before launching a counterattack.
The match ended with Quent narrowly claiming victory.
"Come on. Let me win once."
"No way."
"If I lose again, that means nobody in the First Squad can beat you anymore."
"There's still Vice-Captain Cipher."
"He never fights me seriously."
"He's a Concept wielder."
"How could he possibly go all out against you?"
"But the demons we fight use Concepts too."
"That's different."
"Cipher's Concept lets him compress anything he touches into spheres under his control."
"If he laid a hand on you, he'd rip the flesh right off your body."
"That just makes it more challenging!"
"You're already plenty strong."
"There's no need to rush!"
"Kresha... don't do thaaat..."
Hearing their conversation, Kresha paused her own training and walked over.
Without warning, she grabbed Tia's cheeks and began kneading them mercilessly.
As other squad members passed by, they immediately joined in.
"Heeey! Stop iiiit!"
"Our little Tia is cutest just the way she is!"
"I like your usual self better."
"When we're sparring, you're practically a demon."
"If you don't let go..."
"I'm becoming the demon right now!"
The warning accomplished absolutely nothing.
Within the First Squad, this had become known as "Mascot Time"—their favorite way to kill time during breaks.
"Wanzhu, why did you choose a meteor hammer as your weapon?"
The second half of training focused on weapon practice, and Wanzhu was Tia's assigned opponent.
No matter how much she tried talking to him, he remained completely silent.
Eventually, the chain of his meteor hammer wrapped around her legs.
She lost her balance...
...and the match.
Wanzhu simply helped her back to her feet and patted her shoulder.
The message was perfectly clear.
Train harder.
Although Tia excelled at manipulating Force and integrating it into combat, her mastery of individual weapons still lagged behind.
Against veteran First Squad members who had spent years perfecting their chosen weapons, the difference was obvious.
"Someday..."
"I'll beat you."
She declared stubbornly.
Wanzhu merely waved his hand before walking away.
By lunchtime, Tia carried her tray through the cafeteria, searching for someone.
"Tia~~ Over here!"
A girl with aqua-blue hair waved enthusiastically.
"Oenone!"
Tia hurried over with a smile.
She was pleasantly surprised to discover that another familiar face was already seated there.
"Angela?"
"You're here early."
Half of Angela's meal had already disappeared.
"I snuck out."
"I already finished today's required training anyway."
Angela grinned.
The three of them had become close almost by accident.
Now they ate lunch together nearly every day, chatting about whatever came to mind.
"So..."
Oenone leaned forward with a mischievous smile.
"Tia."
"Do you like Posius?"
"I do not."
"Who'd ever fall for someone as unserious as him?"
"But he's really handsome when he's fighting."
Tia frowned at Angela.
Even she was joining in this time.
"He's forty."
"We're more than twenty-three years apart."
"He could practically be my father."
"Oh, come on."
"Age is just a number."
"As long as there's love."
Tia immediately fired back.
"Instead of worrying about me..."
"...why don't you find yourself a boyfriend?"
"You're almost thirty."
It was a direct hit.
"Tia!"
"Don't tell her to get a boyfriend."
Angela quickly came to Oenone's defense.
"What if she doesn't have time for us anymore?"
Oenone looked at Angela with grateful eyes.
Then Angela added,
"Besides..."
"She probably couldn't find one anyway."
Thunk.
Oenone's forehead slammed onto the table.
Critical damage.
"You still have us."
"Even if you're single forever..."
"...we'll stay with you."
From that day onward...
Oenone never again tried to tease Tia about romance.
53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRfXfL3seL
After lunch, everyone gathered in the lounge.
The two squads of Leon City took turns being on standby in case a demon appeared.
Today, it was the First Squad's turn.
To avoid unnecessary Force consumption, the afternoon training session had been canceled.
"When are we finally getting another squad?"
"It's such a pain having to cancel training every few days."
"That'll only happen when another Perfected One shows up."
"You can't exactly ask Cipher or Yinbing to lead a new squad, can you?"
The room buzzed with idle conversation.
Unable to train, everyone was visibly bored.
Although the First Squad had many members, they weren't divided into separate platoons.
The reason was simple.
The more allies gathered around Posius, the stronger his Concept became.
Just as most of them had begun lounging around...
The alarm sounded.
"It's a Red Alert."
"Let's move, everyone."
Half an hour later, they arrived near the demon's location.
To be safe, Posius activated his Concept before the battle began.
"Heroic Link."
"Hall of Heroes."
The familiar stream of Force flowed into everyone's bodies.
The First Squad prepared for battle.
This time...
Their opponent possessed Concept: Corrosion.
Its entire body was coated in a corrosive liquid, making its Concept immediately obvious.
It quickly became a brutal fight.
Posius soon realized that the protection provided by his Concept was practically meaningless against this enemy.
The demon's corrosive fluid could even dissolve Force itself.
No one could approach it safely.
The vanguard launched attack after attack...
...yet none of them could even break through its defenses.
Many squad members suffered wounds of varying severity.
Some even watched their weapons dissolve before their eyes.
Then things became even worse.
Without warning...
The demon unleashed an indiscriminate attack.
It drew in a massive breath before expelling everything covering its body.
Its body was coated entirely in corrosive liquid.
Nearly half the squad was splashed by the spray.
Realizing they couldn't drag the fight out any longer, Posius made a decision.
"Everyone."
"I'm releasing my Concept."
"Fight within your limits."
"Got it!"
"Understood!"
"Good luck, Captain!"
Posius tightened his grip on his sword and lowered himself into a sprinter's stance.
Those still capable of moving helped the wounded retreat behind the front line.
"Get ready."
Posius gave the warning.
"Concept Release: Glorious Charge."
The instant his Concept Release activated...
The Force Posius had continuously shared with everyone began flowing back.
No—
It wasn't merely returning.
Every squad member was now pouring their own Force into Posius instead.
An overwhelming amount of Force gathered around him.
His entire body began radiating brilliant light.
A hero is one who leads others forward.
A hero is also the one who carries everyone's hope...
...and cuts through the darkness when all seems lost.
"Blade of Heroes."
He moved so fast that nobody could follow him with their eyes.
By the time anyone realized what had happened...
Posius was already standing behind the demon.
The demon's body slowly split cleanly down the middle...
...before collapsing to the ground.
The squad members collapsed with it.
Everyone who had still been standing moments before now looked utterly drained.
They dropped to their knees, gasping desperately for air.
Tia simply fell onto her back, completely unable to move.
They had won.
Yet no one felt any joy.
The demon's sudden indiscriminate attack had come without warning.
No one had expected it.
Many had been struck by the corrosive liquid.
Many were injured.
Two...
...were beyond saving.
When Posius reached them...
They were no longer breathing.
He personally wrapped their bodies in burial cloth.
Tia knew both of them.
Just that morning...
They had been laughing alongside Kresha while pinching her cheeks.
Now...
Those once-warm hands had become cold corpses.
The sorrow didn't linger for long.
They had all grown accustomed to death.
Or perhaps...
They had simply gone numb.
Every time they deployed, they did so prepared never to return.
To them...
Dying on the battlefield for the sake of their city...
...was a worthy end.
ns216.73.217.139da2
and then Add to home screen.