Chapter 3
January 3, 2005 — Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, Japan
Hundreds of thousands of explosions erupted simultaneously, fire blazing across every street and alley. The screams of children mingled with the panicked cries of fleeing civilians, echoing across the chaos. Shards of glass rained down from shattered buildings, slicing through flesh, leaving trails of blood across the scorched pavement. From a distance, toppled skyscrapers collapsed onto terrified citizens, crushing bodies beneath their weight. Under the unrelenting inferno, burns and charred skin glowed ominously in the flickering flames, creating an almost suffocating, hellish haze. Amid the devastation, some parents clutched their children tightly, shielding them from the inferno's merciless heat and molten debris.
Far above the battlefield, V-22 Ospreys of the EASRS roared into the zone. Their rotors cut the smoky air with deafening gales as three, four aircraft plunged toward the chaos. Below, fire and blood consumed the streets, piling bodies into grotesque heaps. Lightning cracked violently across the ashen sky, casting erratic shadows on the devastation. On the ground, a figure appeared from a shattered phone screen, seemingly climbing out from the urban legend of Hachishakusama, its hollow eyes fixed on the descending helicopters: "PO… PO… PO…"
Meanwhile, Shibuya was under siege. Defense forces had surrounded the district, weapons raised, targeting anything that moved within the fires. The air felt thin, scorched by heat and smoke, suffocating to breathe. From the sky, the helicopters descended, their armored hulls glinting through the smoke, revealing Alpha-7 units. Streets burned with unchecked infernos, civilians screamed in agony, some limping forward with severe burns, desperate for rescue. A mother, embracing her child, staggered through the flames, her charred flesh falling away like wax.
Then—an enormous hand tore through the fire, crushing the mother's skull and hurling the child into the flames. The cries of pain and terror filled the air. Alpha-7 forces retreated strategically, wary of the unseen threat. Suddenly, three V-22s behind them were shredded apart, fragments raining down as the "PO… PO… PO…" sound repeated. Continuous blows struck the soldiers; some fell into the flames, their screams blending with the roar of fire. Unbeknownst to them, five or six Hachishakusama had emerged behind, their gazes terrifying, eyes burning through the visors of the soldiers, instilling fear and desperation even as the troops fired wildly.
Hope returned in the form of armored Alpha-13 vehicles, black as midnight, barreling through the battlefield. They plowed through debris and flames, colliding with the Hachishakusama, blood spraying violently, chunks of flesh and body parts littering the street. 20mm rounds tore through their monstrous forms, reducing them to nothingness almost instantly. Smoke and embers trailed behind the armored convoys as they advanced, lighting the battlefield with hellish fire.
Shibuya was engulfed in smoke and fire, corpses scattered across the streets. Civilians wailed desperately amidst the inferno. Burns and blisters appeared on anyone unprotected, their skin blackening under the relentless heat. Buildings collapsed as steel beams weakened and melted, tilting and falling like molten iron.
From above, CH-64 helicopters of Anomaly 11 streaked through the sky, weaving through columns of smoke and fire like dragons plunging into battle. Their eyes caught a crimson glare—the massive form of a dragon, black as steel with a single blood-red eye. It unleashed torrents of fire, immolating helicopters instantly. Rockets struck it, shredding parts of its body, yet it moved with terrifying speed, toppling aircraft and creating massive explosions upon impact with the streets below.
Simultaneously, a firefighting aircraft deployed by the organization streaked toward Shibuya, its white-and-red hull cutting through the smoke. Water cascaded from its tanks, dampening the flames partially and allowing ground forces to maneuver. Yet countless fires remained, and the inferno continued to suffocate the district.
At a hidden EASRS metro site—Site 13—a young man prepared in the command room. His golden, wolf-cut hair shimmered under the fluorescent lights, short and soft, with a fragrance that contrasted his masculine features. Deep blue eyes, warm as sunlight, scanned the battlefield through monitors. His pale, flawless skin and youthful face belied his age, making him appear no older than seventeen despite nearing thirty.
Lucas lifted the mic, his voice serious, yet tinged with an almost comical childlike tone.
