On a quiet afternoon, the Red Alert siren rang out, yet none of the members of the Third Squad reacted.
Today, the fully rested First Squad was handling the operation in full force. As Sunblaze City's strongest combat unit, everyone had absolute confidence in them.
A month earlier, Tia had finally let go of her obsession and shared the burden she had carried alone.
The current Sunblaze City was no longer protected by Tia alone. Instead, all three squads now stood together against every threat.
"Not bad. You've still got it."
Yinbing leaned backward to avoid Ethel's dagger, planted a hand on the floor, and kicked upward toward his chin.
"You used your Concept, didn't you?"
"I knew you'd attack from below."
Ethel narrowly dodged the kick and slashed in return, only to cut through empty air. Using the momentum from her movement, Yinbing had already flipped backward and widened the distance between them.
Ethel's role was that of a long-range supporter and battlefield commander. Although he was still working toward becoming an outstanding commander, it also meant he rarely faced enemies directly.
Even so, he had never neglected his combat training.
A battlefield was unpredictable. No one could guarantee he would never be forced into close combat.
The only solution was to train himself until he could handle any unexpected situation.
During a break, the two of them sat on the floor, drinking water.
"I've always wondered something," Ethel said. "Our enemies are demons, so practicing against people shouldn't help that much, should it?"
"There are Force Users who become criminals," Yinbing replied. "There was even a criminal organization led by Concept Users years ago."
"Seriously?"
"A long time ago—before I became vice captain. I only know the story from other people."
"How long have you been vice captain?"
"This year marks my tenth anniversary."
"Then doesn't that make you..."
"Hey! Don't go around guessing a woman's age!"
Yinbing hurriedly cut him off, but it was already too late.
Since Concept Users awakened their Concepts after turning seventeen, that meant Yinbing was probably approaching thirty.
"Quit thinking about pointless things," she said. "The training you've been looking forward to is about to start."
"Afternoon, everyone."
A woman with light blue hair and mismatched eyes walked into the training room, looking utterly relaxed. The yawn escaping her lips made it obvious she had only just gotten out of bed.
As Ethel had pointed out, sparring with people differed greatly from fighting demons in real combat.
To better simulate actual battlefield conditions, Oenone would attack everyone inside a room filled with bubbles generated by her Concept.
Everyone was already familiar with Oenone's Concept.
Even so, she always managed to come up with new tricks.
Combined with the fact that she seemed to attack without thinking at all, predicting her next move was virtually impossible. Every now and then she would even activate her Concept Release to disrupt everyone, ensuring every training session ended in unexpected ways.
To develop the squad's combat instincts, Ethel did not participate in this exercise.
They had to rely on themselves to find answers amid the chaotic barrage of bubbles.
At least, that was what Oenone claimed. It was probably effective.
"Alright, here we go!"
Just as Oenone rubbed her hands together and prepared to activate her Concept—
the alarm sounded again.
"A purple alert?"
Ethel had never seen that color before.
He knew yellow signaled a demon inside the city, while red meant an expedition to eliminate an outside demon.
Purple, however, was unfamiliar.
"Yinbing!"
Before Oenone could finish speaking, Yinbing had already sprung to her feet and started gathering her gear.
"It's been a long time since I've seen this alert. See you all!"
"Hold on, Yinbing."
Oenone put on her earpiece and concentrated on the incoming report.
"Take Ethel with you."
"Oh?"
She raised an eyebrow in surprise but immediately motioned for Ethel to follow.
"Let's go!"
"What's happening?"
"I'll explain on the way."
They entered the elevator and descended into the underground level.
Instead of heading toward the usual garage, Yinbing led him to a different section, where a large tarp covered something.
"Ever ridden a motorcycle before?"
"No."
"Then you'd better hold on tight."
She yanked away the tarp.
A motorcycle coated in dust appeared before Ethel.
"I don't slow down."
They shot through the city streets.
Several times Ethel was convinced they were about to crash, yet Yinbing somehow threaded the motorcycle through impossibly narrow gaps with masterful control.
The moment they cleared the city gates alive, she twisted the throttle all the way.
As they sped across the open road, Yinbing spoke through their communicators.
"The purple alert means an Emergency Call. Whenever an expedition encounters a demon that's too difficult to handle, they request reinforcements from the city."
"Only the two of us?"
"That's right. Emergency Calls are usually reserved for Concept Users. Back in Posius's days, I used to get called out like this all the time."
"Because of your Concept?"
"Exactly. Most of the time, they needed me to remove some kind of abnormal condition. Since they called you too, it probably means that condition has some hidden rule nobody has figured out yet. They need your eyes."
Ever since Tia had changed, Ethel had become a permanent member of the Third Squad instead of accompanying the First Squad on expeditions.
That was why he had remained inside the city and was available to answer the Emergency Call.
"When we get there," Yinbing continued, "be extra careful. Any demon capable of forcing Captain Tia to issue an Emergency Call is definitely not something to take lightly."
"Understood."
Just what kind of demon had pushed Tia into such a desperate situation?
They would soon find out.
ns216.73.216.67da2
and then Add to home screen.