Lucas
> I am Dr. Lucas. I am ordering all forces in Shibuya to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
On the battlefield, civilians burned and stumbled forward like zombies, aiming blindly at the operators. Blood spattered streets as the charred corpses attacked. Alpha-7 units began tactical withdrawal, avoiding direct contact, while flames still raged, and M4 rounds shredded the inferno. The undead pressed forward relentlessly.
Elsewhere, an Alpha-13 vehicle was flung into other armored vehicles by an enormous ape-like creature—King Kong. Bulky, hairy arms shielded it from gunfire as it rampaged, tossing cars aside. CH-64 helicopters opened fire, missiles tearing chunks of flesh away, yet the beast struck buildings into the convoy, raining destruction. The ape roared furiously, shaking the battlefield.
Suddenly, an F-16 streaked through the smoke, almost invisible due to its speed. A half-ton bomb slammed into the ape's head, detonating in a violent explosion. The creature collapsed, the ground shaking from the impact.
Inside the command room, the door slowly opened. Sora stepped in quietly, observing Lucas intently as he monitored the screens. His voice bore a sharp edge, anger and frustration mixing with urgency. Casualties were escalating uncontrollably, civilian and military deaths already numbering tens of thousands.
Lucas
> Immediate retreat… This is my order. I, Lucas, commander of Anomaly 11, demand it.
A soft tap on his head—a coffee cup placed in front of him—made him flinch. Sora smiled mischievously, sat beside him, took the mic, and spoke with a sweet, loli-like voice across the battlefield.
Dr. Sora
> Hey… Oni~chan~~~… Please retreat… I don't want you all to die… okay…
She turned off the mic, grinning teasingly. Lucas glared, serious and slightly irritated.
Lucas
> Ah, so, young doctor… you intend to buff morale with that cute voice? This is a battlefield. It won't work…
Sora frowned, annoyed at being called "young," and pinched Lucas hard, making him wince.
> Yeah, yeah, you annoying femboy… weird as ever… like a German doll… silly… and demonic…
She grabbed the command tablet, pressed the controls, and immediately ordered the Student Force to deploy to the battlefield, no room for refusal.
---
Lights blazed across a KAAI-managed apartment building. Inside, students scrambled, equipping weapons amid trash and chaos. Among them:
Mei – 13, girl, 1.34 m, long silver hair in twin ponytails, crimson eyes, angelic but untouchable.
Qu – 13, girl, 1.32 m, short white hair, wine-red eyes, pure light radiating from her skin.
Hoshino – 13, girl, 1.37 m, Hime-cut doll hair, black/white/purple/gold streaks, one gray blind eye, the other teal and shimmering like sunlight on water.
Mei, still half-asleep, kicked Qu off the bed. Qu groaned, rubbing her sore backside, glaring at Mei. Mei, oblivious, murmured softly beneath her blanket.
At 3:21 a.m., Hoshino rose from the filthy floor, stepped over discarded trash, cockroaches scuttling away. She opened the fridge to find stale cheese and bread, grimacing at its icy hardness.
Suddenly, their broken TV flickered on, blaring with deafening static, announcing repeatedly:
> "Student Force — deployed to Shibuya."
Hoshino stared blankly, unshaken by the news, distracted by her cold bread. Qu panicked, trembling as she grabbed a dusty M4 and strapped on a heavy vest, barely able to stand. Hoshino, by contrast, equipped herself with precision and speed, readying her FN 2000 and armor in practiced movements.
Outside, the apartment glowed as children readied weapons and ammunition, a chaotic but rapid mobilization. Despite their youth and inexperience, Student Force prepared for Shibuya's inferno. Tonight, the district would burn, blood would flow, and many would not see the morning light.
Fifteen to twenty minutes later, the students raced to the vehicles, some taking elevators, others running. Hoshino climbed into a combat vehicle, the engine roaring, as they surged toward Shibuya. Qu trembled in fear, Mei slept blissfully, oblivious to the danger ahead. The convoy barreled through the city, lights reflecting off armored hulls as they entered Tokyo proper.
Upon arrival, the scene was catastrophic: corpses everywhere, streets ablaze, the smell of charred flesh thick in the air. Vehicles brought in from outside were empty, and soldiers vomited in horror. Many fainted, unable to comprehend the carnage. The untrained children were terrified, incapable of understanding war's cruelty.
And then—
"Po… Po… Po…"
[To be continued]